Listening practice - Higher

There are lots of specialist terms when talking about technology, so it's important to revise vocabulary specific to the topic. Listen carefully for key words and don't try to understand every single word - concentrate on understanding the overall message.

Here is some extra vocabulary that may help:

Interview with a Spanish app designer

Here is a podcast interview with a Spanish app designer, Marco Navarro.

Answer all parts of the question in English.

Question

1. When did his passion for technology start?
2. What does he need to keep improving?
3. What does he say is the most important thing when creating a new app?

Reveal answer

1. After sending his first text message. Remember that there is no requirement to answer in a full sentence. Although this question asks when something happened, there is no need to answer with a date or time, which may confuse you if that's what you were expecting to hear.
2. His knowledge of code/ programming. The answer comes at the end of a long sentence. Don't expect to hear the answer immediately - it will always be surrounded by other information.
3. Having lots of original ideas/ being open to all possibilities. There are two possible answers here. Check to see if the question asks for more than one detail.

Transcript:

Entrevistadora: ¿De dónde viene tu pasión por las nuevas tecnologías?

Marco: Mi pasión por las nuevas tecnologías empezó después de enviar mi primer mensaje de texto.

Entrevistadora: ¿Qué significa para ti el talento?

Marco: Diría que el talento es algo relativo, por ejemplo, tengo un talento para las ideas tecnológicas, pero siempre tengo que mejorar mis conocimientos de código y de programación.

Entrevistadora: ¿Cómo funciona el proceso de creación?

Marco: Normalmente hay que seguir un plan, pero lo más importante al principio es tener muchísimas ideas originales y ser abierto a todas las posibilidades.

Translation:

Interviewer: Where does your passion for new technologies come from?

Marco: My passion for new technologies started after sending my first text message.

Interviewer: What does talent mean for you?

Marco: I would say that talent is something relative, for example, I have a talent for technological ideas, but I always have to improve my knowledge of coding and programming.

Interviewer: How does the creative process work?

Marco: Usually you have to follow a plan, but the most important thing at the beginning is to have lots of original ideas and to be open to all possibilities.

Question

1. What does he need to consider when creating a new app?
2. What does he say makes a successful app?

Reveal answer

1. Whether other people will find his ideas fun/interesting. There are no distractors for this question, so you need to listen carefully to what he says.
2. They are easy to use/addictive. Again, there are two possibilities. Be careful as he mentions apps earning a lot of money - but that is not the reason why apps are successful.

Transcript:

Entrevistadora: ¿Tienes en mente nuevas ideas?

Marco: ¡Por supuesto! Sin embargo, es esencial considerar si otras personas encontrarán mis apps divertidas y útiles.

Entrevistadora: ¿Cuál es la clave para que una aplicación sea exitosa?

Marco: En mi opinión, las apps que ganan mucho dinero normalmente son fáciles de usar y sobre todo son muy adictivas.

Translation:

Interviewer: Do you have new ideas in mind?

Marco: Of course! Nevertheless, it's essential to consider whether other people will find my apps fun and useful.

Interviewer: What is the key for an app to be successful?

Marco: In my opinion, the apps that earn a lot of money are easy to use and above all, very addictive.