Who Exactly Are “Americans,” Anyway? Posted by Malachi Rempen on Apr 12, 2017 in Archived Posts
There’s a lot of disagreement about the term “American.” To whom does it refer, exactly? And why is there this controversy in the first place? Who would have guessed that a somewhat obscure Italian cartographer’s first name would, five hundred years after his death, be such a point of contention across half the planet? In the…
Who is Transparent Language? Meet Lori from Content! Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 10, 2017 in Archived Posts
The team at Transparent Language is made up of all kinds of kinds. As you might expect from a language technology company, nearly everyone speaks or has studied another language, from Romanian and Russian to Python and SQL. Get to know the talented team who works so hard to provide language learning opportunities to government…
The Trouble With Tonals Posted by Malachi Rempen on Apr 5, 2017 in Archived Posts
Learning a tonal language is both frightening and very tempting. But which one to choose? Man, I’m so glad I haven’t learned a tonal language yet. Actually, I’m both glad and sad. I’m glad because from what I can tell (my brother Erik, who lives in Bangkok and speaks fluent Thai, and has learned some…
Are you taking advantage of Transparent Language’s free resources? Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 3, 2017 in Archived Posts
Yes, we’re in the business of training languages for professionals and motivated individuals, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love a good freebie. As we all know, one resource won’t make you fluent, so we want to make sure you’re taking advantage of our many free language resources. Word of the Day Receive a new vocab…
Language Learning: the Useful Art Posted by Malachi Rempen on Mar 29, 2017 in Archived Posts
What does language learning have in common with bread? More than you might think. As the Greeks (and Italians, and Spaniards, and North Africans, and really anyone from any country bordering the Mediterranean) know well, bread is the perfect combination of art and utility. It can be a work of creative genius – fluffy, salty-sweet, decorated…
The Importance of Self-Efficacy for Language Learners Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 27, 2017 in Archived Posts
I believe it is President Teddy Roosevelt who is credited with saying “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” For language learners, this couldn’t be more true. One of the most powerful language learning tools is not something you can find in a book or online, it’s internal. Self-efficacy is a person’s belief about their…
Why Being Complimented is Basically the Worst Posted by Malachi Rempen on Mar 22, 2017 in Archived Posts
People are just trying to be nice, sure. But even well-intended statements don’t always go over well. There’s nothing like a compliment to put me down in the dumps. I’ve been living in Germany for several years now, and my German is far from perfect. It’s actually far from great, even. It’s admissible. Whenever I speak…