Babelan microblog

Watch Russian films online

2012-01-22T10:25:00.000+01:00

Mosfilm, a Russian film studio, has got in Youtube a channel with several Russian films. Hence, either you are studying Russian or you already speak it, you will enjoy watching this channel. Then, sit down and enjoy Russian cinema.

About Mosfilm (from Wikipedia):
Mosfilm (Russian: Мосфильм, pronounced [məsˈfʲɨlʲm]) is a film studio, which is often described as the largest and oldest in Russia and in Europe. Its output includes most of the more widely-acclaimed Soviet films, ranging from works by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein (commonly considered the greatest Soviet directors), to Red Westerns, to the Akira Kurosawa co-production (Дерсу Узала / Dersu Uzala) and the epic Война и Мир / War and Peace.

More about language learning

If you want to meet people and practice languages such as Russian, Spanish or French, etc visit: Babelan, people learning, practicing or teaching languages.
Moreover, you can read a previous post with online resources to learn Russian: Russian language: web sites.

Radio, a mean to learn languages

2012-01-15T20:06:00.000+01:00

Not long time ago, I used to listen to short wave stations (SW). When listening to these international broadcasts I improved quite a lot my English listening skills. Moreover, I enjoyed so much discovering new countries and its culture, people, history, gastronomy, etc.

Right now, you can easily listen to international and local radio stations from around the world. You just need to have a WiFi radio set or a smartphone (preferably with WiFi).

The best advice is to listen for a while a radio station of your target language everyday. Also, you can download podcasts of your favourite programmes and listen to them whenever you feel like.

You can start listening to international stations. They speak slower and are easy to understand as they target foreign audiencies.

Most of them also broadcast language courses that you can find in their web pages.

Some international stations are:

For those learning English: BBC Worldservice
Spanish: REE (Radio Exterior de España)
German: DW (Deutsche Welle)
Russian: Voice of Russia
French: RFI (Radio France)
Korean: KBS
Japanese: NHK
Chinse: CRI (China Radio International)
Czech: Radio Praha

You can search local and international broadcasters in different directories:

Above all, do not forget to listen to radio in your target language everyday. You'll notice soon how much you improve.

Also, you can write a comment if you know more tips about learning languages.

More about language learning

If you want to meet people and practice languages visit: Babelan, the languages site.

English for You, Rosa´s Blog

2012-01-05T16:43:00.000+01:00

This is a blog intended for those young students of English, basically teenagers from 15 to 18. The whole blog is in English, this way the students are always in touch with the language.

You can find tips, videos, photos, reading activities, jokes and grammar stuff... all presented in a funny way.

Rosa describes her blog this way: This blog is mainly for my students (aged 15-18) but everybody is welcome!. I write about stuff that I find interesting for them, not only for our classes but for their general knowledge, i.e. about anything that comes up.

English for You, Rosa´s Blog: http://inglesiesollosgrandes.blogspot.com

Practice languages

Check this site out, Babelan. You can contact native speakers and practice foreign languages.

Simple ways to learn new words

2011-12-10T22:24:00.000+01:00

Recently, I stumbled upon a post (7 Simple Ways to Learn New Russian Words) in a blog called Fun Russian. It talks about different ways to learn new words in Russian, although these tips are useful for any foreign language that you may be learning. I recommend you to read and follow these guidelines.

Here's the whole post.

7 Simple Ways to Learn New Russian Words

Working on your vocabulary is a part of the language learning process. Learning new words does not have to be a daunting task, but it may take some time to build a vocabulary that will make you feel comfortable speaking Russian. Today we will talk about a few steps that you can take to help yourself to improve your vocabulary faster and more effectively.

Motivation

Motivation is the most important part of the vocabulary-building process. Your motivation is your inspiration that helps you to succeed. This is why it might be a good idea to think about the reasons why you would like to improve your Russian vocabulary. Is it because you have a new pretty Russian friend? Or is it because you are planning a trip to Russia? Write your reasons down and every time you feel like giving up read them through again.

Immersion

Immersion is the key. Surround yourself by Russian, and you’ll notice how much easier it is now to learn new words. Listen to Russian radio stations, watch Russian TV channels, read newspapers, magazines or books in Russian and get acquainted with the Russian speaking community. You can find Russian speaking communities online, join Odnoklassniki.ru (Russian version of MySpace or Facebook) and make friends there, or join a forum or a chat, where you can meet likeminded people who are learning Russian.

Why is immersion so important? You will hear your new words during talk shows, you’ll see them in a Russian paper, you’ll watch them on YouTube (including FunRussian.com YouTube Channel ) and you’ll hear them from your new Russian friends. It will be so much easier to learn new words once you will see and hear them everywhere!

Good Old Flash Cards

This method helped me to learn new English words. A few months before I left for London I had set a goal to learn 20 new words and expressions each week. And here is what I did. I wrote down one word on each of the flash cards and hung them up around the house everywhere, in places where I spend the majority of my time. And every time I glanced at the new word, I read it and tried to use it in a sentence. Then, a week later I tested myself.

If you don’t want to decorate your flat or a house with the flash cards with the Russian words on them, you can just write down the words and remember to look at them every day, say, in the morning before you go to work or school or at night before you go to bed. You can learn as many words a day or a week as you want, but, please don’t set unrealistic goals. They will burn you down very quickly and you’ll feel bad if you can’t reach them.

