Should all foreign language instruction be proficiency-based? Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 25, 2018 in Archived Posts
We write often about language proficiency on this blog, from the different scales used to measure proficiency, to how you can assess your own proficiency level, and even how vocabulary size relates to proficiency level. A language proficiency scale provides a very useful, standardized measurement of one’s abilities. Proficiency, however, is not just a measure…
How and Why to Self-Assess Your Language Skills Posted by paultucker on Jun 4, 2018 in For Learners, Learning + Usage Tips
How well do you really know your second language? Thanks to self-assessment tools, you might be able to test yourself to find out. In today’s increasingly global economy, there is a growing awareness that multilingualism is a valuable skill. That’s why those of us who may have learned a second or third language earlier in…
There is no “cut-off age” for learning a language Posted by Transparent Language on May 14, 2018 in Archived Posts
There are many myths surrounding language learning: some people are “gifted” with a language-learning gene, raising children bilingual will impair their English skills, and there’s no need to learn a language anyway because everyone speaks English. While those myths have been repeatedly debunked in recent years, there is one misconception that persists: a cut-off age…
Measuring the cost of learning languages Posted by Transparent Language on May 7, 2018 in Archived Posts
How much does it cost to learn a language? With the demand for language skills sharply increasing, there may be a more pressing question: how much is it costing us not to learn languages? An opinion piece in the Economist casually states that language learning has become so affordable that “the cost of learning a language…
A Science Leveraging an Art: Putting Languages to Work Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 23, 2018 in Archived Posts
There’s a compelling post on the Collaborative Fund blog called An Art Leveraging a Science, which discusses how seemingly disparate skills complement one another in professional scenarios. Language skills surely fit into that formula for many fields, though perhaps it’s more a case of science leveraging art. An Art Leveraging a Science focuses on the…
Prepare for the American Citizenship Test with Transparent Language Online Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 16, 2018 in For Learners, For Libraries, Learning Material Updates
The United States has a long history of welcoming people from other countries and cultures. But before they can be welcomed officially in the form of citizenship, newcomers must pass the test. Proctored by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the U.S. Citizenship test include a civics section with 100 potential questions. Hopefuls are asked only 10, of…
Libraries Lead the Charge for a Multilingual America Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 9, 2018 in For Libraries
This week marks the 50th annual National Library Week, a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries—and librarians. The theme for this year’s National Library Week is: “Libraries lead.” This is not just a nice sentiment—it’s a fact, reinforced by our dealings with more than 1,000 libraries throughout the US and beyond. We…