Transcript of Bonus Ep 17 - Pt. 1 Transcript

Charlie:
Hello and welcome to the British English podcast. This is an interesting episode because I was contacted by an Instagram follower to suggest an episode for you guys and it was because of a- an Instagrammer and TikToker that this follower also follows. And I had a little look, and I was amazed because this person has what we call as a near-native accent. And she's a non-native. She's Spanish, and yeah, I wanted to pick her brains and understand how she managed to get such a good accent and hopefully inspire you guys. But also talk to you about her amazing social media content because she's killing it on TikTok and Instagram. But yes, we have Maria Speaks English. Hello, Maria, how are you doing?

Maria:
Hi, Charlie, I'm doing great. Thank you. Thank you for having me on the show.

Charlie:
Absolute pleasure. Yes. So where are you in the world, in Spain, you're in? Where in the world are you in Spain?

Maria:
I'm in Spain. I'm currently based in Malaga. I was actually born and raised in here, in Malaga, in sunny Malaga. We're having a wonderful day today. And yeah, I'm really happy in here.

Charlie:
Nice. Yeah. So it's December whilst we're recording this. Does it get a little bit nippy in the south of Spain?

Maria:
Not really. No, I don't know.

Charlie:
No. Ok, so sunny. All year round.

Maria:
Yeah, all year round. Mostly because I am in an area that's actually called La Costa del Sol, which is like the Sun Coast, basically, which translates to la costa eh the sun coast. And it's almost, like all every single day sunny. And it's amazing. Like, yeah, something I am living for it. Like, I would hate it if it be- if it were like raining all the time, I couldn't stand it. I am all about sunny, hot places.

Charlie:
Ok, yeah. Do you go to the beach much?

Maria:
Yes, I do, of course. I mean, you can really go. You can't really go now because it's actually- it's a bit chilly. Let's just say it's chilly. For us, it is chilly. For a British person it would be hot as hell, but for me it is. It is pretty chilly. And so I really I wouldn't really go to the beach right now, but I go mostly every single day in summer. So yeah, it's something I have to do.

Charlie:
Oh nice!

Maria:
I love it.

Charlie:
Yeah, as a- as a- as a youngster, it's a very formal word, guys. But when I was younger, that was the holiday destination for my family. We used to fly over to Malaga.

Maria:
No way!

Charlie:
We'd have about, we'd have about two weeks in and around Malaga.

Maria:
No! You're kidding!

Charlie:
Yeah!

Maria:
Whereabouts in Malaga?

Charlie:
I'm struggling to think of the names, actually, but Costa del Sol was typical like location that we were in. So yeah, there was loads of resorts that we went to. It wasn't the most cultured experience because it was typically like an English bubble that we know.

Maria:
Yeah.

Charlie:
There was quite a few Germans actually around the resort...

Maria:
Yeah, Germans and British. That's, that's what you get in here, in Malaga.

Charlie:
And a lot of golf courses.

Maria:
Yeah, I've never done golf, by the way, but, but I have to try.

Charlie:
Ah ok.

Maria:
I should do.

Charlie:
Yeah. Or maybe when you retire, when you've given up your TikTok days.

Maria:
Hmm. Who knows when that will happen? Who knows?

Charlie:
Yeah. Well, let's get into that. So when did you start this journey of becoming a content creator and English teacher online, particularly TikTok and Instagram?

Maria:
Well, when it comes to being an English teacher, I've been, I think, doing it pretty much since I was 15 years old. Like, it's something I thought...

Charlie:
Wow!

Maria:
Yeah, something I've been passionate about ever since I can remember. So I started out at 15 and then went to uni and everything I did, I read translation and interpreting at uni. And but then I've been teaching face to face, like I've been teaching like in the classroom, the normal classroom as everyone does. But then obviously the pandemic came around, the pandemic came into our lives, and then I just decided to just jump into the online world and just give it a try.

Maria:
So what I did, basically, that was last year, actually, that was last November. And so I just gave it a try. I just thought, TikTok, why not? It sounds great. Actually, my boyfriend was the one who taught me, Maria, you should be on TikTok. You're going to kill it, you're going to smash it. You have to. You have to be there. So I just paid attention to his wise words. And in a year, we are a year later, with a lot of...

