Learning Italian Through Card Games Posted by Malachi Rempen on Sep 7, 2016 in Archived Posts
You don’t always have to crack open a textbook to learn a language. Sometimes you just need to dive into a subject you know absolutely nothing about. As we all know, the best way to learn is to be thrown into the deep end and then observed from the side of the pool by someone…
L’école is in session with the French Elementary Course Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 5, 2016 in For Educators, For Learners, For Libraries, Learning Material Updates
For this generation of digital natives, using technology to learn a new skill is practically a given. What’s not so certain, though, is the quality and relevance of that tech for any given student. If you’re teaching grade-school students, you have to be particularly careful with language learning applications – you don’t want to end…
All You Need to Learn a Language is Your Library Card (Plus a Photo Contest!) Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 31, 2016 in For Libraries
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—September is Library Card Sign-up Month! The American Library Association and libraries around the country remind parents that “a library card is the most important school supply of all.” Of course, community members of all ages can benefit from a library card—especially if they are learning a language!…
Danish Numbers: Out-Frenching the French Posted by Malachi Rempen on Aug 29, 2016 in Archived Posts
If you think French’s “four-twenties-and-thirteen” is a confusing way of saying “ninety-three,” just wait until you see Danish’s terrifying “three-and-fifth-½-times-twenty.” One of my favorite hobbies is complaining about the French system of counting. I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again. I think perhaps it’s because French numbers are a perfect representation of what my personal experience…
How to Make the Most of Screen Time for Young Language Learners Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 24, 2016 in Archived Posts
Guest Post by Llacey Simmons Recent research indicates that technology usage and screen time is on the rise. With children and tweens (ages 8 to 13) spending an astounding nine hours a day using media, making this time more educational is essential.[1] Leveraging technology engages and excites young learners, who are digital nomads by nature…
Break the Rules to Succeed Posted by Malachi Rempen on Aug 22, 2016 in Archived Posts
As language learners, it’s easy to get caught up in the rules: what can be done, what can’t be done, what is and isn’t allowed. But sometimes it helps to remember that in language learning, they’re really more guidelines than actual rules… The DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) is like how I imagine the American frontier…
3 Endangered Languages Being Revitalized in the US Posted by Jakob Gibbons on Aug 17, 2016 in Archived Posts
When we talk about language diversity, the United States isn’t normally the first country to come to mind, but its 325 million inhabitants speak more than just English and Spanish. Over 470 languages are spoken by Americans, many of which are dying out as younger English-speaking generations never or only partially learn their heritage languages. But…