Spanish for All Ages: The Transparent Language Spanish Curriculum Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 8, 2017 in For Educators, For Learners, For Libraries, Learning Material Updates
Spanish is not as foreign of a language as it once seemed. Of the world’s 400 million Spanish speakers, more than 37 million live in the United States. It’s no surprise, then, that Spanish is by far the most studied second language in U.S. schools and universities. Unfortunately, American students are notorious for reaching only…
Are You a Language Jet-Setter or Hitchhiker? Posted by Malachi Rempen on Feb 6, 2017 in Archived Posts
Some language learners are ultra-prepared and dedicated. Others are more passive, preferring to let the language find them. Which one are you? In my experience, I’ve found there are two kinds of language learners: jet-setters and hitchhikers. Jet-setters know exactly where they’re going, and they’ve packed exactly what they need to get there. Maybe they’re learning French…
How to Say I Love You in 40 Languages (with Pronunciation!) Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 1, 2017 in Archived Posts
Happy February, language learners! It’s almost Valentine’s Day, which can only mean one thing: the Google searches for “How to say I love you in…” are about to start pouring in. We wanted to make it easier to find the affectionate phrase you’re looking for. Below you’ll learn how to say “I love you” in 40…
¿What’s the story with ¿ and ¡ ? Posted by Malachi Rempen on Jan 30, 2017 in Archived Posts
¿Did you know the inverted question mark and exclamation point were originally suggested for use in English? ¡It’s true! Apparently, sadly, the upside-down question mark and exclamation point are slowly dying in the Spanish language. According to one commenter on the comic above, this is because when you use text-to-speech on smartphones it doesn’t recognize…
Libraries as Linguistic and Cultural Community Centers Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 25, 2017 in Archived Posts
It comes as no surprise that public perception of libraries is shifting – drastically. Libraries are no longer just houses for books. As communities and technologies evolve, libraries must keep up with the changes to remain centers for lifelong learning. As a result, many libraries are doing everything they can to provide cultural resources and…
Language Learning Addiction Posted by Malachi Rempen on Jan 23, 2017 in Archived Posts
Language learning is fun, and it’s tempting to “collect” new ones along the way. But don’t lose sight of your goals. Finish what you start. Outside of my cartooning and blogging I’m also a photographer and filmmaker, and in the photography community there’s a psychological phenomenon known as Lens Buying Addiction (LBA). When it comes…
Three Idioms Across the World Posted by Malachi Rempen on Jan 16, 2017 in Archived Posts
In American English, “Joe Average” is your regular guy, “Nowhereseville” is that far-away town, and “when pigs fly” is practically never. Who knew these idioms, or similar ones, were common across the globe? Not much is more fun than transliterating idioms across languages – that is, translating them literally. By their very nature idioms are…