Bienvenidos a Twilingua

Well look, I’m Fletcher Haines.

I spent decades as a foreign correspondent before settling in Austin.

And I’m relearning Spanish because my daughter married a guy from Madrid.

Hola, soy Octavio Solana, de Madrid.

Hello, I’m Octavio Solana, from Madrid.

Trabajé como editor en El País, pero ahora escribo libros y columnas.

I worked as editor at El País, but now I write books and columns.

Conozco bien el inglés porque viví en Londres, pero aquí hablo en español porque creo que así se aprende mejor.

I know English well because I lived in London, but here I speak Spanish because I think that way you learn better.

Right, so here’s the thing.

We met when I was writing about press freedom in Spain after the crisis.

Octavio was one of my sources.

The interview lasted three hours...

and then we ended up at a bar in Malasaña.

That’s where the arguing started.

Sí, a ver, la verdad es que no fue solo discutir.

Yes, well, the truth is it wasn’t just arguing.

Empezamos a hablar de política, comida, cultura, y nos dimos cuenta que esas conversaciones eran una gran forma de aprender idiomas.

We started talking about politics, food, culture, and we realized those conversations were a great way to learn languages.

Exactly.

I mean, learning from textbooks is one thing, but real conversations — especially when you make mistakes — that’s where the magic happens.

Like the time I told your mother I was 'muy embarazado' instead of 'muy avergonzado'.

[ríe] Sí, esa frase la recuerdo bien.

[laughs] Yes, I remember that phrase well.

Pero es normal, con idiomas se aprende con errores.

But it’s normal, with languages you learn from mistakes.

Well look, I’m okay with being ‘very pregnant’ if it means improving my Spanish.

That story shows what this podcast is about: real talk, real mistakes, real learning.

Así es.

That’s right.

En este podcast, vamos a hablar de noticias, cultura, política y comida.

In this podcast, we will talk about news, culture, politics, and food.

No es una clase tradicional, es una conversación que te gustaría oír en un café.

It’s not a traditional class, it’s a conversation you would like to hear in a café.

And I’ll be the curious outsider asking why about everything.