Talking Baseball: A Crash Course on the American Pastime Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 17, 2016 in For Learners, For Libraries
Are you ready for the World Series? Baseball is often referred to as “America’s Pastime”, the quintessential sport of the United States. While football may now be more popular, baseball has remained an indelible part of our culture. The drama, joy, and heartbreak generations have experienced as they followed their beloved teams has transcended the…
Picking Your Language Learning Battles Posted by Malachi Rempen on Oct 10, 2016 in Archived Posts
You can’t do everything all at once, even if you’d like to. Better to choose one route and stick to it. This particular comic has a special place in my heart, because it inflamed the passions of people on both sides of this situation. I had commenters saying, “Yeah! This comic is so true. Tourists get…
Where to Find OERs for Your Language Classes Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 5, 2016 in For Educators
A recent higher education survey lamented that many educators do not make use of Open Educational Resources (OERs). Surprising to me, however, were the main barriers cited by teachers: 48% of those polled noted they had “difficulty located the resources needed” and 49% said there were “not enough resources for [their] subject”. I hope that…
Translating American English Slang Posted by Malachi Rempen on Oct 3, 2016 in Archived Posts
English learners – ever been to the USA and felt totally lost in a conversation, despite your English being pretty good? Never fear, slang translation is here. It’s possible that “how was your trip to California” is more accurate than “the United States” – I got a lot of comments from readers who had no idea…
3 Ways to Learn a Language with Wikipedia Posted by Jakob Gibbons on Sep 28, 2016 in Archived Posts
What if I told you that the most powerful tool for building your foreign language vocabulary is online, free, and right under your nose? Wikipedia is massive, free, and supports 294 world languages, and even though it wasn’t made with us in mind, language learners should never be without it. It’s the first place we…
Learn 40+ Indigenous and Endangered Languages in Transparent Language Online Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 26, 2016 in For Learners, For Libraries, Learning Material Updates
We care about every language, not just those with commercial value. That’s why we donate our technology to the non-profit 7000 Languages. They worked with endangered language advocates Indigenous communities to help them leverage technology to preserve their languages. Beyond preservation, though, we strive for promotion. We don’t just want to save languages from dying—we…
Getting a New Perspective on Your Mother Tongue Posted by Malachi Rempen on Sep 21, 2016 in Archived Posts
Culture shock isn’t just when you leave abroad for a new place – it’s also returning home and seeing familiar things with new eyes. The same is true for language learning! You’ll see your native tongue from a completely different perspective. This is my favorite thing about travel: it’s not the culture shock you get…