Tag: languages

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Fake It Just To Make It: 4 Ways to Pretend to Speak Any Language

Okay, this post will not teach you how to fake any foreign language. But by posing the challenge itself – by asking “what would it take to pretend you can speak a foreign tongue?” – you can learn a lot about how languages are used, interpreted and learned. So let’s get to it – here are four secrets to sounding good in all languages (even those you can’t speak yet!)

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Will iPad 3 Change Your Language Learning?

Everybody’s looking forward to it. Well, if you’re not, you may start checking out iPad 3 rumours right now – there’s something in each generation of tablets that language learners can find very useful. But just because it’s there, does it mean it must be useful for every language learner? Read on and answer this question for yourself.

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Polyglot Wannabe? Start a Business to Learn Languages

When you’re setting out to do something ambitious, the first instinct is usually to get rid of distractions, and focus only on the daunting task at hand. This is how works of art are conceived, heart transplants performed, and (in my household at least) breakfasts cooked.

But sometimes, the right thing to do seems to be the opposite. Learning languages may be one of these things. As a language learner and a former business owner, I’m going to try to sell you a weird idea today.

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Four TV Shows Which Will Help You Learn Languages

Someone once counted that we spend 12 years of our lives watching TV. Once again, I find that my decision not to get one is one of the best ones I’ve made. But if you’ve already got one – or if, like me, you like to watch a show online every now and then – you’ll quickly find that some shows are more useful than others.

For language learners, almost every show in their favourite foreign language should be a huge incentive, but also a challenge. Watching TV in foreign languages improves your listening skills, and is a great way to absorb a lot of foreign culture along with the vocabulary. Sure, it’s hard at first – but very rewarding eventually (and it can be used to lower your language learning anxiety, as described here).

Here’s even more good news – certain shows (or kinds of shows) are useful to all language learners. They’re either universal, very popular (and translated), or – due to their unique focus and creativeness – appealing to any language learning enthusiast. Today I want to describe four such shows – I hope you’ll enjoy them and suggest some more!

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Fear Less: Four Easy Ways to Lower Your Foreign Language Anxiety

My speaking exam was starting in five minutes, and I was about to faint. I wasn’t the only one: my partner, whom I’d never met before, was just as stressed. We were both sitting there, winding ourselves up, and then she said something strange:

“We should have had a vodka or two before that, you know.”

Several years later, I know how right she was.

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