Today Swedish language lessons have been loaded. They are without audio yet but we are going to start working on audio pronunciation as soon as possible.
Ah, by the way, recently we loaded Amharic sounds.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
How to do translation for polyglot vocabulary - Instructions
This is an article that describes how to do the instruction of Internet Polyglot vocabulary.
- You will receive an Excel file, it will contain multiple tabs
- First tab is "Lessons" - a list of all lessons
- Other tabs are particular lessons
- While translating tab "Lessons": each cell contains lesson name and description divided by "|" sign. When you translate - do the same, separate lesson name and description by |. Don't translate word-to-word, make it sound natural for your language. Some humor is useful too.
- Individual lesson tabs (ANIMAL, PLANT, etc.). Each tab will have some words in two or more languages. Let's say you are translating to Spanish from English and French. You have to make sure that your translation works both with English and French counterparts. If you can't find a word that corresponds to both of them - skip it, just don't enter anything.
- On lessons tabs translation should be precise - use the word that is the best (don't give a line of possible synonyms).
- If you don't know how to translate a word - just skip it! It's better to skip it than to give an incorrect translation.
- Articles. Most of languages have articles. For example, in Spanish it is necessary to put articles because they indicate the gender of a noun. Decide what article to put in each case (definite or indefinite) according to your language rules.
- Adjectives - if your language have different adjective forms for different genders, use masculine form.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Amharic is loaded
Huge thanks to our volunteer Lulit for translating our words to Amharic. Amharic, according to Wikipedia, is "is a Semitic language spoken in North Central Ethiopia by the Amhara. It is the second most spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia."
Also, "Many Rastafarians learn Amharic as a second language because they consider it to be a sacred language, and even the original language."
If you can't see the font, here is a page that can help you: Can't see Amharic font? , for me personally (I use Windows XP and Vista), the following installation worked perfectly: GF Zemen self install
What's next? This Saturday I am going to meet Lulit and record audio for those lessons. Stay tuned!
Also, "Many Rastafarians learn Amharic as a second language because they consider it to be a sacred language, and even the original language."
If you can't see the font, here is a page that can help you: Can't see Amharic font? , for me personally (I use Windows XP and Vista), the following installation worked perfectly: GF Zemen self install
What's next? This Saturday I am going to meet Lulit and record audio for those lessons. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Widget for Internet Polyglot - Random Multilanguage Word Of The Day
Here is a beautiful widget. You can see it on the right sidebar of this blog. It shows a random word in Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish. You can click a speaker icon and hear audio pronunciation of this word in these languages. Click "Next" and see the next random word of the day.
Place it on your website, or your blog, or your Facebook, or in your iGoogle. Even on your Vista sidebar! For that click "Get & Share" at the bottom of the widget and then follow the instructions.
Also give a good rating and post a comment about this widget here.
Place it on your website, or your blog, or your Facebook, or in your iGoogle. Even on your Vista sidebar! For that click "Get & Share" at the bottom of the widget and then follow the instructions.
Also give a good rating and post a comment about this widget here.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Hindi Audio
Hindi audio is recorded, processed and uploaded to the site! Check it out on http://www.internetpolyglot.com/lessons-hi-en
Huge thanks to our long time supporter Baggeroli for organizing and managing this project!
Huge thanks to our long time supporter Baggeroli for organizing and managing this project!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
New improvement: Speeeeeed it up!
The latest version that was deployed on last Friday (October 24) had a very small change - we did some optimization using JAWR https://jawr.dev.java.net/
The results are amazing - the speed of loading of all pages improved dramatically - in most cases by 30-50%.
Enjoy a faster Internet Polyglot - learn foreign languages while playing games!
The results are amazing - the speed of loading of all pages improved dramatically - in most cases by 30-50%.
Enjoy a faster Internet Polyglot - learn foreign languages while playing games!
Friday, October 10, 2008
New version of the site
Today our team deployed a new version of the site. The main changes are the following:
1) Improved sidebar - didn't you hate it when it was loading for about 5 extra seconds after the page was loaded. So, not anymore. Now he sidebar is loading quickly and the whole page is loading quickly too. Still, in this sidebar you can see the same information as before: your session game score, last played lessons, the champions of gaming.
2) iPoly widget. Now you and everybody can place an InternetPolyglot lessons on your blog or your site! For that go to http://www.internetpolyglot.com/widget.html , select languages that you like to show on your page in the widget, copy the code and paste it on your site or blog. Afte that your blog or site will start showing lessons directly from Internet Polyglot. And it will look like this:
The code for this widget was:
but you can change the languages in this code. For example, if you want to show Spanish-French lessons then simply change wordLanguage and translationLanguage parameters in this code like this:
and the widget will start showing Spanish-French lessons like this:
So please hurry and place this widget on your site or blog, make your visitors happy with playing Internet Polyglot language games!