Charlie:
How many have you got in...

Maria:
Watching.

Charlie:
I think you've got over two hundred and fifty thousand TikTok followers, didn't you?

Maria:
Yeah, yeah, well, almost half a million...

Charlie:
Instagram? Oh! Wow!

Maria:
Almost half a million on TikTok! Yeah, yeah, it's scary though.

Charlie:
Confused with- I think I was getting confused with Instagram, why, well, you got nearly half a million TikTok followers.

Maria:
No, really? I think more than that.

Charlie:
Goodness me!

Maria:
Err it would just be- yeah, I know it's scary, right?

Charlie:
Yeah, so...

Maria:
It is scary!

Charlie:
Maria was saying that she kind of tries to ignore it and speaks to the camera as if it's just her best friend. But do you ever, do you ever, you know, think- hang on. No, there are over half a million people watching me.

Maria:
That's correct.

Charlie:
Yeah, that must be mad.

Maria:
Yeah.

Charlie:
When you make your your content, are you thinking particularly for a specific type of learner?

Maria:
Hmm. Not really, I mean, well, what I usually do when I'm creating content is just to ask myself. All right, Maria, what would you like to see, like if you were on the other side of the screen? As a viewer, as a follower, what would you like to be taught? What would you find interesting? Whatever, like, I asked my, I ask myself was kind of, those kind of, well, those kinds of questions, and that's always how I come up, how come up with all the ideas and all the videos and stuff.

Maria:
I think when you're creating content. The key thing is just to have common sense. I, like, when you have common sense and when you just stick to your values and also to your, to your way of doing things. And you know, if you stick to it and you stick to a certain way of doing things and you ask yourself, this is right, would I like to see this? Would I find this useful? Things work, in my opinion. I think common sense is the key to creating content.

Charlie:
Wise words! Wonderfully put as well. Yeah, lovely language as well. Ok, so you said 15 was when you started teaching. When did you start enjoying English or languages? Did you have another language before?

Maria:
No, not really. Like English has always been my best friend and will always be my best friend, let's say.

Charlie:
Aww!

Maria:
Yeah, like I started to become obsessed with English. Now you say obsessed because it's my way to, it's my way of just approaching things. When I'm learning a language, I just need to become completely obsessed with it in order to just- like fail, like falling head over heels in love with that language. That's how I approach things.

Maria:
So basically, how everything started. I was eight or nine. I can't really remember. And then I remember that my mom would play the classics, the English classics. You know, she would play the, she would put music, you know, on- in the kitchen. She would show me, she would talk to me about Michael Jackson, you know, Queen, Madonna, whatever, she would play their music. So what, my approach like, what I thought about it instantly was, Oh my god, I love this music. I love this kind of, you know, things that I'm hearing, but I don't get a word like, I don't understand what they're saying. So I remember, I was nine, like eight, and I just felt the need to just completely understand the lyrics to their songs. What I did basically was just to translate every single thing that I would, you know, come across with. I basically, you know, I had a little notebook, but I still have, by the way. And I would translate every single song that my mom would play to me in English.

Charlie:
Wow.

Maria:
So and then what happened? Well, that actually made me fall in love with music and that made me fall in love with English. So that was kind of my perfect combination, like the perfect combo, because English made me understand music and music make me understand English. So that's kind of that was a beautiful relationship that I found there.

Maria:
And then what happened is that I opened up a YouTube account at age 11, and so what I basically did was to upload translations to my favourite songs, and it became really big. I'm not going to lie. It became quite, I think it was 2007, maybe 2008. I got like twenty thousand followers, which was a lot by the time.

Charlie:
Yeah!

Maria:
And the thing is, that was something I really enjoyed doing. That was something I really enjoyed. That was my hobby, actually, translating songs and listening and fully immersing into, you know, the music and the lyrics, was kind of my hobby and my favourite thing to do in the entire world. So that was kind of how I have I learnt, I learnt without even noticing that I was learning, without even realising that I was learning. But yeah, that's how, how I fell completely in love with English and music.