Word Puzzles in Russian

This is my personal favourite. I love to play scrabble (on my computer, because then I can cheat by searching for a word at the dictionary… Oh come on, who hasn’t done that?). And I also love word games on Yahoo (no cheating here). They help to relax, unwind and learn new English words!

Playing word games and solving puzzles and crosswords will definitely help you to learn and practice new Russian words while having lots of fun at the same time! Although, be ware – this method is very addictive, you might find yourself sitting in front of your computer for hours…. Just tell yourself that it’s for a good cause, and it will make you feel better!

Dictionary is Your Best Friend

the absolutely best friend you could ever ask for! It always understands your efforts and needs, and is always ready to tell the truth about the words and expressions. So, please make sure to look up as many words as possible in the dictionary. Also make sure to read the full entry of the each word. One word can have several meanings. For example Russian word «ключ» has a couple of meanings. Nope, I won’t tell you what they are! Look it up and make friends with the dictionary at the same time!

Practice, Practice, Practice

It is always a good idea to review the words you’ve learned. One of the reasons is that Russian is full of surprises, like suffixes, prefixes, word endings, cases…and as you know, I could carry on for a long time! This is why it is always a good idea to start practicing using new words as soon as you can.
Practice your Russian pronunciation by reading new words aloud several times. When you are comfortable with your pronunciation, try to actually using them in your speech! This is where the Russian speaking community comes in. Whether you are chatting online or talking on Skype, or in person, try to use the variety of the words and expressions you have just learned! You will be so proud of yourself!

Reward Your Efforts

Always Reward Yourself

It is always a good idea to appreciate your own efforts. Have you just learnt your 50^th word? Or have you just asked for the directions in Russian for the first time? Every single, even the smallest success is worth a celebration! Get yourself a little present, like your favourite desert or a movie, or go out with your friends. You deserve that! And now, you will have something to look forward to when your next goal is accomplished!

I hope these tips will help you to improve your Russian vocabulary much faster! Visit FunRussian.com YouTube Channel to learn new Russian slang, idioms, popular expressions and other fun stuff!

Good luck and have fun learning Russian!
Viktoria

Links

Fun Russian, Learn Russian the Fun Way: http://www.funrussian.com
If you want to meet people and practice languages such as Russian, Spanish, English or French, etc visit: Babelan.

10 steps to becoming fluent in a language in 6 months or less

2011-11-18T04:00:00.000+01:00

Recently, I stumble upon an interesting article with some tips to learn a foreign language in a few months: 10 steps to becoming fluent in a language in 6 months or less. You can read those guidelines here:

1. Immerse yourself

It’s almost impossible to learn a new language, or at least to learn it rapidly, unless you begin thinking in that language. But how do you think in a new language you can’t yet speak?

The answer is to simply immerse yourself in it. Traveling in a foreign country allows you to continuously hear the sounds, rhythms, and inflections of a new language–spoken on the streets, in buses, on television, etc. Your brain will already start to process and interpret a new language.

Even better than simply traveling is being forced to “operate” in a new language by participating in a volunteer program, or working abroad. Best of all is being completely immersed with locals (such as living with a host family) and completely isolated from other native speakers of your language.

Immerse yourself with the locals, their music, culture, media, politics, sports, family, etc. Ingratiate yourself with the community and you’re halfway there!

2. Forget translating: think like a baby!

How do babies learn language? Through imitation, repetition of sounds, and above all, by not being shy or self-conscious.

So what if your pronunciation is a little off, or you can’t remember the proper conjugation? Just start talking, even if it seems like babbling. Resisting the urge to translate everything into your native language can be the single fastest shortcut to fluency.

Rather than walking up to the restaurant or giving your host family a pre-memorized phrase for what you’re going to order, simply listen to how the locals order their food, and then imitate them as best you can. The same goes for greetings, small talk, etc. Watch their facial expressions as they say the words; study how they move their mouths.

Copy these expressions and sounds just like a baby would. Whether you understand what they mean exactly or not, eventually you will begin simply calling upon these sounds / phrases / words in appropriate situations. They’ll appear, as if by magic. This is the gateway to thinking in a new language.

3. How do you say?

Besides common greetings, the one phrase you should memorize and always have at the ready is the phrase is “How do you say that / what is that called?”

By being an inquisitive traveler, one who is always asking questions, you befriend the local people. You’ll find that over time they’ll open up to you, making it easier to initiate conversations. These daily interactions with the locals are your best teachers: set a daily goal for yourself of having X number of conversations each day–asking people about things you’re interested in, but don’t know the words for. Even if you can’t finish the conversation, you’re on the way.

4. Write it

After having conversations, jot down the things you remembered hearing but didn’t quite understand. (This can serve double duty if you’re also taking notes for your travel blog).

Then go back and use your dictionary. Look up the words, piece the conversation back together in your mind. Then, next time you have a conversation, use what you learned.

When studying French and Spanish, I also used “grammar sheets” where I wrote down the various verbs to learn their conjugations. Besides helping me focus, they also became handy reference guides.

5. Use cognates and draw links

Ever noticed how some words appear exactly the same across various languages? These are called “cognates.” Unlocking the usage of cognates instantly gives you several hundred more words to your vocabulary. For example, most words ending in “ion” in the Latin languages are the same in English.