What's next. The next couple of weeks our main goal becomes speeding up the site. We are going to work on making site's pages loading faster. Especially it's important for the game pages - iPoly gamers, stay tuned!
1) Improved sidebar - didn't you hate it when it was loading for about 5 extra seconds after the page was loaded. So, not anymore. Now he sidebar is loading quickly and the whole page is loading quickly too. Still, in this sidebar you can see the same information as before: your session game score, last played lessons, the champions of gaming.
2) iPoly widget. Now you and everybody can place an InternetPolyglot lessons on your blog or your site! For that go to http://www.internetpolyglot.com/widget.html , select languages that you like to show on your page in the widget, copy the code and paste it on your site or blog. Afte that your blog or site will start showing lessons directly from Internet Polyglot. And it will look like this:
The code for this widget was:
but you can change the languages in this code. For example, if you want to show Spanish-French lessons then simply change wordLanguage and translationLanguage parameters in this code like this:
and the widget will start showing Spanish-French lessons like this:
So please hurry and place this widget on your site or blog, make your visitors happy with playing Internet Polyglot language games!
What's next. The next couple of weeks our main goal becomes speeding up the site. We are going to work on making site's pages loading faster. Especially it's important for the game pages - iPoly gamers, stay tuned!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Three Fun Ways to Learn Italian
Who says that learning a language has to imply thick glasses, more than 1000 page books and a teacher who punishes you with loads of homework? Well, I believe learning can be fun! You might say “who are you to say that?” well, let’s just say I’m really smart and also lazy: I want maximum results with minimum effort. Trust me; you will WANT to read about these easy, fun methods of learning Italian!
1. Sing, sing, sing
What’s funnier than seeing all your friends goof around and try to keep up to both music and the lyrics? Well, your learning process has a lot to gain if you make a special Italian karaoke night! Great Italian singers like Laura Pausini, Tiziano Ferro, Biagio Antonacci, all have very inspired, clear lyrics that are easy to understand and to reproduce – they’re great for your pronunciation and vocabulary! Plus, in karaoke you also get to read the lyrics - improves you reading & writing skills! So, all in all, the Italian karaoke night will be a success both as a party and as a learning lesson.
2. Label everything in your way!
We feel more comfortable around the house, so we assimilate with more ease what we want to learn. Around the house – that’s where we have all the stuff we use on a daily basis. So why not take a pack of post-it notes and a dictionary and write the Italian word for things and label them? For example write “armadio” on a note and stick it on your closet, stick a “frigorifero” note on your fridge or even a “scarpe” note on the shoes you don’t wear as often. And also try to read the notes any time you see them – your family might consider you a loony, but soon enough, they will be proud of you being the only one in the family who speaks the language of DaVinci!
3. Pasta, anyone?
Have you ever considered taking up cooking as a way of getting familiar with a new language? Well, you can start now! Who doesn’t love a good lasagna, some freshly made spaghetti carbonara and of course, the Italian superstar: a ten topping pizza? The Italian kitchen is one of the richest and flavored of all. So, buy a dual-language recipe book or simply buy one in Italian (you will find loads on the internet) and a dictionary, and translate each recipe from Italian into your native language, as you cook it.
This helps you get familiar with the names of fruits, veggies and all sort of groceries and activities (cutting, baking, seasoning etc). Plus you have your belly filled with the world’s most exquisite meals. If you are a man and you’re reading this, trust me: your fiancé will be impressed by the pizza quarto stagioni you prepared for her! It gets your language learning juices flowing and stops your stomach from aching!
These 3 easy and fun steps are just the beginning of your “learning Italian odyssey”, but they will help you remember usual and common words and phrases, taking just a few minutes every day to do it. Once you know the basics, going to an Italian class will give you the professional teaching you need. Your teacher will see to your pronunciation being accurate, and your writing and grammar being close to perfection. But remember, the three methods I showed you above can be paired with your classes, so that you will speak fluent Italian in no time! Tanta fortuna, amico! (Good luck, buddy!)
1. Sing, sing, sing
What’s funnier than seeing all your friends goof around and try to keep up to both music and the lyrics? Well, your learning process has a lot to gain if you make a special Italian karaoke night! Great Italian singers like Laura Pausini, Tiziano Ferro, Biagio Antonacci, all have very inspired, clear lyrics that are easy to understand and to reproduce – they’re great for your pronunciation and vocabulary! Plus, in karaoke you also get to read the lyrics - improves you reading & writing skills! So, all in all, the Italian karaoke night will be a success both as a party and as a learning lesson.