Charlie:
That makes a lot of sense. Yeah. You found a passion early on. You committed to it 100 hundred percent, and it kind of fueled your English and it fueled your love of music. Yeah, that works really nicely. You mentioned a couple of bands there, some American, maybe some English as well, British. What was the major influence on you starting off? Was it American or mainly British English or another kind of English?

Maria:
I would say American English. Yeah, because all the input that I received was American, like all the movies I used to watch were pretty much, yeah, they were American. And the songs I listened to, they were American singers, American artists, whatever, so I'd say I've been, that was the major input, that was- that was American. I also- there was a time in my life where I was completely in love with British culture and British accent and everything. For example, I, I love Queen. I love Adele. So I love these kind of references really helped me with my British accent. I'm going to say, but yeah, I'd say American is my favourite one, I'm sorry.

Charlie:
No, no, no. That's fine. It's interesting to talk about it. So could you without. Well, I am going to put you on the spot. Would you be able to do a British accent?

Maria:
A little British accent, I'd say, I've had it for a while. I've had it for a while. Well, but I will say I feel so much more. I feel so much more comfortable when it comes to being a American accent for some reason, because every time I have a British accent, I feel like I'm so sort of imitating and sort of acting, which I don't really like. So that's why I went to complete- I went from completely having a full-On British accent, to just sticking to an American one, so...

Charlie:
Amazing.

Maria:
That was...

Charlie:
I'm going to. I'm loving it, absolutely loving it. Can you keep going? I really want to try and absorb it as much as possible with the next question I had.

Maria:
Ok.

Charlie:
Did you focus on pronunciation right from the start when you were... In British accent, please?

Maria:
Do you want a British accent? Oh.

Charlie:
Yes, please!

Maria:
I actually didn't. I think it was something that came so naturally. Oh no, that was horrible. It was something that came to me so naturally. And so, yeah, like I said, naturally. And I didn't really put much thought into it. Like what I did was basically to imitate favourite actresses and my favourite, you know, actors and whatever. So what I did was to just pick a song that I would like, just pick a specific scene of a specific movie that I was obsessed about. And then what I would just do is to just be in my room and put up a show and just act by myself and then just act it out.

Maria:
I was just completely, I would imitate every single thing that, every single little tiny thing that the person was saying. I would imitate the gestures, I would imitate the accent. So I didn't really think to myself, OK, now I'm doing a British accent and now I'm doing an American accent like, it wasn't. It wasn't, really...

Charlie:
I'll help. I'll help you out because you're kind of going between the two now because you're trying to talk about.

Maria:
Yeah, I don't know what I'm...

Charlie:
Let's-

Maria:
Not like, like...

Charlie:
I love that. That was brilliant. Let's go back to your normal one.

Maria:
Ok, thank you. Because this is how I feel the most comfortable. I don't know. Because the thing is, since English is not my native language, I just tend to, you know, to mimic everything I am around. I'm- everything I'm surrounded by. So, yeah, but I just need to stick to one accent that is very, very important. And I just, I do have, I mean, I keep reminding it to myself. Maria, stick to one accent because, you know, this is what I think I should do.

Charlie:
Yeah, that's a worthy, worthy point. A point to make. I've had students who really enjoy mixing the two, and I'm learning Spanish and I get a bit confused whether I'm learning, you know, Spanish or South American Spanish. And I think it's interesting to obviously expose ourselves to both, but it is probably wise to stick to one because natives who listen to you will find it very confusing. I think I find it confusing if somebody is throwing an American word in with a British accent or something like that. And yeah, it's kind of like, you know, if you're speaking to somebody locally who's from your area and then they suddenly use a word that's from, not from your area, you don't expect it. So it kind of makes sense.

Maria:
Yeah, yeah. So please, listeners, don't be like me. Stick to one accent, please.

Charlie:
Well, well, I feel like you've very much got more of an American accent. It's, it's fairly neutral one. It's not like a really, really strong one. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And a couple of times I've heard a few, a few syllables that sound a little bit British when you're in your American accent, but very much, the majority of it is all American, but very soft, soft. Was that a deliberate decision, would you say?

