Dictionary blog

Language learning has never been as big a business as in recent years. Maybe due to globalization or extensive international travelling, people all over the world are opting to learning a foreign language, either with the intent of really becoming fluent, or just learning a few words to get on.

Learning a foreign language can be as thrilling as it is intimidating. English speakers in particular are the ones who face the biggest challenge: the world’s definitive lingua franca has for a long time been English. English is a language relatively easy to learn, and it has become ubiquitous nearly at every corner on the globe due to the cultural westernization of most nations.

Yet, more and more English speakers are opting for the study of a foreign language, especially Spanish or – believe it or not! – Chinese. This article looks at five most popular language course offerings and ranks them according to linguistics and accessibility. I am not focusing here on any language in particular and have chosen multi-lingual venues.

Needless to say, the personal motivation you will have to supply for yourself. :

Language Courses

1. BBC Languages – Designed specifically for the beginner learner, BBC languages offer one of the most complete free sites for language learning ever. So far, they’ve included videos, grammar tutorials, reading and listening activities of the following languages: French, German, Italian, Portuguese (European), Greek, Chinese, Polish, Urdu, Welsh, Gaelic, Irish, Russian and Japanese. You can also find their “useful sentences” in other 36 languages. All with audio.
2. Mango Languages : Mango claims to teach a language in the most natural way possible, integrating vocabulary and grammar learning only within situational contexts. Their focus is not on grammar but on real-life communication from the start. Mango is not a free service, but they do offer a trial period.

Conversation Practice

1. LiveMocha is rapidly becoming the site for people all over the world who want to enjoy language learning and language practice with native speakers. Volunteers from all languages place lessons, all divided into levels, and you can pair with someone who would like to practice your language, and, in return, you will practice his or her language with your buddy.
2. Conversation Exchange is based on the idea of interconnecting people with the aim of language learning exchange. You select the your native language, the language you wish to learn and Conversation Exchange will put you in touch with members who want to learn your native tongue. It is easy to use.
3. ITalki is another language learning platform where you can connect with either qualified teachers or other members with whom you may have a conversation in the language you’re learning. It is not as complete as the others mentioned above, but it has a great and really friendly community.

Online Dictionaries

Since you will be carrying on your language studies online, it is essential to be equipped with the best online dictionaries you can find. As a tip, always keep a browser window open where you may have instant access to translation or definition. So here is what I found:

1. The Free Dictionary is my all time favorite in terms of dictionary. The amount of information it gives on each term is encyclopedic. Although it also offers translations, the best you find in their monolingual dictionaries which offer synonyms, antonyms, examples of usage and even audio.
2. Babylon is not new in the market and its main advantage over other dictionaries is definitely its software (paid!). It is “translation at a click” program is great and it becomes rather “addictive for the convenience of translating words without having to leave what you’re reading and open a different browser. Although their dictionaries are by far poorer in quality and in options of content as in The Free Dictionary, Babylon is great for the beginner learner as it offers succinct English translation into hundreds of languages.
3. yourdictionary.com offers one of the most extensive collection of dictionaries and glossaries ever. Although their site does need a little check for broken links, most of the dictionary resources they lead a of good quality and useful content. Not really to be used actively but as a reference tool when you’re searching for a more specialized dictionary.

