English with Kirsty – episode 329
The 4 stages of language learning through immersion – with Fay Abernethy
You can listen to episode 329 here:
Fay and I have been chatting on LinkedIn this year, but I didn’t know that she was an author until recently. It was interesting to hear about Fay’s fiction books, which explore topics around language learning without specifically being about that.
Having never lived outside the UK, it was also interesting for me to hear from someone with two very different learning through immersion experiences – one in France and one in Germany. We explored the stages that Fay went through both times in order to communicate fluently in both languages. Who helped her, what did she experience at each stage, and when did she finally feel that she’d made it in terms of being able to communicate with others more confidently?
We then went on to discuss Fay’s writing journey – how her book series came about, what this has to do with language learning, and the identity of the mysterious cat! I couldn’t resist asking about that!
We hope you enjoy our conversation and look forward to hearing from anyone with similar – or different – language learning through immersion stories! Do you relate to the stages that Fay mentioned? Did you feel stuck at one stage longer? What helped you to progress to a point where you were more fluent and found it easier to communicate more naturally?
Who is Fay?
Fay Abernethy is a British mother of two, living in southern Germany. She went through the process of becoming fluent in another language through immersion twice: first in French, during her Erasmus year in Lyon, and then in German, during a six-month placement in a factory near Leipzig (where she met her future husband).
After years working all over the world as an engineer in the automotive industry, she became a freelance German-to-English translator in 2007. Last year, she started offering English-language copyediting as an additional service.
She is also the author of the “Shantivira” solarpunk series, about an international school for spacecraft fighter pilots in central London, inspired by her Erasmus experiences. Set between 2013 and 2018, on Earth and beyond, the books combine fun science fantasy with alternative ways of organising our society – allowing *everyone* to live good lives, despite existing on a planet with finite resources.
Fay’s links
Here’s where you can contact Fay and find out more about her work. Firstly, Fay has two websites:
An author website (in English)
and a Translating and copyediting website (in German).
She is also present on various social media platforms:
How you can get in touch with me
I enjoy hearing from my listeners! If you have any comments or questions, you can contact me using my contact form.
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