For example: information / información, donation / donación

Similarly, words across different languages often share the same root word, so drawing on what you already know will make it easier (e.g.: cheese is fromage in French and fromaggio in Italian). Studies have also shown that when you have mastered a second language, your brain becomes becomes better wired to learn subsequent new languages. Fret not, it gets better!

6. Local TV, movies, music

Watch movies, listen to music, sing songs, and browse newspapers and magazines. It’s fun and helps improve your pronunciation and comprehension.

I often stumble when trying to read Chinese script because I don’t use it enough and there are no phonetic cues in Chinese characters. But by watching Chinese music videos and following the lyrics, I learned many new characters and also began pronouncing words more accurately.

In the same way, I attuned myself to rapid French prattling by watching French movies on DVD without subtitles and improved my Spanish by paying attention during the dubbed action movies on long bus rides in South America.

Salsa classes have also ensured I know my izquierda (left) from my derecha (right)!

7. Non-verbal cues

Beyond words, observe locals when they talk. Be it the Gaelic shrug or a slight tilt of the head, combining body language with a new tongue helps you communicate better.

This is especially important in cultures where language is closely linked to gestures. For instance, appropriate bowing and greeting in Japanese are inseparable, as with the hand gestures and intonation in Thailand. Picking up on non-verbal cues added a new dimension to my interactions with Thais, as I learned the appropriate bowing of the head and a deep enough wai (palms together) to accompany my greetings.

8. Get emotional!

Emotive experiences often etch impressions onto our memory. Make full use of embarrassing / funny / angry experiences by linking them to the new language.

I learned, quite unfortunately, the importance of the special “ñ” character in Spanish because saying “Tengo 24 anos” instead of “años” meant I told everyone I had 24 anuses rather than being 24 years old.

Needless to say, the embarrassment helped correct my pronunciation for good! Similarly, negotiating with shady cab drivers or nasty vendors also helps you learn numbers rather quickly so you don’t get ripped off.

9. A world of friends / then going solo.

While individual classes can be highly beneficial for unsurpassed attention, group classes with friends can greatly aid learning. Having a friend to practice with helps you get better, and you can also learn from the different mistakes different people make.

On the other hand, venturing out solo in a foreign country forces you to speak with local people–say the person riding next to you on the bus, or standing in line at the market. It also prevents you relying on a friend with stronger language skills to do the talking for you in key exchanges such as asking for directions or buying food.

10. Practice at every opportunity before and after you travel.

Ever felt really “rusty” and lacking confidence in a language despite having taken classes or used it (or even mastered it) at some other time in your life? Languages are alive and require exercise. Find avenues to practice wherever and whenever you can.

For instance, I don’t get to use French very often in my daily life, so I found a French penpal to exchange emails. I also keep in touch with people I met in France and French travelers I met in the course of my travels. Writing in French on FaceBook (www.facebook.com) walls does wonders and even helps you learn some local slang!

If you know tips about learning languages, you can post a comment.

Links

Babelan. People learning, practicing or teaching languages

Online language exchange

2011-10-26T18:04:00.000+02:00

One of the best way to practice a language is to live in the country where the language you learn is spoken. Although, this is neither easy nor cheap.

Thanks to internet, now, there's the chance to practice languages speaking to native speakers via Skype, Msn, chats, e-mails, Facebook...

If you have already visited Babelan, you probably know that you can contact people, make new friends and exchange languages in this community. It is open to any language of the world: English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian...

From now on, you can follow on Twitter all the messages published on the site from people searching an online language partner.

Online language exchange

Ask a Korean

2011-10-05T04:00:00.000+02:00

Those who learn Korean or are interested in this Asian country will find interesting this blog. Ask a Korean answers all the serious questions asked by anyone. Just drop a line by e-mail and you will receive a short answer direct to you and, later, the author will develop a comprehensive answer in the blog.

As stated in the AAK! Policies: "For emails that deserve a post, the Korean gives a short answer to them in a private email, then later writes a longer, more detailed post."

Regarding language learning don't miss the post Learning Korean Language Series Index.

Hence, you can learn more about Korea and its language in:

Blog: http://askakorean.blogspot.com
E-mail: askakorean@gmail.com

More about language learning

If you want to meet people and practice languages such as Korean, English, Russian, Spanish or French, etc visit: Babelan, people learning, practicing or teaching languages.
Moreover, you can read a previous post with online resources to learn Korean: Learning Korean online - web pages.

Russian cuisine

2011-09-05T12:25:00.000+02:00

There are many benefits when you learn a foreign language, some of them are:

It's an avantage when searching a job.
On holidays, it's useful abroad when booking rooms in hotels, ordering meals, etc.
Also, you can make new friends and have fun.
You will understand and enjoy different cultures.

Regarding culture, you can add gastronomy as part of it. Hence, this time instead of recommending a language web page, this post recommends a cuisine web page. That will help to understand a bit more the Russian culture.

Ruscuisine.com is a good taste of Russia for those learning Russian, or even for those who don't learn it. It's got recipes and articles about the most tasty and delicious dishes.

What can you find?

"In our Russian recipes cookbook you'll find a great number of palatable dishes (hors-d'oeuvres, main courses, desserts, beverages etc.) from ancient times to the present. With our help you'll taste and find out tales about the most popular ethnic dishes of Russian, Ukrainian, Byelorussian, Georgian, Armenian and other cuisines. We invite you to keep our company and listen our stories over a cup of tea."