I have a friend who started learning German and she is always trying to convince to start learning this language as well, saying how easy the German language is. One of her main points of contention is that German grammar is close to Latin and, so her logic goes, if you know Latin declination patterns (and we both do as we learned it together at school), then your German learning experience will be just like a pleasant breeze. It may be so, but for English speakers the trouble of understanding German grammar (not to even mention when one tries to translate from German into English) is not helped by the fact that English, after all, is a member of the Germanic language family.
“But what about the uses of the definite articles der (masculine), die (feminine) and das (Neuter)?” I asked.
“A piece of cake!” was her reply “It’s just a question of logic.”
I am not so sure about that…
Most German nouns, apart from the ones where the “sex” is intrinsically known (and even that there are exceptions as in the case of “das Mädchen”), receive their articles without any logic at all. Actually, I did have some German lesson way back in the past, and I remember the teacher pointing out that every time we learn a new noun we must learn the respective article too.
And all declinations will depend almost entirely upon the right use of the definite article! Easy?
And there is one more thing peculiar to the German language that makes our hair stand: Compound nouns; in other words, the agglomeration of nouns placed together to make a completely new word. It would be impossible to find accurate translations in German dictionaries or receive an accurate German to English translation for such words. This characteristic of the German language is not used in English, even though the English language has a reminiscent trait as it is flexible in compound noun formations.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the German language and I think this is a great feature of this language. But learning it and becoming a proficient German speaker is another matter altogether.
Here is an example:
A German book published in Dotmund describes the customs of the Hottentots (in German Hottentotten) and it tells us about how opossums (Beutelratten) are captured and placed in cages (Kotter) covered by cloth (Lattengitter) to protect the animals against bad weather. In German, such cages are called “cages covered by cloth” (Lattengitterkotter), and once a opossum is placed inside you’ll then call it Lattengitterkotterbeutelratten, or “the opossum in the cage covered by a cloth”.
The book goes on to tell that one day the Hottentots capture an terrorist murderer (Attentater), accused of killing a Hottentot mother (Hottentottermutter) who had a son was both dumb and and stammered (stottertrottel). The book described this poor mother as Hottentottenstottertrottelmutter and her murderer as Hottentottenstottertrottelmutterattentater.
And there is more…
The police managed to arrest the murderer who was temporarily placed in the opossum’s cage (Beutelrattenlattengitterkotter). A few hours later he escaped and the manhunt started. A day later, a Hottentot warrior appeared at the station shouting:
“- I arrested the murderer!! (Attentater).
“- Really? Whichl? – asked the chief.
” – The Lattengitterkotterbeutelratterattentater! – replied the warrior.
“- What do you mean? The murderer who was in the opossum cage covered by a cloth?” asked the chief.
“- That’s right. It’s the Hottentottenstottertrottelmutteratentater!” (the murdered of the hottentot mother with dumb son who stammered) – respondeu o nativo.
“- Ah, that’s great! You could have said from the very beginning that you had arrested the hottentotterstottertrottelmutterlattengitterkotterbeutelrattenattentater!”
It’s up to you to decide: Is German an easy language to learn?

Language Learning Basics
It has been my experience that the number factor in determining how fast you can learn a foreign language is the proximity that the language of your choice has to your native tongue. Depending on your language background, you it is possible for you to become fluent in another language in as little as three months, or it may take you some good years before you can master it.
Language learners are not created equal and this couldn’t be more rightly so when it comes to language learning. Every person is different, and the time it takes to learn a new language is based upon how much time you can devote to studying, your natural ability to learn languages, and your ultimate goal in learning the language.
The amount of time per week you can spend learning a language, the faster you’ll be able to reach the goal of being able to communicate effectively in the language. Studies in  second language acquisition show that in order to become fluent in a language within a year, one must devote a minimum o ten hours weekly; And it does not include “listening time” , that is, the passive of listening (without interaction) of native speakers of the language. By “fluent” we mean that you will be able to communicate with ease, although not a “native speaker” level.
Another important factor in the how fast one can learn a language is dependent on the source language (the language you already know) and your target language (the language you’re studying). For example, if you are a native English speaker, then learning Dutch will be the easiest language for you to learn because of the similarities between the two languages, whereas learning Mandarin Chinese will be more challenging and take longer to pick up. If you speak any one of the romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French or Romanian), learning another romance language will be like a breeze (or so I hear from native romance language speakers!).

Different Methods for Different Learners
The methods that you choose to learn a language will greatly affect the way you learn your target language. For instance, some people learn well when they study grammar, while others prefer a more visual approach and are better learning a language by simply listening words and sentences. If this is the first time you’ve tried to learn a foreign language, try out different approaches and see what works best for you.
They keyword for any learning, especially language learning, is practice. Find out ways where you can be in contact with either people who are also learning the same language as you, form study groups or try and find online language learning partners. The more you speak it, the more you will train your brain and articulation to use the new language.
Also, be sure not to take too many breaks from learning a new language until you’ve reached your goal. This premise is particularly important when learning the vocabulary of your target language. Online translation tool and dictionaries may help you save time and keep you in constant vocabulary learning mode.

