What Languages Reveal about Other Cultures Posted by meaghan on Jun 3, 2015 in Archived Posts
“A different language is a different vision of life.” – Federico Fellini It sounds like one of those motivational phrases you’d read on a daily quote calendar. You might nod your head in agreement or make a quick internal “aww”, but in reality, you’re not totally buying it. It just sounds… fluffy, right? But those…
Learn English in Context with Free Online Lessons Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 1, 2015 in For Learners, Learning Material Updates
Are you (or your students) tired of your English textbook, but a short novel still feels like a stretch? English in Context is your happy medium! In this monthly series, English learners and students will pick up new words, phrases, and grammar rules in context while exploring everyday topics, ranging from current events and culture to…
Language Learning and the Human Brain Posted by Malachi Rempen on May 27, 2015 in Archived Posts
Part of the reason I love learning languages is that it teaches me so much about the human brain and human interaction. I’ve never studied much neurology or sociology or epistemology or anthropology—I was more of a travelology and daydreamology type of student, myself. But with languages, that social glue unique to humans (at least…
Speak Fearlessly – With a Little Help From Your Friends Posted by Malachi Rempen on May 25, 2015 in Archived Posts
At the end of April I was fortunate enough to attend the Polyglot Gathering 2015, where I heard talks from many luminaries in the language-learning business, made scores of new multi-lingual friends, and for the first time ever, met fans of Itchy Feet in the flesh. Who knew that this goofy little bug-eyed bean-shaped stick…
Why We’re Giving Away Our Language Technology Posted by Transparent Language on May 20, 2015 in Company News
According to Ethnologue, there are about 7,100 living languages spoken around the world right now. Unfortunately, only 100 or so languages receive any commercial interest. So, what about the other 7,000? There are people and organizations out there who care deeply about learning and preserving the other 7,000 languages. We at Transparent Language care deeply…
The ABCs of Language Learning: Transparent Language Online Alphabet Courses Posted by Transparent Language on May 18, 2015 in For Educators, For Learners, For Libraries, Learning Material Updates
Learning the alphabet of an unfamiliar language can be as easy as A, B, C… literally! In the completely redesigned Transparent Language Online, you can dive right in to a new language, regardless of its writing system, with the help of our alphabet courses. Letters are quite literally the building blocks of a language, so…
Losing Your Mother Tongue? Good! Posted by Malachi Rempen on May 13, 2015 in Archived Posts
When I first moved abroad, I’d heard the tales, as I’m sure you have: the stories of foreigners or expats so immersed, so integrated in their new home culture, so saturated by the foreign language that they actually began to forget their native tongue. Now that, I thought, is brilliant! Surely, these talented language learners…