Enjoy your meal.
http://www.ruscuisine.com

More about language learning

If you want to meet people and practice languages such as Russian, Spanish or French, etc visit: Babelan, people learning, practicing or teaching languages.
Moreover, you can read a previous post with online resources to learn Russian: Russian language: web sites.

Slovak. Online resourses

2011-08-06T15:23:00.001+02:00

Here's a list of online resources to learn Slovak:

Basic phrases in Slovak language:
http://www.bratislavaguide.com/slovak-language-basic-phrases
Slovak Alphabet & Pronunciation:
http://www.slavism.com/slovak/abc.htm
Slovak Declension:
http://www.angelfire.com/sk3/quality/Slovak_declension.html
Slovak Language:
http://www.slovak.com/language/
Slovak online:
http://old.bohemica.com/slovak/

If you want to know more about this slavic language read this article in the Wikipedia: Slovak language.

If you want to meet people and practice languages such as Slovak visit: Babelan, people learning, practicing or teaching languages.

Russian language: web sites

2011-08-02T08:24:00.001+02:00

This is a useful list of web pages for students of Russian.

If you know more, you can post a comment in this post.

A Touch of Russian - http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/russian/

Alphadictionary - http://www.alphadictionary.com/rusgrammar

Aula fácil - http://www.aulafacil.com/cursosgratis/curso/ruso.html

Beginning Russian through film - http://russian.dmll.cornell.edu/brtf/index.htm

Engoi - http://www.engoi.com/es/ru/index.html

Goodbye summer - http://media.humnet.ucla.edu/depts/slavic/goodbyesummer/

Learn Russian language - http://www.learnrussianlanguage.net

Learn Russian Online - http://www.russian-plus.com

Learn Russian the fun way - http://www.funrussian.com/

Master Russian - http://www.masterrussian.com

PracticeRussian.com - http://www.practicerussian.com

Russian for everyone - http://www.russianforeveryone.com

Russian for free - http://www.russianforfree.com

Russian Language Mentor - http://russianmentor.net/

Russian Lessons.net - http://www.russianlessons.net/home.php

Russificate - http://russificate.blogspot.com

Spoonful of Russian - http://speakrussian.blogspot.com

Time to speak Russian - http://speak-russian.cie.ru/time_new/

WikiBooks. Russian - http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Russian/Main_Contents

Links

Babelan. People learning, practicing or teaching languages

Learn Japanese Free

2011-07-23T13:25:00.000+02:00

Learn Japanese Free is a resource site for those ones who want to learn Japanese from scratch to a proficiency level.

The site offers a comprehensive course divided into lessons (basic & intermediate) and preparation units for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test).

The site gives us the following advice: We have divided our 'Free Learn Japanese' and JLPT course into lessons. Please start from the first Japanese lesson and proceed to the next Japanese lesson only when you have thoroughly understood and learned the previous Japanese lesson.

Words from the author: My view about learning Japanese: I have learned the language and I personally love the language because it has very interesting scripts and the grammar too. I personally believe that if you like the language then it is very easy to learn it. All the Best to all of those who are planning to study Japanese language.

Learn Japanese Free: www.learnjapanesefree.com

Links

Babelan. People learning, practicing or teaching languages

Practica Español

2011-07-22T20:05:00.000+02:00

Practica Español is a site intended for those who learn Spanish. The student can practice Spanish reading real news, watching videos, listening to Radio FLE (The Spanish Language Foundation) and doing excercises.

The site has got news and features about Spain and the rest of the world, current affairs, sport, entertainment, travel, health, business, culture, science and gastronomy.

There are also grammar lessons with the most important grammar points of the Spanish language. Here, you can read the grammar explanations and, later, work it with related readings and exercices.

In adition, you can watch Spanish music videos of the most well known groups and singers.

Practica Español is in English, Portuguese, French and Chinese.

Practica Español: www.practicaespanol.com

What is "Practica Español"?

Links

Babelan. People learning, practicing or teaching languages

Vocabulary building

2011-06-10T08:49:00.000+02:00

Again, thanks to Twitter I stumbled on an interesting article with learning tips. It tells how to learn and build new vocabulary in the language you are learning. You can read the whole article here: Poligo Guide to Language Part 40: Vocab Building.

Here's a sample of some pieces of advices from the article:

(...)
"So, in order to build your vocabulary fast, you should follow this simple recipe:

Increase your daily exposure to the language: listen and read a lot;
Make a note of new words;
Make an effort to sit down and learn the new words.

If you are not learning lots of words at the intermediate level, you are not doing one of these three things. If you are not encountering new words, read and listen more. If you are not remembering the new words you find, sit down and learn them. If you sit down and find that you have no new words to learn, you have skipped number one or number two.

Do not try and choose which words to learn. Learn them all:

If you have met a word in some real-life situation, it is not useless, no matter what you think.
You cannot judge the usefulness of a word by comparing it to your native language.
Even if a word seems useless, it might be very easy to remember, so you might as well learn it.
You also cannot tell, until you learn all of the language, whether a seemingly useless word might not be related to other far more common and useful words. Learn it and you can lay the foundation for learning other things.
It is also sometimes the case, that the sheer absurd uselessness of a word makes it memorable. You might be able to learn it with very little effort.
Even obscure words can show in interesting ways features of the target language that will help you to learn more common words later.
The words learners judge "useless" are almost always words they (and most twelve-year olds) know or at least can understand in their native language: for example, you might be surprised that anyone would know, or want to know, foreign-language words for things like "hippopotamus" or "dolphin", "schizophrenia" and so on. Yet everybody certainly knows all of these words in their native language. Why would you know a word for it in ANY language if it was "useless"?

