"I’m no speek English": Artist Olana Janfa doesn't let bad English hold him back

10/03/23 • 31 min

Ivan Aristeguieta is obsessed with dialects, comparing them to the myriad different ways people have of making Bolognese. Guest Olana Janfa (who designed our podcast art) throws the menu out the window. He’s a self-taught artist and clothing designer from Ethiopia via Norway who refuses to be limited by 'bad English'. He won't hold himself back for want of perfect pronunciation or grammar. For Olana, speaking a second language is all about expression - doing it your own way. English language teacher Ai-Lin Bhugun tries to interest him and Ivan in the correct use of verbs.

Previous Episode

How would you like your adjectives stacked?

Of the many sins of English, its prepositions are preposterous. Ivan Aristeguieta is worried about landing 'in' Melbourne 'on' a plane. Wouldn’t he die in a horrific accident? Comedian Takashi 'Waka' Wakasugi explains the beauty and superiority of Japan’s three alphabets over English's measly 26 letters. English language teacher Ai-Lin Bhugun unravels the inane secrets of stacking adjectives and supplies Waka with a practical lesson in pronouncing 'Uluru'. Victory is at hand!

Next Episode

Stressing out about emphasis with He Huang

Shortcuts cause Ivan a special level of dread... contractions, acronyms and abbreviations drive him mad. Fellow comedian He Huang is from Chongqing, an area of China known for its spicy food, and has a sense of humour to match. She trained as a linguist but ditched that path to relocate to Australia and pursue stand-up, winning viral success via a clip of her appearance on Australia’s Got Talent. English teacher Ai-Lin puts He through an exercise in decoding how stresses on different words can change the meaning of everything.