November 24, 2009
The elder among us probably have a hard time keeping up with the way we learn nowadays. While your mom would have advised you to learn a new language by either enrolling in a class or investing in a good phrasebook, most of use are actually acquiring new language abilities right in front of our computers.
Why Use Software To Learn Language?
- Software-based language studies let you learn at a pace that’s most comfortable to you, taking into account your daily schedule and individual needs.
- You can customize your learning as you please, incorporating as many different materials as you can.
- The price-to-content ratio is amazing. Since there’s no physical media involved (no books or CDs), you only pay for the actual software and content.
- You can repeat lessons as many times as you like – something that’s impossible to do in classroom instruction.
- You can study anywhere – at home, in a Starbucks or in the car.
Highly-Advanced Features
With software, advanced concepts can easily be integrated, as updates are only a single download away. Since it’s a highly-interactive and dynamic medium, it’s a great platform to incorporate new learning technologies (such as ones that can successfully mimic immersion). Suffice to say, software-based language tools come with highly-advanced features that are just impossible to implement anywhere else.
November 23, 2009
Need to brush up on English marketing terms for a project, meeting or an upcoming trip? Here’s a list of common marketing vocabulary that every ESL speaker should have learned from their business language software and are keeping in their arsenal.
Brand. A noun that denotes a type of product made by a particular company (e.g. “Our brand of soap was first in sales last year.”)
Brand Identity. A noun that encapsulates how a company wants consumers to see their products. Are you a luxury item, a product for technical types, a bargain or something intended for women?
Brand Image. In contrast, with “brand identity,” this refers to how consumers actually perceive your products (e.g. “We need to change our brand image.”).
Launch. A verb that’s used to refer to the introduction of a new product, along with a complete advertising and marketing effort (e.g. “During the launch of our new product next month..”).
Consumer. A noun that refers to a person who buys the company’s products (good and services)both in retail and wholesale (e.g.”Our consumers were unhappy with the price hike.”).
End User. A noun that refers to a consumer who uses a product, instead of selling it (e.g. “The end user feedback was very positive.”).
Market Research. A noun that describes the process of collecting and processing information about customers, primarily concerning their feelings and attitudes about a particular product (e.g. “Market research indicates that consumers want more of the old version.”)
Public Relations. A noun that refers to the act of creating and maintaining a positive image for your company in the eyes of both customers and the general public.
November 22, 2009
Those studying a foreign language will do well to acknowledge the power of repetition. Want to wrap your head successfully around a concept? Repeatedly experience it and, eventually, it will stick.
It’s an almost innate phenomenon. Any kind of growth in all areas of human existence require repeatedly seeing, hearing and doing the same things to facilitate acquisition. The same holds very true in building up your language facility.
For me, the best language teaching software does just that: repeat the concepts strategically in order to form a solid idea in your mind. You will see the basics appearing over and over across different sections, almost like a refresher to keep them in your immediate consciousness. Even with more advanced chapters, you’ll see traces of earlier lessons appearing, just to ensure that you acquire it with utmost proficiency.
This is also the reason why we recommend using multiple sources of information when you’re studying a language. Apart from using a good software, stock up on books you can read during transit and flash cards you can pull up during breaks in your day. While some deride this as being repetitious, that’s exactly the point – you want to experience the same lessons in different forms, creatively approached from a different perspective.
So don’t complain about repetition. It’s probably the single most important concept that will help you achieve complete facility.
November 21, 2009
Most language-acquisition products come with a built-in learning system that’s designed to guide students in a structured manner. You can usually follow whatever learning path your main product prescribes to varying results. After all, most of those “lesson plans” are one-size-fits-all deals: not exactly the most ideal way for you to learn.
Ideally, it’s a good idea to plan out your own learning, as you usually know your own strengths and weaknesses best. You also have a better grasp of your schedule and the kind of time commitment you can make (both of which are things no language learning software publisher will know). Most importantly, going this route puts the full responsibility of your success on your hands.
Sticking To One Material
If you plan to stick to one language learning material, then following its prescribed structure should be fine. That’s provided, of course, that you can conform to the schedule, time requirements and learning pace it suggests.
Drawing From Multiple Sources
For most language learners, though, learning will consist of one major material, such as a class, a software or a book, supplemented by numerous other tools. In fact, we suggest learning this way so that you can maximize your resources, especially downtimes, such as during commutes to work and office breaks.
In this situation, the challenge no longer becomes conforming to the prescribed schedule. Instead, it’s a matter of balancing your different sources so that you may be able to draw the best results from them. For the most part, it’s going to be trial and error, where you learn about how to best arrange your lesson plan as you. It will be very dynamic and active, so prepare yourself.
November 20, 2009
Need to write a document in English, but your second language skills may not be up to par? Don’t worry all that much about it. There’s probably an editing service that can help you.
Editing services, especially those geared towards students and ESL speakers, are seeing increasing growth online. With English establishing itself as the international language for business and many other endeavors, it’s not surprising to see a rise in the number of people requiring editing services in the vernacular.
Fees typically range from $20 to $30 for minimal editing (basic proofreading for short documents) all the way to several hundred dollars for longer, more involved work. As you can see, it’s not cheap, making it less of an option for regular day-to-day correspondences and similarly mundane tasks.
For more important documents,such as when you’re a foreign national applying for a position in an American company, the price is absolutely warranted and we highly recommend you take advantage of them. After all, a well-written application essay really could make the difference in your application process.
With less-significant items, though, such as regular correspondences with American friends, you may want to hold on to that cash and invest in a language software for writing instead. These all-in-one English writing software can take your badly-worded, low-level English text and fashion it into something better. Sure, it won’t make you sound like a professional writer the way some editing services can, but it should iron out many of your mistakes.
Of course, you can always just call upon an editing service every time you need text run over. Prepare to spend a good amount of cash, though.
November 19, 2009
According to Noam Chomsky, all languages share common grammatical building blocks, such as nouns, verbs and pronouns. These “linguistic universals” permeate through all of human speech, making it just a tad easier to adapt to new languages.
He further asserts that the human brain is structured in such a way that it can immediately pick up on these “universals” automatically, regardless of how unfamiliar the person is to that new vernacular. While this claim from Chomsky is not without its detractors, it’s an interesting way of looking at the process of language learning.
Here’s the catch: these “triggers” in the human brain are only at their full potential during one’s early years. The older you get, the less adept your brain will be at acquiring a new way of speaking. That’s why you struggle and work considerably harder with your second language software as an adult.
However, it pays to note that learning a whole new system of speaking is entirely within your capabilities. Even though it’s no longer as active as when you were five, it’s still there, allowing you to learn new languages as the years move forward. It’s a nice reminder to give yourself the next time you begin to question whether you can really learn French or Japanese or whatever other foreign language you’ve been studying.
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