You should just learn the words that come your way, no matter what, and enjoy them."

Poligo Guide to Language Part 40: Vocab Building

Links

Babelan. People learning, practicing or teaching languages

Strategies to learn a foreign language

2011-05-24T09:32:00.001+02:00

Learning a foreign language could be easier than you expect. You must work different skills such as reading, writing, speaking and listening. Just attending a class a few hours every week is not enough, you must work every day a bit at home. Obviously, the best way is to live in the country where the target language is spoken. Although, if you do not have the chance, you can improve so much in your home country.

There are some strategies you can follow in order to learn a foreign language properly, although, I strongly believe that the key word you cannot forget is "motivation". The following are some strategies to help you to success. They are useful for any language you wish to learn (English, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Romanian, Vietnamese, French, Korean, Arabic, Hungarian, Polish, Bulgarian...).

1. First of all, be self-confident and strongly believe that you can get it. You know probably that learning a foreign language is hard but it is not impossible.

2. Enjoy yourself. Make the most of the new language, culture and all the things you will learn and the people you will meet.

3. Study every day for short periods of time several times a day. You do not have to do always the same activities. You can do the homework, watch videos, listen to the radio, read a bit, write a friend and brush up vocabulary or grammar points. If you feel a bit bored try listening music in the target language or watching a funny video.

4. Look for native speakers penpals with similar interests. You can use new technologies to practice. Use a chat or e-mail and practice your writing skills, moreover, you can talk with Skype, Yahoo Messenger or Msn and impriove your speaking skills. There are several sites to contact people (e.g. babelan.net), just search for them.

5. Take advantage of all available resources. They are great to broaden your skills:

Reading: you can borrow books or newspaper from the library. In internet, there are thousands of pages that you can read in the target language.
Listening: the chances are endless, video pages, radio stations, tv, podcasting...
Writing: make new friends (penpals) and write them, you can also try building a blog in your target language and write about your hobby, interests or whatever you feel like.
Speaking: you can talk online with native speakers.

6. Do the homework. And later you must revise it, only what your teacher has corrected. Do not learn what you do not know it is correct.

7. Buy a small notebook. Write down new vocabulary, phrases, grammatical points, idioms, etc. It is really effective to read articles or books and write down the new words you come across. Later, you can revise them..

8. Do not worry about making mistakes. Your partner or teacher will correct you. In addition, you wil learn from mistakes, everytime you make a mistake you will notice it and improve.

9. Increase the amount of contact you have with the language (e.g. change to the target language on your computer, mobile, e-mail acount, calendar, etc.).

10. The best tip of all is linguistic immersion. If you have a chance, travel to the country of the target language. Study and work there. Or just visit the country for holidays.

Links

Babelan, language exchanges and lessons

Five strategies to better learn... a language

2011-05-13T22:32:00.000+02:00

Thanks to Twitter I stumbled on a post called Five Strategies to Better Learn Spanish in TopArticleInfoBlog.info. It tells some good tips to study Spanish (or any language). Here's those strategies:

Five learning strategies

- The first learning strategy is a simple one, and one that might not appeal to many people. This strategy is simple: Turn off your TV, turn off your radio and find a quiet place to study Spanish with no distractions. It is amazing how many people like to have background music playing when they are learning, unaware of how counter-productive it can be. If you need to have background music, then choose Baroque, and then preferably strings, rather than brass. Baroque music played on strings has actually been shown to be beneficial to learners.

- The second strategy follows on from the first. Don’t slob out on the bed, especially on your front, when you are trying to study Spanish. Sit at a desk or a table, if possible, with a comfortable, but straight-backed chair and make sure your materials are within easy reach. You don’t want to have to break your leaning state over and over again, by having to retrieve items you need from elsewhere, such as a highlighter, or a pen. You can read a book for pleasure while sitting or laying on your couch, but when you need to learn something, such as in this case Spanish language, even though you might be home, you still need to replicate a classroom or a library setting to help you learn faster and more effective.

- Strategy three: You will be amazed how many people approach learning Spanish without first asking themselves why they are learning it and what they want to achieve with it. Having a concrete reason to learn Spanish makes your brain focus more on the task. With learning Spanish this step is vital because it is essentially a brain-oriented task. And if you get bored or bump into an obstacle, your brain will veer off to another world, you will lose your focus and learning Spanish will become a nightmare. So, write down the reason why you’re learning Spanish and what you will accomplish with it, and have it next to you to remind yourself when and if the going gets tough.

- Strategy four: Study the Spanish language for short periods of 20 to 30 minutes each, and take breaks of about 10 minutes in between. It’s a new language and it’s literally a new world to you. Your brain will get overwhelmed pretty fast. Experts have found that our peaks of learning information tend to come at the beginning and the end of a session. In other words, we remember material more easily that we learned in the first few minutes of a session, and the last few minutes. Therefore, creating many beginnings and endings in one learning session would increase the amount of Spanish you are able to take in, and more importantly, recall it later when you need to use it.