2. Label everything in your way!
We feel more comfortable around the house, so we assimilate with more ease what we want to learn. Around the house – that’s where we have all the stuff we use on a daily basis. So why not take a pack of post-it notes and a dictionary and write the Italian word for things and label them? For example write “armadio” on a note and stick it on your closet, stick a “frigorifero” note on your fridge or even a “scarpe” note on the shoes you don’t wear as often. And also try to read the notes any time you see them – your family might consider you a loony, but soon enough, they will be proud of you being the only one in the family who speaks the language of DaVinci!
3. Pasta, anyone?
Have you ever considered taking up cooking as a way of getting familiar with a new language? Well, you can start now! Who doesn’t love a good lasagna, some freshly made spaghetti carbonara and of course, the Italian superstar: a ten topping pizza? The Italian kitchen is one of the richest and flavored of all. So, buy a dual-language recipe book or simply buy one in Italian (you will find loads on the internet) and a dictionary, and translate each recipe from Italian into your native language, as you cook it.
This helps you get familiar with the names of fruits, veggies and all sort of groceries and activities (cutting, baking, seasoning etc). Plus you have your belly filled with the world’s most exquisite meals. If you are a man and you’re reading this, trust me: your fiancé will be impressed by the pizza quarto stagioni you prepared for her! It gets your language learning juices flowing and stops your stomach from aching!
These 3 easy and fun steps are just the beginning of your “learning Italian odyssey”, but they will help you remember usual and common words and phrases, taking just a few minutes every day to do it. Once you know the basics, going to an Italian class will give you the professional teaching you need. Your teacher will see to your pronunciation being accurate, and your writing and grammar being close to perfection. But remember, the three methods I showed you above can be paired with your classes, so that you will speak fluent Italian in no time! Tanta fortuna, amico! (Good luck, buddy!)
7 Tips Every Wannabe Polyglot Needs
Any craft or skill in the world has its pros and amateurs and many times, the difference between the two is not necessarily natural talent, or hard work, it’s knowing the secret ingredient that makes the recipe what it is. Make no mistake about it, language learning is pretty much the same: know the tricks, you win the game. Here’s a collection of 10 useful tips and tricks on language learning for any wannabe polyglots out there:
1. Get Over Mistakes
One of the most annoying drawbacks when learning a language is fear of using it. Whether it’s fear of not spelling something right in an e-mail or letter, fear of sounding funny when speaking it or something similar, you need to get over making mistakes! So what if they occur? It’s the only way you can improve your language skills.
2. Set Yourself Stepwise Targets
Don’t go all out and plan to be proficient in a language, in a certain amount of time. Just take it stepwise, try getting to a basic level in the first few months, then improving your vocabulary in the next, then your grammar, then your speaking and so forth. Break it down into small bits, so you don’t choke on the bite.
3. Get Over Apparent Lack of Progress
Language learning is a flow that may or may not keep a steady rise. You might find yourself stagnating at some points during the process and it’s these that are the hardest to overcome, because you feel like you’re doing nothing apparently. Get over it!
4. Interests First
Are you learning Japanese for business purposes? Or maybe learning Brazilian to be able to communicate with your hot new Brazilian girlfriend? Whichever the purpose, study the language as if you would for that particular reason. Don’t stumble on small mistakes, get those economical Japanese terms so you can have a basic conversation, then build up on those.
5. Build a Solid Foundation
Again, if you have a solid foundation you can build up on it quickly and without too much trouble. Get the basic vocabulary down: that’s around 200 words that are commonly used, including common nouns, verbs and adjectives. Once you grab hold of that, there’s really nothing that can stop you.
6. Revisions
Happened to each and everyone of us in school, didn’t it? You learnt some long list of verbs in French class, but when it was time to actually use them the second time around, at the exam, you forgot them. That’s why revisions are always necessary, don’t lie on your back as soon as you’ve gone through the exercises, vocabulary practice or lessons.
7. Have fun While Studying
It’s been scientifically proven that if we learn something while we’re having fun, our brain assimilates that information a lot easier and for a longer period of time. Spice up your language learning habits, play some vocabulary games, maybe use some flashcards, or learn together with a friend. Anything that you deem as fun, is probably going to help you loads.
1. Get Over Mistakes
One of the most annoying drawbacks when learning a language is fear of using it. Whether it’s fear of not spelling something right in an e-mail or letter, fear of sounding funny when speaking it or something similar, you need to get over making mistakes! So what if they occur? It’s the only way you can improve your language skills.
2. Set Yourself Stepwise Targets
Don’t go all out and plan to be proficient in a language, in a certain amount of time. Just take it stepwise, try getting to a basic level in the first few months, then improving your vocabulary in the next, then your grammar, then your speaking and so forth. Break it down into small bits, so you don’t choke on the bite.
3. Get Over Apparent Lack of Progress
Language learning is a flow that may or may not keep a steady rise. You might find yourself stagnating at some points during the process and it’s these that are the hardest to overcome, because you feel like you’re doing nothing apparently. Get over it!
