Tag Archives: language learning

Aberystwyth University: Language teachers could ditch essays in favour of graphic novels

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Aberystwyth University: Language teachers could ditch essays in favour of graphic novels. “… a team of Modern Languages academics are inspiring teachers and students to adopt new and creative ways of researching language and assessing language learning – through art. The team have launched the Creative Modern Languages Hub, a free online resource which provides examples of creative assessment and artistic research from the UK and beyond.”

Mashable: Duolingo reports a 485% increase of people studying Ukrainian

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Mashable: Duolingo reports a 485% increase of people studying Ukrainian. “Use of the language learning app Duolingo has surged since the start of the war in Ukraine. According to a statement on Monday from CEO and co-founder Luis von Ahn, Duolingo has seen a 485 percent increase in the number of users learning Ukrainian. The increase, which was reported in Morning Brew on Wednesday, is global, but is mostly coming from the U.S., the location of the majority of its users.”

CNET: Uber will offer free Rosetta Stone to ride-hail and delivery drivers

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CNET: Uber will offer free Rosetta Stone to ride-hail and delivery drivers . “The drivers will have free access to all 24 languages Rosetta Stone offers, directly from the Uber Driver app. The partnership will be available to drivers and delivery people who have achieved gold, platinum or diamond status through the Uber Pro program in more than three dozen countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, the UK and US. Uber also worked with Rosetta Stone to develop some language education focused on interactions drivers often have with their riders.”

Nippon: New Site for Learning Practical Japanese

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Nippon: New Site for Learning Practical Japanese. “On June 1, the Agency for Cultural Affairs launched a new website for learning practical Japanese through video content. It is aimed primarily at people who have just moved to Japan and are learning the language for the first time or those who live in the country but have had no opportunity to study. Explanations and dialogue translations are available in English, simplified Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese.”

The Verge: Duolingo partnered with Twitch to help you learn languages better

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The Verge: Duolingo partnered with Twitch to help you learn languages better. “Yesterday, language-learning platform Duolingo announced a partnership with Twitch — yes, you read that right — to begin what’s called the Duolingo Verified Streamer program. The company chose 12 multilingual streamers to partner with who stream everything from cooking to CS: GO. The idea is that practicing with a streamer will help you learn faster, even if you aren’t speaking aloud. Immersion, above all, is key to learning a new language.”

Lifehacker: Learn a New Language While Listening to Audiobooks Using This App

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Lifehacker: Learn a New Language While Listening to Audiobooks Using This App. “If you don’t have the opportunity to travel to a different country or try your skills out with a native speaker you know, then reading books can be a great way to help you take your skills to the next level. Beelinguapp is an app that can help.”

The Verge: This Chrome extension lets you learn a new language by watching Netflix

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The Verge: This Chrome extension lets you learn a new language by watching Netflix. “Learning a new language through immersion doesn’t mean you have to pack your bags and move to Europe for three months. Now, you just need to turn on Netflix. Language Learning with Netflix is a Chrome extension that lets you watch shows with two subtitles on at the same time so you can visually pair translations with dialogue and learn some new vocabulary in the process. It’s a clever service that makes use of Netflix’s massive catalog and all of the major languages in which it already offers subtitles, including Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.”

Inverse: Duolingo is Keeping Dying Languages on Life Support

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Inverse: Duolingo is Keeping Dying Languages on Life Support. “A language goes extinct every 14 days. Globalization hasn’t been kind to local cultures or their mediums of expression, but endangered languages may find a surprising digital hero in the app Duolingo. The president of Ireland certainly thinks so. In November 2016, he publicly thanked Duolingo for helping to save the Irish language (also known as Gaelic or Irish Gaelic): While there are only 100,000 native speakers of Irish, an incredible 3 million people are using Duolingo to learn the language.”

NurseryWorld: Scottish Book Trust unveils new Song and Rhyme Library

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NurseryWorld: Scottish Book Trust unveils new Song and Rhyme Library. “Housed on the Bookbug website, the new Song and Rhyme Library provides a searchable online catalogue of fun demonstration videos for parents, carers and early years practitioners in Scotland.” There’s not a lot here yet but songs in Gaelic and Scots are available as well as English.

TechCrunch: Duolingo launches paid subscriptions as it experiments with new ways to monetize its service

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TechCrunch: Duolingo launches paid subscriptions as it experiments with new ways to monetize its service. “Earlier this week, the popular language learning service Duolingo quietly introduced paid monthly subscriptions in its Android apps. Subscribers get two benefits: they won’t see ads in the app and they will be able to download lessons for offline use.”

MIT News: Learn a language while you wait for WiFi

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MIT News: Learn a language while you wait for WiFi. “Hyper-connectivity has changed the way we communicate, wait, and productively use our time. Even in a world of 5G wireless and ‘instant’ messaging, there are countless moments throughout the day when we’re waiting for messages, texts, and Snapchats to refresh. But our frustrations with waiting a few extra seconds for our emails to push through doesn’t mean we have to simply stand by. To help us make the most of these ‘micro-moments,’ researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a series of apps called ‘WaitSuite’ that test you on vocabulary words during idle moments, like when you’re waiting for an instant message or for your phone to connect to WiFi.”