- Strategy five: Breathe deeply and relax at your 10 minute breaks and not get on the phone or watch TV. That will break your concentration. Close your eyes, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth a few times, slowly and evenly. This helps prepare you for your next 20 to 30 minute study session.

If you want more hints, read the previous post Ten Commandments for language learning.

Links

Babelan, language exchanges and lessons

Improving listening skills (tip)

2011-04-22T17:00:00.000+02:00

As you probably know, internet offers endless chances of improving your listening skills: radio broadcasts, podcasts, videos, films, etc. Although, there are other ways of working your listening skills. The following is a useful tip.

If you have a recording and the text you want to work out, you can upload it to your mobile or mp3 player. Write down the text in your notebook, and search the new words. You can also print out or photocopy it, although it's much better to write it down.

Once you have finished, you can listen to it several times in the underground, in the bus or at home. At the beginning, listen to it reading the text, later do it without the text. This way you'll improve your listening skills and broaden your vocabulary.

Those who learn English, for instance, can work this way with Words in the News from the BBC Learning English. If you have the CD from a learning book, you can also work this way.

If you know more tips to improve your language skills, please leave a comment.

Links

Babelan, language exchanges and lessons

Learn Serbian

2011-04-21T12:07:00.001+02:00

Learn Serbian is a blog with lessons of Serbian (by Marina Petrovic). You'll mainly find short videos (and exercises) with different topics about the language. Also, Marina tells tips about the language and some useful links for learning Serbian.

Many lessons are fun and display real videos from tv or music clips. Here's an example, learning numbers with an hilarious gag about inflation: Practise Numbers in Serbian - Listening Exercise.

In her 'intro lesson' she advices:

I believe that the easiest way to learn a language is to be relaxed and eager to learn. Your actual feelings towards language learned will depend on your teacher and surroundings, to their attitude and their feelings - you will be just their mirror.

Therefore, I would suggest you learn bit by bit - small chunks of language, incorporated in short and easy to memorize sentences. Therefore, you will be able to repeat these simple things and motivate yourself by your own success.

Do not worry about the pronunciation. The aim is to say a word clearly enough, so that people understand you. That is an achievement in itself. In the course of time, your ears will get accustomed to Serbian, and thus, your pronunciation is going to improve. So pls, don't worry about difficult sounds like š, ž, ć, č, đ...it will come in time :)

Learn Serbian: http://learnserbian.blogspot.com

Links

Babelan, language exchanges and lessons

Learn English with jokes

2011-04-18T11:42:00.001+02:00

Sometimes, language lessons are not really motivating and boring. ESLjokes.net offers materials for teachers and students to learn English in a fun way. All the materials are focus on jokes. They are classified in different levels: elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate and upper intermediate / advanced. Every joke comes with grammar points, vocabulary and exercises.

ESLjokes.net

Welcome to ESLjokes.net

This is a website of free English Language Teaching materials for teachers and students. Jokes written in graded English are followed by grammar and vocabulary exercises.

Teachers: print out the jokes and language exercises to use with your classes.

Students: work through the jokes on screen, or print them out to make your own self-study book.

Links

Babelan, language exchanges and lessons

Ten reasons to learn Russian

2011-04-15T22:48:00.001+02:00

Master Russian is a comprehensive site for students of Russian. It's got several resources such as lessons, videos, tips, links, etc. An interesting article in the page is Ten reasons to learn Russian. It talks about the different reasons to learn Russian as a foreign language. Here's this article:

Ten Reasons to Learn Russian

You might already have your own good reasons for learning Russian. Perhaps you like the sound of the Russian accent, or admire the Russian ballet and literature, or want to get a Russian girlfriend or meet your prince charming. Maybe you plan to do business in Russia or simply want to visit Moscow as a tourist. Just in case you are still wondering about the benefits of learning Russian, here are ten great reasons to get started.

1 You are passionate about Russian classical literature and dream to read the works of Russian classics in the original.

Talented Russian writers - Bunin, Chekhov, Pushkin - are authors of amazingly interesting literary works. The famous writings of Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky and Nikolai Gogol convey the essence of the Russian soul. However, the Russian culture is known not only for its writers. Many brilliant musicians and singers such like Oistrakh, Chaliapin, Tchaikovsky, and dozens others also came from Russia. The glory of Russian ballet and its stars Anna Pavlova, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Rudolf Nureyev does not subside even today. Russian cultural heritage is widely known throughout the world and knowledge of the Russian language is a must to fully enjoy and understand it.

2 You have heard a lot about the beauty and modesty of Russian women and want to find your destiny in Russia.

The amazing and mysterious Russian women have been the Muses of many great artists and writers. People have told legends about the beauty of Russian women, while the traditions and peculiarities of Russian upbringing shape their noble and modest character. Russian women make wonderful hosts and place great importance on family values. Many men from different countries of the world dream of having a Russian woman as a wife. Therefore, besides learning the language of love, it would be perfect to master the native language of your future "second half".

3 You are aware of Russia’s lucrative investment opportunities and consider establishing a company in Russia.

If you are going on a business trip to Russia, you want to be prepared to communicate with your Russian business partners. Russian entrepreneurs are well-versed in international economics and willingly establish business relationships with partners from abroad. Russia is adequately represented in the international arena. Due to the size of the country and its natural resources, the Russian market is of great interest to foreign businessmen. And serious business requires a serious approach - the knowledge of the Russian language is a must for efficient communication with your new business partners.

