Archive for 'Learning + Usage Tips'
Beef up your vocab Posted by meaghan on Jan 23, 2024 in For Learners, Learning + Usage Tips
If your 2024 goal is to improve your proficiency, vocab is the way. Proficiency levels have consistently been shown to increase in tandem with vocabulary size.1, 2, 3 And studies show that of all factors contributing to language proficiency, vocabulary size is by far the single most significant factor.4, 5, 6 In most cases, you’re looking…
Vocabulary vs. Grammar: Where to begin? Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 14, 2021 in For Educators, For Learners, Learning + Usage Tips
You have limited time to study your target language. How should you spend it? For beginner and intermediate learners, we typically recommend focusing on vocabulary. Read on to find out why, or skip to the video at the bottom to watch a replay of our webinar explaining why vocab matters more than you think. How…
Placement Tests in Transparent Language Online Posted by meaghan on Apr 6, 2021 in For Learners, For Libraries, Learning + Usage Tips, Learning Feature Updates
Not sure where to begin in Transparent Language Online? Take a placement test! Informal placement tests are available in 8 languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. The tests contain four parts: a fill-in-the blank grammar section an identify-the-mistake grammar section a fill-in-the-blank vocabulary section and a reading comprehension section At the…
Learning the “Essentials” in 80+ languages Posted by Transparent Language on Dec 21, 2020 in For Learners, Learning + Usage Tips
Whether you’re learning a language for fun, for travel, or even for professional reasons, you’ll want to start with the essentials. After all, if you don’t know the basics like question words and numbers, you can’t order a meal, let alone negotiate a deal! No matter your language goals, the Essentials Course is the right…
Learning Grammar with Transparent Language Online Posted by Transparent Language on Dec 7, 2020 in For Learners, Learning + Usage Tips
Whether you love or hate learning grammar, you’re going to need it when communicating in a language beyond very basic levels. Transparent Language Online incorporates grammar two different ways, so there’s something helpful for every learner. For those who dread the thought, grammar concepts are seamlessly integrated into vocabulary courses for implicit practice. For grammar…
Using social media actively to learn a foreign language Posted by Transparent Language on Nov 2, 2020 in For Learners, Learning + Usage Tips
Maintaining a language over time involves more than holding on to what you already know. Languages are constantly changing, and you need to keep up to stay current and use the language with others. In German, for example, Hamsterkauf (literally “hamster buying”) showed up recently to describe pandemic-induced panic buying, as did “Coronaspeck” as a…
“Practice” the language skills you need most with Transparent Language Online Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 19, 2020 in For Learners, For Libraries, Learning + Usage Tips
If you want to improve a specific skill, you shouldn’t have to sit through an entire language course to practice the parts you need most. Make custom listening, speaking, reading, or writing lessons in seconds with the Practice activities in Transparent Language Online. It’s as easy as this: Pick a skill. There are 30+ activities…