Goal Setting
More than any tip for learning a language is to set a goal. It includes your target language and the time frame you wish to acquire fluency in the language. With the above, you also learned what to expect in learning the language (the closer the language is to yours, the easier it will be), and will help you to set realistic goals.
Language learning is like any other form of learning: You build your confidence and proficiency one step at a time; And the more you devote yourself to it, the more you immerse yourself into it, the more fruits you will collect at the end of your learning journey.

When someone asks this question, he or she is usually referring to “learning a language without a teacher or course” or “learning a language for free”.
Today with Internet and the millions of people and sites all ready to help. It is most definitely possible to learn a language without leaving your house and spending a penny (well, except your Internet connection, of course). So, technically speaking it is possible to learn a language without having to pay for classes.

The problem is that the person who ventures to learn a language alone is inundated with information and doesn’t really know where to start.

So let us go through some basics of how to learn a language and how the Internet can achieve it.  In this article, I will be referring to learning Spanish, but the rules can be applied for any other language.

1. Speak without Fear

   You must be shameless! You can’t be over self-conscious about making mistakes. Give yourself a break! If you are over critical about yourself, you will make your work twice as hard. So just try and relax, and remember: All knowledge is cumulative, you will never know less than what you know now.So, Don’t let a little fear stop you from getting what you want. Personally, I like Livemocha a lot. This site works on the basis of “lesson exchange”. In other words, you teach someone your language, and receive a class in the language of your interest.

2. Use all the resources you have available

   Using as many different sources, methods and tools as possible, will allow you to learn much more quickly. There are many different ways you can improve your Spanish, so don’t limit yourself to only one or two.
   To have a good Spanish dictionary and Spanish translation tool is also an important facet of the process. As you will be learning the language primarily on the computer, you should have them among your browser’s favorites.
   

3. Surround yourself with the language

   The absolute best way to learn a language is to surround yourself with it.  In my case (learning Spanish) I always – I mean always – take notes in Spanish, listen to Spanish radios, and watch the news in Spanish. I even try to think in Spanish (But it does get tiring after a while…).

4. Watch Spanish Films and Television

   This is not only a fun way to learn but it is also very effective. By watching Spanish films (especially those with English subtitles) you can expand your vocabulary and hear the flow of speech from the actors. If you listen to the news you can also hear different accents.

5. Listen to Music

   Music can be a very effective method of learning Spanish. In fact, it is often used as a way of improving comprehension. The best way to learn though, is to get the lyrics (words) to the songs you are listening to and try to read them as the artist sings. There are several good internet sites where one can find the words for most songs. This way you can practice your listening and reading at the same time. And if you like to sing, fine.

6. Study As Often As Possible!

   Only by studying things like grammar and vocabulary and doing exercises, can you really improve your knowledge of any language.

7. Do Exercises and Take Tests

   Many people think that exercises and tests aren’t much fun. However, by completing exercises and taking tests you can really improve your English. One of the best reasons for doing lots of exercises and tests is that they give you a benchmark to compare your future results with.

8. Record Yourself

   Nobody likes to hear their own voice on tape. I have used the technique of recording myself reading or speaking some sentences in Spanish and compare my “fluency” or the improvement – or lack of it – of my pronunciation over time.

9. Prepare “Vocabulary Flashcards”

   This method works wonders, and you can learn an outstanding 200 words per month, which is more than the average learner learns using conventional methods.
   Flashcards are a great way to make the vocabulary “stick” to your memory. You can make them your own, buy them, or use the online Spanish flashcards available (some are free). If you decide to make them, follow these rules:
   Cut the cards and on one side of it write down: the word, the pronunciation (if necessary) and an example sentence. On the other, simply write the translation.
   You should have no more than 50 cards per week. Go over them daily, reading the word and saying the sentence out loud. Each time you do, try to remember the translation. If you get it right, put the card aside, but if you get it wrong, place it at the back of the stack.

10. Finally, have fun!

    Last but not least, try and have fun throughout the way. If the learning gets too much on your nerves, take a break and start a new a few days later.
    Learning should never be drudgery.