4 You are an ambitious traveller and Russia is the next stop on your travel list.

Many foreigners have set to travel across Russia at various times. Russia is a fascinating and exotic country. It occupies a vast territory offering plenty of opportunities to enjoy resort towns with spectacular beaches, experience the taiga with its diverse wildlife and unexplored places, visit the Russian Far East where the sun rises while people in the Western parts of the country are still fast asleep. There is so much to see and do in Russia, and speaking a little Russian will help you to meet all sorts of fascinating people and make the most of every moment.

5 You know that life in Russia is very different from life in the West. You are interested in everything connected with the Russian way of life, habits and mentality.

Life in Russia is not quite the same as in the Western world. Everything from upbringing of children to family values to friends and relationships has its own flavor in Russia. The system of education (kindergartens, schools), health services, and work of various official organizations – all this is often radically different from what is common for the Western Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. You will find it much easier to quench your thirst to all things Russian if you can speak and understand the Russian language.

6 You like to meet new people from around the globe but don’t have enough knowledge of the language to talk to your Russian friends. Your Russian friends will certainly be very pleased if you can understand them better.

The latest advances in technology have opened limitless opportunities for communication. The distance is no longer a barrier. In just a few hours, anybody with a computer and Internet connection can make dozens new friends with similar interests from around the world. Russian Internet users are actively exploring the virtual space – run personal blogs, post Twitter updates, connect with people via numerous social networks, and gain new knowledge about other countries of the world. In Russian schools, English is taught starting from the elementary grades, therefore most Russians can understand a few English phrases and express simple ideas in English. So why not learn a little bit of Russian? After all, it’s much easier and more interesting to communicate with friends from abroad if you can understand the language of each other.

7 Russian language is the most widely spoken among Slavic languages. You should certainly learn it – there are about 300 million total speakers of Russian in the world.

Russian became one of the languages of world communication – a global language – as early as in the twentieth century. Today, there are less than ten global languages in the world. This means that the Russian language – just like English, French or German – is used for communication by a very large number of people around the globe. In addition, Russian is one of the official UN languages. Out of approximately 300 million people in the world who know Russian, 160 million people consider it to be their native language. The Russian language is ranked the fifth most prevalent language in the world.

8 You are seriously interested in history of Russia. The knowledge of the Russian language is required for you to work with archival documents.

The historical past of Russia is of great importance for understanding the World history. In fact, Russia played crucial role in the development of the world during the past several centuries. The Russian authorities have recently opened access to a variety of archives storing many invaluable documents. These materials enable researchers to look into the past and understand the reasons behind many global events. However, the study of these documents is only possible if you understand Russian. Want to better know the history of Russia and the world? Start learning Russian!

9 You plan to adopt a child from Russia.

International adoption of children from Russia became possible in the early 1990’s. Since that time, Russia has been one of the top sending countries. Today, there is an estimated 750,000 children living in baby homes and orphanages in Russia. They dream about a new family, a cozy house, and affection of mother and father. And some adults find that it’s in their power to give the child a miracle and make him or her happy. If you are planning to adopt a child from Russia, you should start learning Russian now. Many adoptive families agree that it’s important to know more than just “yes” and “no” in Russian.

10 You have a lot of free time. Why not learn a foreign language like Russian? Especially when it has such an unusual and original sound for native English speakers.

Every person should strive to develop and improve. A wise man will always find it interesting to make new discoveries and master new knowledge. It is believed that the more languages a person knows the more intelligent and educated he or she becomes. Learning the Russian language should be twice as interesting because it is very challenging to learn and many native English speakers find Russian accent to be unusual and beautiful.

Links

Ten Commandments for language learning

2011-04-11T14:03:00.000+02:00

Kató Lomb was a Hungarian interpreter, translator, language genius and one of the first simultaneous interpreters in the world. She spoke 17 different languages. And she suggested the Ten Commandments for language learning. They're really interesting, so do not miss out on them:

I. Spend time tinkering with the language every day—if there is no more time available, then at least to the extent of a ten-minute monologue. Morning hours are especially valuable in this respect: the early bird catches the word!

II. If your enthusiasm for studying flags too quickly, don’t force the issue but don’t stop altogether either. Move to some other form of studying, e.g., instead of reading, listen to the radio; instead of assignment writing, poke about in the dictionary, etc.

III. Never learn isolated units of speech, but rather learn words and grammatical elements in context.

IV. Write phrases in the margins of your text and use them as ‘prefabricated elements’ in your conversations.

V. Even a tired brain finds rest and relaxation in quick, impromptu translations of billboard advertisements flashing by, of numbers over doorways, of snippets of overheard conversations, etc., just for its own amusement.

VI. Memorize only that which has been corrected by a teacher. Do not keep reading texts you have written that have not been proofread and corrected so as to keep mistakes from taking root in your mind. If you study on your own, each segment to be memorized should be kept to a size that precludes the possibility of errors.

VII. Always memorize idiomatic expressions in the first person singular. For example, ‘I am only pulling your leg.’ Or else: ‘Il m’a pose un lapin’—‘He stood me up.’

VIII. A foreign language is a castle. It is advisable to attack it on all fronts at once: via newspapers, the radio, un-dubbed movies, technical or scientific articles, textbooks, or via a visitor at your neighbor’s.