4. Interests First
Are you learning Japanese for business purposes? Or maybe learning Brazilian to be able to communicate with your hot new Brazilian girlfriend? Whichever the purpose, study the language as if you would for that particular reason. Don’t stumble on small mistakes, get those economical Japanese terms so you can have a basic conversation, then build up on those.
5. Build a Solid Foundation
Again, if you have a solid foundation you can build up on it quickly and without too much trouble. Get the basic vocabulary down: that’s around 200 words that are commonly used, including common nouns, verbs and adjectives. Once you grab hold of that, there’s really nothing that can stop you.
6. Revisions
Happened to each and everyone of us in school, didn’t it? You learnt some long list of verbs in French class, but when it was time to actually use them the second time around, at the exam, you forgot them. That’s why revisions are always necessary, don’t lie on your back as soon as you’ve gone through the exercises, vocabulary practice or lessons.
7. Have fun While Studying
It’s been scientifically proven that if we learn something while we’re having fun, our brain assimilates that information a lot easier and for a longer period of time. Spice up your language learning habits, play some vocabulary games, maybe use some flashcards, or learn together with a friend. Anything that you deem as fun, is probably going to help you loads.
Finding Motivation to Learn a New Language
Learning a language is a HUGE job and let’s face it, procrastinator or not, huge projects scare us. Learning a new language is also a long term deal, so there’s really no easy way out of this: you’ll have to buckle up and roll with the punches. There are however a couple of tips and tricks that a lot of people use in order to find that motivational spark to language learning and I’m going to try and share them with you in the next few minutes.
Taking Things One Step at a Time
Whenever we take up on a huge job, it seems a little bit easier to do if it’s broken down into several parts. It might just be an illusion, because after all, the time and effort invested in the smaller parts will probably be equal to what you would invest if you would run the project heels to head, but it’s how our mind works and it’s how motivation gets pumped up. Imagine a language as a…sandwich. You have your bread, your mustard and ketchup, your baloney layer and of course, the tomatoes. In terms of a language, that’s vocabulary, grammar, spelling and speaking. Take your time to prepare each of these ingredients before even daring to drool about the sandwich itself.
Picking up Words from Your Environment
Chances are the language you’re learning is a somewhat popular one on the international stage and there’s plenty of opportunities to pick up new words and expressions from around you. Movies of course, are a great inspiration for French, Spanish, German and Italian. Wanna learn some Italian? Pop in The Godfather and try to repeat what the characters are saying (granted, you’re probably going to utter some nasty words). How about German? Well, pretty much any World War 2 movie will feature some native Germans speaking (Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan come to mind). And the examples could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. Yes, TV can dumb up people at times, but it can also help you turn into an efficient polyglot.
Motivational Posters!
Some people trying to lose weight will place motivational posters in or around their fridge with stuff like “No Cake for You Today!” or “Taste lasts for an instance, fat lasts FOREVER!”, etc. Well, although it’s an extreme method, it works. Maybe make a couple of posters saying “Have your learned your 5 new words today?” or whatever you find motivational. Trust me, as stupid as it sounds, it’s an effective way to make yourself feel guilty about not learning the language you’re aiming for :). Good luck!
Taking Things One Step at a Time
Whenever we take up on a huge job, it seems a little bit easier to do if it’s broken down into several parts. It might just be an illusion, because after all, the time and effort invested in the smaller parts will probably be equal to what you would invest if you would run the project heels to head, but it’s how our mind works and it’s how motivation gets pumped up. Imagine a language as a…sandwich. You have your bread, your mustard and ketchup, your baloney layer and of course, the tomatoes. In terms of a language, that’s vocabulary, grammar, spelling and speaking. Take your time to prepare each of these ingredients before even daring to drool about the sandwich itself.
Picking up Words from Your Environment
Chances are the language you’re learning is a somewhat popular one on the international stage and there’s plenty of opportunities to pick up new words and expressions from around you. Movies of course, are a great inspiration for French, Spanish, German and Italian. Wanna learn some Italian? Pop in The Godfather and try to repeat what the characters are saying (granted, you’re probably going to utter some nasty words). How about German? Well, pretty much any World War 2 movie will feature some native Germans speaking (Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan come to mind). And the examples could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. Yes, TV can dumb up people at times, but it can also help you turn into an efficient polyglot.
Motivational Posters!
Some people trying to lose weight will place motivational posters in or around their fridge with stuff like “No Cake for You Today!” or “Taste lasts for an instance, fat lasts FOREVER!”, etc. Well, although it’s an extreme method, it works. Maybe make a couple of posters saying “Have your learned your 5 new words today?” or whatever you find motivational. Trust me, as stupid as it sounds, it’s an effective way to make yourself feel guilty about not learning the language you’re aiming for :). Good luck!
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