What is Vocab Mapping?
Vocab Mapping is a technology-driven method I created to identify your most relevant words & phrases, based on how you actually speak in your native language.
It supplements (not replaces) traditional frequency lists by focusing on words that matter to you—so you can start speaking about your life faster and more naturally.
🛠 Step 1: Build Your Personal Corpus
We need real, natural speech to work with. Here’s how:
Option 1: Record Conversations
- Throughout your day, record yourself speaking in your native language.
- If you're talking to others, get their consent first before recording.
- Use Otter.ai or another transcription tool for automatic speech-to-text.
Option 2: Use the Self-Introduction Script
- If you don’t talk much in your native language, use my self-introduction template and embellish.
- This guides you through describing yourself, your work, hobbies, and more—giving you useful phrases to learn.
Option 3: Talk to Yourself
- Just narrate your thoughts, explain what you're doing, or rant about your day.
- This is how I got the most out of Vocab Mapping early on.
By the end of this step, you should have a transcript of your spoken language in a text file.