Maria:
It definitely wasn't a like a conscious decision that I made, but over time it has become one, definitely.

Charlie:
Ok, so yeah, the American, the focus on American English wasn't exactly the idea At the beginning, but you were exposed to a lot of American stuff, so it naturally focussed on that. Yeah, that makes sense, OK?

Maria:
Yeah. In the beginning, it was not a conscious decision. Like I said, I would just imitate every single thing that I would come across with. So I wasn't really like, OK, this is American accent, this is British accent. I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that. But then over time, I have to say that there has been a time where I've been British. I have been, I have had an American, British accent, but then I just felt that I was constantly, you know, acting. I was like having a role in my conversations. So I just figured, all right, American accent from now on. Because this is the way I feel the most comfortable in.

Charlie:
Yeah, that's really wise to go with the one that you feel most comfortable with. I don't know if it,

Maria:
Yeah,

Charlie:
Kind of associate with the sounds of Spanish a little bit easier, I don't know.

Maria:
Yeah.

Charlie:
But yeah, yeah, that's good. So you said that you focus very much on imitating and you use music at the beginning. So I'm assuming it was also to do, to do with imitating the way people were singing. Did that help you? Do you think kind of get a better understanding of sounds and connecting with sounds because I've had students where they really can't hear the difference between what they're saying and what I'm saying? Do you feel like that's a speciality that you are comfortable in? You have quite a good ear for that?

Maria:
Yeah, absolutely. I think it has helped me a lot when it comes to sounds. I mean, in my opinion, the way I see it, English has a lot to do with musicality and with music in general and with acting too. I was fortunate enough that I'm, I'm completely in love with these three areas. I love music, I love acting and whatever. But yeah, so it has helped me realise the little tiny aspects of the language and the little tiny, you know, sounds that you don't really notice when someone's talking to you. But then once you repeat the song and repeat the lyrics exactly as they sound as their singer is singing to them, you just get so good at it with the time, the time you just get so good at it.

Maria:
And it's really helpful too. Here's one thing that I use in my classes. What I usually do is I explain music, I explain, you know, songs and everything, and then just, I just make my students sing to the words, sing to the lyrics, and they loved it. They loved it, and it's really helped them with their pronunciation, I have to say. So if I ever like, that's, that's the best. In my opinion, that's it. That is the best way to improve your pronunciation, I'm not gonna lie. Imitating and singing.

Charlie:
Ok. Singing as well. Yeah. Nice. Ok, yeah. I'll try and get my...

Maria:
I love singing!

Charlie:
I do. I do group classes. I'm not very good at singing, so I won't be able to encourage them. No, maybe I'll have to get you in on them.

Maria:
Ok, lovely! Fine.

Charlie:
Yeah. So do you think this is what helped you stay consistent with your language learning and your obsession with music?

Maria:
Absolutely. Yeah, that is the only- for me, that is the only way to go when it comes to learning a language is. A language like get obsessed with it. And then just, I mean, if you don't love it, you kind of look at it as if we, as if it were some kind of a burden. Eventually, you don't end up loving the language and loving the process and everything. It is just another thing that you have to do because somebody else tells you to do it. If I'm making- if I'm making sense, so,

Charlie:
Totally. You really are. Yeah.

Maria:
Yeah. So that's, that's my whole point.

Charlie:
That makes me think about asking you whether you feel like you've got a different personality, personality, sorry, when you're speaking English as opposed to Spanish.

Maria:
I don't know. I think, I'm going to say that, it's a very funny thing. I feel even more com- I feel, I feel more confident when I am speaking English than what I feel speaking in Spanish. And that, this is something that I have really, I have really thought about because this is going to sound a little cheesy and little.

Charlie:
I embrace the cheese.

Maria:
Well, go for it. The thing is, the thing is when I was at school, you know, I wasn't- I didn't really feel that I was particularly good at something. When I was at school, I felt like everyone, you know, was good at something, everyone stands- there was something that always made somebody stand out, but I didn't really have that thing. I really didn't feel like I had a place in school. Right? So the thing is, when English came around, when English, when English came into my life. When English came into my life, I felt that that was the one thing that people knew me for. You know, everybody at school knew me, as you know, the girl who speaks perfect English or the girl who has this beautiful American accent, whatever.

