10 Problems Only a Language Lover Will Understand Posted by meaghan on Aug 20, 2014 in Archived Posts
We language lovers need to stick together, because once the language bug bites, nobody understands your struggles (or your triumphs!) quite like the language-learning community. Here are 10 situations that only your language loving friends will truly understand. Have you experienced any of these situations? 1. When you procrastinate studying a language… by studying another…
How to Blend in With Native Speakers, Even If You Don’t Sound Like One Posted by meaghan on Aug 18, 2014 in Archived Posts
Many-a-language learner dreams of being mistaken for a local. For most, that means working tirelessly to sound like a native speaker. Depending on your background with languages and the language you’re currently trying to master, that can be quite the undertaking—it may take years of hard work to perfect your accent, and even then, some locals…
You’re Dead Afraid of Speaking in a Foreign Language: Here’s How You Can Fix It Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 13, 2014 in Archived Posts
Guest Post By Sam Gendreau “Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it…
Charts and Checkpoints: A Language Learner’s Friends Posted by Malachi Rempen on Aug 11, 2014 in Archived Posts
Starting to learn a new skill is great. When you begin honing a skill, whether it be chess, whittling, playing the flute, styling hair, writing Hollywood comedies, or learning to speak a new language, there’s an immediate, satisfactory sense of accomplishment. Hey, look! At first you couldn’t do something at all, and now, after ten…
In Your Dreams: Can You Learn a Foreign Language in Your Sleep? Posted by meaghan on Aug 6, 2014 in Archived Posts
A “good night’s sleep” seems to be the solution to many things. What if I told you that “sleeping on it” could be a new strategy for language learning? Sounds like a dream, right? Maybe not. Researchers in Switzerland dug a little deeper into the “learn while sleep” myth, and the results were quite surprising…
Is Monolingualism the Illiteracy of the 21st Century? Posted by meaghan on Aug 4, 2014 in Archived Posts
I came across a Gregg Roberts quote that said “Monolingualism is the illiteracy of the 20th century”, and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I’m not quite sure who Gregg Roberts is (though a quick Google search associates him with a World Language Specialist for the Utah Department of Education), but he…
Cultural Immersion in the Virtual Classroom: Teaching 5th Graders About Other Cultures Online Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 30, 2014 in For Educators
We’ve all heard of the 4 core language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. When it comes to learning a foreign language, a fifth skill must be considered—cultural competency. But how does an instructor go about teaching culture from a classroom, hundreds or thousands of miles away from the target country? Add on one more…