In Defense of Fearlessly Making Things Up Posted by Malachi Rempen on May 9, 2016 in Archived Posts
Speaking a language is about communication, and communication is about successfully conveying a message. Ergo hence therefore (yes, I may have taken Logic 101 in college), speaking a language, foreign or not, is generally about finding the easiest way to deliver a message. Words in a language are specifically designed to be mutually comprehensible – the…
Survival Spanish for Librarians Course Posted by Transparent Language on May 4, 2016 in For Libraries
In our increasingly diverse population, languages are critical to almost every public service industry. First responders are learning Spanish in St. Louis and Mandarin in New York City to better serve non-native English speakers in the midst of a crisis. Public schools offer night classes to parents of ESL students to keep them informed and…
Twist Your Tongue in 17 Languages Posted by Malachi Rempen on May 2, 2016 in Archived Posts
Lots of people have asked me for translations for the tongue twisters in the above comic, so before we continue, here they are, including transliterations so you can twist your tongues yourselves (remember to say them five times fast!): 1. French: Les chaussettes de l’archi-duchesse, sont-elles sèches ou archi-sèches? (The socks of the arch-duchess, are they dry…
Why Language Matters for the U.S. Military Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 27, 2016 in Archived Posts
The U.S. is notoriously less language-capable than our allies and adversaries. This gap in training—which can’t adequately be filled by contract interpreters or machine translation—results in unacceptable risk and limited opportunities. In an era of persistent conflict and powerful cooperation, the U.S. military is recognizing the need for better language capabilities across the spectrum. A…
Staying Positive While Learning a Language Posted by Malachi Rempen on Apr 25, 2016 in Archived Posts
There are lots of reasons to be negative when learning a new language. It takes too long, it’s too hard, other people are better than you, none of the software or products or apps or methods you’ve bought are working, nobody wants to talk to you, the language is hard to pronounce, nobody understands you…
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…