When we think about Wales, images of magnificent scenery, impressive castles and charming sea-side resorts immediately spring to mind. What the unsuspecting traveler might not know is that the fourth most popular destination in the whole of Wales is a small town called Hay-on-Wye.

The reason is simple: this sleepy town is famous for being the place with the largest amount of second hand book shops on the planet!

The story of how it became so began in the early 60’s when Richard Booth opened an antique store where he sold not only antiques but also second hand books. He soon noticed that the books were selling out far more than the antiques so he decided to open other venues in town to open other bookshops. Result, he ended up renting the old cinema house, the firehouse, the workhouse and a little chapel, all to sell second hand books. Before long Richard Booth had the claim as the biggest seller of second-hand books of the planet”. Today, it attracts visitors from all corners of Great Britain.

The initial success of Booth’s books brought other book merchants to town eager to take advantage of the low rents and warehouse costs. Even Oxfam opened a second-hand bookshop, and Booth began to promote himself, becoming some kind of celebrity known for eccentricity and outrageous ideas.

On April 1, 1977, and very much in part with his eccentric character, Richard Booth declared the little town of Hay-on-Wye as an independent state, having its own law and order. His decision was due to the fact that the general government – as in all places – treats smaller towns with a great deal of indifference. And he went further: He crowned himself king, issued passports for carefree travel, a local currency and petitioned the local town council to ban automobiles in favor of bringing back the horse to create employment for blacksmiths, grooms and stable-boys. When a fire destroyed much of the castle in the early 1980’s “King Richard” was forced to sell many of his properties.
Declining towns from the US and Europe have sought the assistance of Richard Booth in learning how to use his ideas and promotional methods to give their towns a boost in tourism.

I started reading the book Translation and Globalization by the Irish writer Michael Cronin. I highly recommend it to anyone who is involved in translation as it is a true journey through the new global scenario. It brings forth the rediscovery of the importance of translation and the professional translator and their role as vehicles for the transmission of cultural variety which characterizes our planet.

What keeps the reading of Translation and Globalization so fascinating the constant tension which underlines the value of translation on all its forms: the technical – to which the book dedicates a great portion – and the literary. Cronin refutes the notion of a translation job as being simply substituting a word for another: The intention of his book is to shed light on the complexities of a profession which has ironically such difficult definition and is situated somewhat in an obscure territory bordering diverse cultures but that nevertheless is a contributing factor to cultural enrichment of tradition and customs and even the preservation of minority languages.
The book is in five excellent chapters, from the general, broad view to the specific:

1. Translation and the global economy;
2. Globalization and new translation paradigms;
3. Globalization and the new geography of translation;
4. Globalization and the new politics of translation;
5. Translation and minority languages in a global setting.
6. Translation and Globalization is no doubt a fundamental exploration and brings us an understanding on the different forms in which extreme changes to the global economy have affected modern translation.

The Internet, new technology, machine translation and the emergence of a worldwide, multi-million dollar translation industry have dramatically altered the complex relationship between translators, language and power. Michael’s book draws on examples and case studies from all the five continents and it has as core argument that translation is central to debates about language and cultural identity.

Translation and Globalization is a must-read not only for people who are involved in translation, but also those interested in the future of languages and cultural diversity.

Although Bouvier’s Law Dictionary was not the first legal reference work published the United States, it marked an impact in America’s legal literary history for being the first to clearly differentiate American law from the English. The first edition was published in 1839 and it encountered immediate success in the legal community of the early United States.
Furthermore, John Bouvier  http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/rare/dicts… ) added entries including the states that by 1839 had already composed the Union. His work is considered a masterpiece of American legal history and early volumes fetch high prices as it is considered a collectors’ item.

A snapshot on the life of John Bouvier

John Bouvier was born in 1787 in France. He immigrated to the United States while still young and became an American citizen in 1812. In America he graduated in law and worked in Philadelphia.
Utterly dissatisfied with the law dictionaries available in his time, he embarked on a mission to create a thorough and American relevant legal dictionary. It took him 10 years to complete his work.
Today, we can find the 15th edition of Bouvier’s law dictionary  http://www.constitution.org/bouv/bouvier…) online due to the wonderful initiative by the  http://www.constitution.org/) Constitution Society.

