Guest Post
Advancements in Language-Learning TechnologyBy Sofia Rasmussen
As the world grows more and more connected, fluency in multiple languages is becoming an increasingly valued skill. Multiple language speakers are needed as translators for companies and diplomats. Multi-language teachers and professors are needed in droves, whether that be at an elementary school that serves both Spanish- and English-speaking populations, or through online PhD programs whose students might realistically hail from France, Egypt, and China -- all in the same online class.
A wealth of technologies are available to help the world-traveler, student, or businessman learn a language. Some enable the learner to grasp grammatical issues and acquire a wide vocabulary; others provide the learner with a translation, facilitating a conversation he or she might be having at that moment. Some are more adaptable to the classroom; others fit in the palm of the hand and can be taken around the world. Some are free; others are expensive. All help the world to be a place where people understand each other better, and more easily that language-learning methods of the past.
The Holy Grail for many years was a device that could translate from the speaking voice; now, there’s an app for that: Google Translate for iPhone or Android. When it first came out it could only translate between English and Spanish; now, it covers sixty languages. It has a little trouble with background noise, talking quickly, and thick accents, and the translations are not exactly competent yet.
If you really want to learn a language, though, you might do better with other cell phone apps. MindSnacks, Babbel, and iStart aid in memorizing vocabulary, and iStart gives grammar lessons and explanations.
Software for language learning continues to be improved. PC World gives its Editor’s Choice to Rocket Languages Premium and Rosetta Stone version 4 TOTALe. They say that Rocket presents its material in a way that hooks the learner, and encourages long hours of practice. Rosetta Stone offers hour-long virtual classroom sessions, guided by an instructor on live video feed.
Now more than a decade old, digital music players like iPods are still deceptively powerful tools for the language learner. Learners can listen to music in foreign languages, which allows the student to grapple with the language in a realistic setting and provides exposure to a handful of difficult words per song. Music players can also be used for podcasts and news reports in a foreign language. A teacher, Ms. Grace Poli, started an after school iPod program for English language learners and reported “they were so engaged.” Students also listened to audio books, both in English and in their native languages.
Another technology Bursztynsky recommends is digital jumpstarts, which are story-telling or movie-making software programs which allow students to develop language skills through “scaffolding reading.” They are disks which combine “sound, vocabulary, the teacher’s voice, pronunciation, and background information into one program.”
Skype is an invaluable resource for language learning, if you know a person you can call who speaks another language, to improve communication skills. Skype can be used in the classroom as well, for classes to interact with foreign language speakers.
Gone are the days of memorizing flash cards; learning a language can now be a high-tech, interactive, conversation-based experience. Maybe, finally, the world really is growing smaller.
posted by tom @ 3:09 PM
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