Maria:
So that was the thing that made me feel confident. That was the thing that, you know, people knew me for. And that was the thing that made me stand out. So that was- English became sort of my safe place. English became sort of why, you know, like my shelter, my, you know, the thing that everyone knew, the thing that everyone knew about me, you know, like Maria. Like I've always been, I've always gone hand in hand with English, like me and English have always been together as a couple, or as a beautiful relationship or something. So that, that's kind of, I think that's also kind of the reason why I feel English is so special to me because English has always made me feel special in a way.

Charlie:
Wonderful.

Maria:
So that's, so does that make sense?

Charlie:
It does. Totally. Yeah. I mean, it kind of makes sense why your your name is Maria Speaks English. I can imagine it on the playground. Like your friends saying, Maria speaks English! Maria speaks English!

Maria:
Actually, yes. Actually, yes. So that's the thing. That's, that's the reason why apart from, you know, music and movies and stuff. The main reason why I love English is because it gave me my goal in life. It just made me, just gave me something to live for.

Charlie:
Wow. Ok. Ok.

Maria:
It sounds so cheesy but...

Charlie:
No, I love it. I absolutely love it. And I'm so happy that it's giving you that confidence and almost an identity, I suppose. And it's given you a career because as you said, you started teaching when you were 15.

Maria:
Yeah!

Charlie:
So can you tell me a little bit more about that? So you started at 15 and then what came next? You said you went to university and you studied Linguistics, right?

Maria:
I did Translation.

Charlie:
Translation.

Maria:
It was Translation and Interpreting. Yeah. And well, basically, yes, I started teaching when I was. Yeah, like I said when I was 16, then I've always known that, you know, I have to do something related to English. Like, in life. So that's why I decided to just take on. Well, I just decided to just apply for Translation and Interpreting. And I just, I went to uni and everything. I was actually- it was OK. It was, it was a very good decision, actually, because, you know, I learnt lots of English and I also learnt lots of German, which I don't speak today. But- but- but I try to.

Maria:
So yeah, it was a very good decision because it also made me realise how, what I wanted to do and what I didn't want to do. So, for example, I was very sure that I didn't really want to do, for example, translation. Even though I like it. But I think I figured, I was- like my place was Interpreting. Like, I was- Interpreting was my thing, Interpreting as to Translating. Translating, you know, in real time and, you know, the thought of people and everything. So that was my thing, yeah...

Charlie:
Yeah. And what- what was your first job out of uni?

Maria:
Oh, but it was at the TED Talks in Malaga. The TED Talks organised...

Charlie:
No way!

Maria:
In Malaga. Yes, I was the Interpreter for that conference, in those conferences for two years in a row. So that was amazing. There was a very, that was a very good experience, I have to say. And that made me utilise half-

Charlie:
Sorry to interrupt, but that means that you could technically say that you've done loads of TED Talks.

Maria:
Yes! Basically, yeah, I could say that. And yeah, and I did that. And I also, I participated in a lot of things related to Interpreting. I also went to France. I've been living in France for almost a year, but then COVID came around. So basically, the timeline is I finished uni, I had a bunch of jobs related to Translation and Interpreting, and then I just want to, went to France. I also went to Poland and lived there for two, for two months, I think, or three months. And then I just, yeah, and then I just came back home to Malaga due to beautiful COVID.

Charlie:
And then, so you started online and your partner encouraged you to do some courses as well. What's- what's going on there?

Maria:
Yes. So the thing is, after COVID, I was left out without nothing, with nothing, basically. I lost my job and I, you know, but I just couldn't be. I just need to do something. I'm be- I'm the kind of person who just need to. I need to be busy, right? So. I started, you know, teaching online, and some online, on some online platforms and everything, it was good in the beginning. But then the truth is the platform fee that they took out for me was a lot. Was- was like, I had.

Charlie:
Yeah, pretty substantial.

