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What Is Ardano? Posted by Transparent Language on Nov 19, 2009
Ever since Zein posted a comment under the Purism or Pluralism? article from a ways back, I’ve been examining some of Esperanto’s “competitors.” I use the word “competitor” lightly, because it’s unfair to say that a language with essentially the same goals as Esperanto should be placed in an adversarial context. Perhaps we could refer…
How Tempting… Posted by Transparent Language on Nov 6, 2009
An interesting synonym for the English verb “to tempt” is the word “tantalize.” It can mean “to tease,” but it also connotes some temptation – “tantalizing” refers to something that arouses want, mostly due to that something’s unattainable nature. The word itself comes from the name of the Greek trickster-hero Tantalus, whose skills in deception…
Articles on Teaching Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 31, 2009
Do you speak Esperanto, but have some qualms about teaching it in schools? No? Well, I figured. Esperantists recognize the potential benefits of teaching Esperanto, but some people are a bit skeptical about the whole thing. I suppose I can understand the initial reluctance. Language is a deeply personal matter, and closely tied to one’s…
More Recent/Obscure Esperanto Cinema Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 30, 2009
I’d wager that most Esperantists know of Inkubo. Unfortunately, other Esperanto films don’t as readily come to mind. In my search for Esperanto films, I’ve come across a more recent short film that looks like it could be interesting: Ne Plu Pikniko. Given that its title translates to “No More Picnic,” I’m not inclined to…
Translation Tool – Traduku Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 28, 2009
Since I’m usually averse to Internet translations, I’ve been somewhat reluctant to mention a tool called Traduku. If you’ve ever had experience with Babelfish, it functions much like the (in)famous web translator. Insert some text, or a URL, into the appropriate field, click a button for the desired language, and check the results. The page…
Looking for a read? Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 27, 2009
Esperanto strikes me as an inherently literary language. I find that I learn the most about it by reading. Of course, I am a student of literature, so forgive me if this clouds my judgment! In any case, since your local library probably lacks solid Esperanto reads, you might need to drop a few dolaroj…
An Internet Curiosity… Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 26, 2009
In hopes of procuring some good Halloween reading for the lot of you, I went on a search for an Esperanto copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula online. I wasn’t successful…Perhaps a translation of the classic Victorian horror is order? However, I did stumble across a curious Esperanto document that nobody would have expected to appear…