Archive for 'Archived Posts'
An American in Madagascar: Language and the Land of Contrasts Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 13, 2017 in Archived Posts
The team at Transparent Language is always on the move, meeting with librarians, educators, and language program administrators around the country. As you might expect from language buffs, we also do a good bit of personal travel abroad. Today’s post is from Janet, our technical writer and perhaps most intrepid traveler. A few years back…
5 Genuinely Useful Klingon Phrases Posted by Malachi Rempen on Sep 11, 2017 in Archived Posts
You might not think you’d need to use any Klingon outside of a sci-fi convention, but believe it or not, these phrases might actually come in handy in everyday life. Klingon is the fictional language spoken by aliens in Star Trek which has become a fully fleshed-out conlang (constructed language) in its own right and…
5 Tips for Language Learning on a Budget Posted by Malachi Rempen on Sep 4, 2017 in Archived Posts
You don’t have to be a billionaire to learn new languages. You don’t even have to be a millionaire. Travel is expensive, there’s no real way around that. Paying for transport, be it planes, trains or buses; accommodation, food, laundry, not to mention the ticket price of any sights or attractions…it’s basically paying all the…
The Best Language Learning Advice Isn’t Necessarily Language Learning Advice Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 28, 2017 in Archived Posts
We’re known for spouting off language learning advice on this blog, so you’re probably wondering what we mean by that title. Just hear us out. Researching how languages can be learned most efficiently and effectively is our wheelhouse. It’s why U.S. Government agencies rely on us to train employees whose jobs require language skills; it’s…
Portuguese ≠ Russian? Posted by Malachi Rempen on Aug 23, 2017 in Archived Posts
Does Portuguese sound like Russian, or the other way around? To be fair, this comic comes from a guest writer – I myself don’t speak much Spanish, and I don’t speak any Portuguese or Russian. But I’ve traveled a few (wonderful) times to Portugal, and I’ve always noticed that the language has a lot of…
Language Learning: Then and Now Posted by Malachi Rempen on Aug 21, 2017 in Archived Posts
Language learning didn’t used to be so luxurious. Once upon a time, before there was a global network of computers talking to each other, there was only one way to learn a language: immersion. Sure, you could study languages in a university classroom or pay an expensive tutor to patiently take you through years of…
The Words That Aren’t Being Said Posted by Malachi Rempen on Aug 14, 2017 in Archived Posts
So much of language learning is in between the words. In Italy, they say “mm-mm” (starting high and ending low) to mean “yes.” In English of course we say “mm-mm” with the same intonation to mean “no.” This is the kind of small thing you wouldn’t notice on your first trip to Italy, but let…