Maria:
Yeah, exactly. So I just decided that I would just do it by myself. And then my boyfriend mentioned something like, along the lines of Maria, you just, you need to be on Tik Tok. You're going to kill it, you're going to smash it there. You just, please do it. And he was very insistent. I'm not going to lie. He was very insistent because I didn't really pay attention in the beginning. But then I just figured, OK, maybe I should do it. Let's just try it out. Let's just try and see how it goes.

Maria:
So then I just created my Dick Dogtown, and then the very first few videos didn't really get a view like...

Charlie:
OK.

Maria:
People just ignored it. But then one video I can't really remember which one it was, but it became viral and then woah, and then everything just started to fall into place. Like, it went viral. And then all of a sudden there were like forty thousand people. Like, we were like 30, like 40,000 people in the community. You know, that was that was amazing. That was, that was great. And then I just thought to myself. All right. Maybe I could do this for a living, like maybe I could just, you know, come up with something and just make a living. Yes.

Charlie:
Yeah, and that led you to, to making some courses and your own website?

Maria:
Yeah, because in the beginning, I didn't really know. You know, like how to make an income out of what I was doing, you know, like I had a bunch of followers as well on Instagram and everything, but I said, What can I do? Like, I used to get a lot of messages from people for my followers saying, Hi, Maria. I just would love to learn English with you. How can we do this? Whatever, and there came- It came to a point where I would receive like thousands of requests for, for lessons, so I got to do something like, I wish I could teach every single person individually, but I just got to do something about this because they want to help this people out, and I just don't know how to do it.

Maria:
So I basically, what I did was to ask my community and I asked them, OK, so guys, I cannot like teach you individually. I wish I could, but I cannot. How can I help you? I was like a form that I created on. Well, that was a poll that I created on Instagram Stories and everyone replied, we want an online course, we want an online course. Like, we need this from you. So that was basically, that was basically what I did. I started working on a online course that went really well. I'm really happy about it. I'm not going to lie. I, because people are actually my students are also very happy about the course, about the way they learn with it and everything. So I can really be here. And then my boyfriend is the one in charge of the design and the techie part of it.

Charlie:
Ok.

Maria:
And then I, yeah, you tell me.

Charlie:
No, I was just going to say, so the course. I think I saw a couple of courses on there. So what's the focus and who benefits from it the most? Is it Spanish learners learning English?

Maria:
Yeah, because I usually record myself in Spanish, sometimes I speak Spanish and some other times they speak English. But yet it is aimed at, you know, Spanish speakers, for sure. Yeah.

Charlie:
And what level of English learning? Are they lower level or intermediate or advanced English learners?

Maria:
Intermediate. I'm going to say, yeah, definitely intermediate. And then it goes to advanced, let's just say. Yeah. And then I have one about Phrasal Verbs, which is for intermediate level and one about Grammar, which is about, which is to offer intermediate advanced. Let's just, yeah. And then the implicit tenses, like Tenses, English tenses, which is for a little lower level. But yeah,

Charlie:
Right, OK. So, Tenses, lower level Phrasal Verbs, very nice and a bit of Grammar. So guys, we're going to leave Part One there, but we're going to be continuing with Part Two and Part Three where I ask Maria a little bit more about what she thinks is more important: pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar or fluency, where she's travelled. Also, about the- the cultural values of Spanish people. And maybe, if we get time, to see whether she thinks a Spanish female would be a better companion with a British male as a date, or the other way round?

Charlie:
So we've got a lot to come. But if you're here just for the first part, thank you very much for listening and I highly encourage you to check out Maria's stuff and the website is www.mariaspeaksenglish.com Right?

Maria:
Yeah, yeah, that's correct.

Charlie:
There we go. And Maria Speaks English on TikTok and Instagram. Thank you very much, Maria. All right, I'll see you in Part Two.

Maria:
Yeah, see you soon! Bye!

Charlie:
We will be leaving Part One there for today. But don't worry, we have Part Two and Three round the corner for you to enjoy. But first, make sure you utilise all of the learning resources available to you for this part. And then when ready, I'll see you in Part Two to continue the conversation. Thanks again for supporting me. This is my full time job. So here's to many more episodes of the British English podcast to help you improve your English.