Babylon  www.babylon.com) is a well known program which gives users access to innumerous monolingual and bilingual dictionaries in many languages. My usual tendency not long ago was to think of Babylon as a superfluous tool, especially for those who have already invested in electronic dictionaries such as Duden RAE, Aurelio, Houaiss and other specialized dictionaries.
However, on a second thought, having to juggle many dictionary windows on my computer screen while working on a translation project, and having these accumulated on my computer, not only requires memory resources from my PC’s hard disc, but it can also be time-consuming and  a little counter-productive. Babylon eliminates this problem of having too many windows opened.
It is true that Babylon depends on having Internet connection, but it is also possible to have some of their dictionaries working offline as well.
For preliminary and simple researches, Babylon tool is perfect. Granted, their translation is not always the best or the most in-depth information source, but in my experience they very often indicate a path of research which can be followed using other research tools. Another interesting factor is that their platform enables research in many languages.
Furthermore, the research tool of Babylon can include – for a fee – many leading dictionaries worldwide such as Aurelio, Oxford, Langenscheidt and others.
All in all, as a professional translator and dictionary aficionado, I can’t be a total friend of Babylon, but neither am I its worst foe. Although in my opinion Babylon fails at some levels, their dictionaries can be of great assistance to professional translators, especially having the premium ones included.
So far, of course, I have mentioned here the paid license of Babylon. However, they also offer online free translation services – a great example of those, and very much used by me, are their German to English translation tool – such as multilingual online dictionaries and online text translators are available online for any user.

She may not be agent provocateur, but Marina Orlova, a Russian-expat   English and World Literature teacher, has certainly been provoking a lot of sensation in the non-mainstream world of philology with her website and YouTube videos Hot for Words  http://www.hotforwords.com).
In 2002, Marina decided to pack her bags and travel to the United States in order to improve her knowledge of English in preparation for enrolling to hear Ph.D. Two years later, she decided to start a series of videos where she is able to teach many aspects of the English language etymology and thus share some of her knowledge with a larger public. Little did she know at the time that she was about to become one of the most popular teachers on the Net, and today her number of subscribers amount to almost 250,000 people and almost 300,000,000 views – an outstanding number comparing to other related videos!.
Following the success of her videos, she set the Hot for Words website which has also brought quite a faithful following. Here are some of the interesting sections of her site:
Nerd Word of the Day: She picks up nerdy words throughout the Web and defines them (really interesting stuff).
Word Request: Want to know the history of a particular word? Just send it to Marina and she will get it for you.
Her Blog: I could not stop laughing about her post “most tragic domain names”. Really funny!
I know that Marina’s videos may be seen as of dubious-taste by many, but hey, she is committed to her etymological research, and, as she herself says “Intelligence is Sexy”.
There many folks out there who agree with that. Here are some of the accolades her work has received:

“The world’s sexiest philologist” – New Yorker Magazine
“#1 Sexiest Geek of the Year” – Wired Magazine
“The sexy master of language, among the who’s who on YouTube” – G4 Television
Keep up the good work Marina!

Any site that has this sentence on the top of its page “If you’re one of those annoying, impatient types who thinks you’re smart enough to skip my vitally important, erudite, intelligent elucidations without destroying everything you hold dear, you can get right to business with Some of Our Hottest topics…” deserves my full attention.
And that is the exact phrase you’ll find in the Lectric Law Library site. And boy, do they have hot topics!

Lectric Law Library makes justice to their popularity (excuse the pun) with their vast array of topics covered. They present you with hundreds of law related articles, an great list of “hot topics” such as Banks, Finance & Credit, Tax Havens and International Business; Medical Malpractice, Investment Issues, Employer & Employee Rights, Real Estate & Rent Issues, Power of Attorney, Consumer Protection, International Law, Immigration Law, family law, and many others.

The only downside to their site, in my humble opinion of course, is the site’s overall design. I mean, don’t get me wrong: I like plain, simple and straightforward design with killer-content as they have, but it seems to me that it is high time they brought their site’s structure to the 21st century.