Let a Poet Be Your Language Teacher Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 20, 2016 in Archived Posts
April is National Poetry Month in the United States. Since 1996, National Poetry Month has become the world’s largest, and most sustained, literary celebration. Throughout April schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets honor poetry’s vital place in culture. While it celebrates and honors English language poetry specifically, poetry is found in every country. This seems…
Amuse Your Friends: We’ve All Got to Do It Posted by Malachi Rempen on Apr 18, 2016 in Archived Posts
We’ve all been here – we’re learning a language, our casual friends or distant relatives learn about this and are tickled pink to hear us say something in that crazy, weird foreign language. Either it goes like in the comic above, or it goes something like this: Your friend: “Say something in [language you’re learning]!” You: “I…
Transparent Language Library Spotlight: Connecticut Libraries Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 13, 2016 in For Libraries, Library Success Stories
Happy National Library Week to all of the hardworking librarians out there! This year’s theme is Libraries Transform, a mantra that highlights the transformative nature and significance of modern library services in the digital age. The video below demonstrates just a few of the transformations libraries have made, from cultural centers to business incubators. The…
Language and Body Language Posted by Malachi Rempen on Apr 11, 2016 in Archived Posts
Now, this may come as some surprise to you, but I suppose everyone’s got to learn sometime, so here goes: languages come out of a person’s mouth, and a person’s mouth is attached to their body. Furthermore, if you can believe it, the way the person poses and positions the various appendages and external parts of their body…
Five to Halfway to Three Quarters After: Telling Time in German Posted by Malachi Rempen on Apr 6, 2016 in Archived Posts
Telling time in German can be a wee bit confusing. Yes, fünf nach halb sechs literally translates to “five past half six” (fünf = five, nach = after, halb = half, sechs = six) where in German “half six” means five-thirty, or “halfway to six” (Brits, however, use “half six” to mean “six thirty,” further confusing matters). “Half” in German…
Verbal Typos, Foreign Language Anxiety, and Why Native Speakers Don’t Notice Your Mistakes Posted by Jakob Gibbons on Apr 4, 2016 in Archived Posts
We all struggle with foreign language anxiety. I speak three languages most days of my life here in Medellín, Colombia, and I still get nervous about conversing in the two foreign ones just about every day. I learned both of my languages, Dutch and Spanish, pretty fast, and got used to speaking and using them in…
Top Language Learning Excuses and How to Beat Them Posted by Malachi Rempen on Mar 30, 2016 in Archived Posts
That’s right, my peanut-shaped drawing of an Italian waiter: in Italy, there’s never a good reason not to eat. The same is true for language learning! There are plenty of excuses we dream up for why we can’t or shouldn’t or won’t learn a foreign language. Believe me, I’ve heard them all before, mostly because I’ve said them…