LOOK FOR TRANSLITERATION SERVICE NOT A TRANSLATOR
If you want to learn to speak a foreign word, you must LISTEN FIRST. You must have a native speaker to help you to pronounce the word correctly but he is not your dictionary. You still have to do the work yourself. Listening is a very important part of your language development.
If you are self-learning from an online language website or have purchased a software, it would be great if it offers transliteration service or on-line community that encourages members to make contact easily. It may look something like this:
There is usually a little speaker symbol on the screen. If you click on the symbol, you will hear the recorded voice of the native speaker.
HOW TO COMMIT THE NON-NATIVE WORDS TO MEMORY
The most effective tool to use is to have a biological clock as our friendly reminder. We accelerate our learning process by applying more of our senses during the learning process.
So what we want is a method to recall our knowledge which can tick you brains and not become an added burden to your already hectic personal programmes. A passive reminder like a time table will get ignored after a period of time. A learning programme like language is not a “one-time I am done thing”. You need someone (like) your mum to nag at you but someone who does not turn you off, like a romantic love song, pretty eyes or sounds of beach surfs. Sights and sounds that you can carry with you all the time.
The answer for me is the mobile phone, ipaq, ipod or itouch. The reason these works is because the mobile phone has at least 4 basic features: alarm, calendar, notes, portability, dictionary, camera and most importantly a sound recording.
What you have to do is to enter the words you want to learn for a week and set the alarm to remind you to tune in to your word on the phone. Use a jingle or soft bell tone and set the alarm at your most convenient but focus time. The exercises that have been described only takes 2 minutes to practise.
One of the features you should have on your phone is a translation feature so you can immediately switch to the foreign language you want instantly. If you are committed to learning, you will start using the foreign word immediately. (Remember that you have chosen the words that are important to you. So it is only natural that you will get to use the word quite immediately.)
Replace the native word with the non-native word each day until you complete the entire set.
1. enter the native word
2. replace each native word with the non-native word
3. your must record YOUR own voice on the phone
4. set the alarm
5. keep replacing texts until all are translated and recorded.
Check out the product below, you should be able to see that they have the transliterator service embedded on the software. Use the mobile phone as an added tool.
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I love your posts. I can’t wait to get started on French in the new year. Plus I have a sneaky feeling that your talents may come in use professionally. Not quite sure how, but I think it will work out.
Cx
Hi there,
Glad you enjoy it dear friend. With 40 years of experience speaking in different languages, I still find it challenging to come up with easier ways to train the brain. French: wow! I think Paris. The ‘r’ is neither silently nor distinctly pronounced – a tongue twisting challenge.
Here is another thought:
I am impressed that my 80 year mum can understand 3 languages (Malay, English, Jawi and Hokkien) and speak only 1 her entire life. She writes in Jawi and sign her name in Jawi. She does not carry a handphone. She cannot read English except for her name,home address, brandnames and phone number. And to think I can now be so fluent in English in a non-native home environment. There is something parents know about brainworks that we don’t.
It is exciting to hear and read and then visualize the ideas, at our own pace and at our own convenience.
Good job.
Best wishes.
Having to visualise the meaning of the word tend to slow down the learning process. Nowadays we have so many ways to help with the visualisation of ideas. Thank you.
Happy Belated Birthday, give me a nudge every now and again, I am just so busy. Great post!!!
Thank you. You are not late, not from the date of the this post anyway. Glad to know you are keeping well.