IX. Do not let the fear of making mistakes keep you from speaking, but do ask your conversation partner to correct you. Most importantly, don’t get peeved if he or she actually obliges you—a remote possibility, anyway.

X. Be firmly convinced that you are a linguistic genius. If the facts demonstrate otherwise, heap blame on the pesky language you aim to master, on the dictionaries, or on this little book, not on yourself.”

Language exchange online

- Meet people and exchange languages

What are the hardest languages to learn?

2011-03-18T16:53:00.000+01:00

This is a list of easy and difficult foreign languages for English native speakers. The time it takes to learn a language depends on a number of factors. You can see these factors and the list of languages in the following image.

Links

Babelan. Language exchanges, private lessons and translations

Language schools of Russian

2011-03-07T17:39:00.000+01:00

If you are thinking of learning Russian in a summer course, you can start searching from here. The following is a list of languages Schools in Eastern Europe where you can learn Russian in the summer.

This is not a list of the best ones, just a list of schools that you can find, a sample. First of all, compare them and ask for further information about their courses, prices, dates, accommodation, etc. You can also search and find more in internet.

Below, you'll also find a list of 'course finders' for different countries such as Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine. And some related links.

Russia

St. Petersburg
- Saint Petersburg School
- ProBa Language Centre
- Extra Class, language center
- Saint Petersburg Politechnic State University
- European School
- Derzhavin Institute
- Glory School

Moscow
- Liden & Denz
- Center for International Education
- Moscow State University
- Pushkin Institute

Volgograd & St. Petersburg
- Language Link

Kaliningrad
- "PRIVET!" - School
- Ziegler & Partner

Ekaterinburg
- Talisman
- Ural State University

Novosibirsk
- Exlinguo

Petrozavodsk (Karelia)
- Enjoy Russian

Estonia

Tallin
- Pushkin Institute
- Tallinn University, Summer school
- Language School Bellnor

Tartu
- Estonia - Dialoog School

Latvia

Riga
- European School of Russian

Belarus

Minsk
- Minsk State Linguistic University
- Belarus State Economic University

Ukraine

Kiev
- Nova Mova International Language School

Course finders

- Language Course finder (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine)
- Russian Language Programs in Russia
- Russian and Ukrainian Language Programs in Ukraine

Related posts

- Learn Russian with Alla's videos
- RusskogoYazyka, a collection of Russian videos
- Russian Language Podcast

Language exchange online

- Meet people and exchange languages

English as a Second Language. Web pages

2011-01-27T17:57:00.001+01:00

This is a list of web sites to help you to improve your English skills. If you know more just post a comment. Moreover, you can find native speakers, make new friends and practice English in Babelan (language exchange).

5 minute English - http://www.5minuteenglish.com/

Sherton English - http://www.shertonenglish.com

Aprender Ingles Blog - http://www.aprenderinglesblog.com

BBC Learning English - http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish

Bon's tips - http://mbonillo.xavierre.com/

Dave's ESL Cafe - http://www.eslcafe.com

El blog del inglés - http://elblogdelingles.blogspot.com/

El Inglés que tu ya Sabes - http://elinglesquetuyasabes.blogspot.com/

Habla mejor inglés - http://www.hablamejoringles.com

Everyday English for Children - http://www.radio-canada.ca/jeunesse/courslangues/

La Mansión del Inglés - http://www.mansioningles.com/

Learn English - http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/learnenglish/

Learn English with the Beatles - http://www.braam.ik.org

OM Personal Multimedia - http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/

Special English - http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/index.cfm

Storynory - http://storynory.com/

Subinglés - http://www.subingles.com

The yellow pencil - http://www.theyellowpencil.com

Sit back... Watch... Learn (Learn a language on YouTube)

2011-01-24T18:27:00.000+01:00

Sit back... Watch... Learn (Learn a language on YouTube) is a blog with a colection of youtube videos focused in learning foreign languages. In fact, it's a compilation of a different channels that you can find in Youtube to help you to learn languages.

The blog currently has posted video channels to learn Arabic, Chinese, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Maori, Old English, Portuguese, Sign Language, Swedish and Welsh.

Moreover, the blog recommends other sites with language activities, listening materials, grammar tutorials, reading handouts, etc. This blog is a comprehensive source of online language learning resources.

Sit back... Watch... Learn:
http://learn-with-youtube.blogspot.com

Links

Babelan. Language exchanges, private lessons and translations

Listening to radio in Russian

2011-01-21T12:26:00.001+01:00

In a previous post, Learning foreign languages: listening skills, you can find some tips about how important is to listen the language you are learning. If you study Russian, and you want to improve your listening skills, you can find several radio stations in Russian Radio.

Russian Radio has got a list of stations broadcasting in Russian which can be listened in internet. There are two groups of radio stations:

Radio Stations in Russia with local stations, e.g. Echo of Moscow, Jazznet Radio (Krasnoyarsk), Russkoe Radio (Moscow & N.Novgorod), Uniton Radio (Novosibirsk), VBC Radio (Vladivostok) or Voice of Russia (Moscow).
Radio Stations outside of Russia, e.g. Detskoe Radio (Chicago, USA), SWH+ (Riga), Voice of America (USA), Prague Radio (Czech Rep.) or Canada International (Canada).

There are more radio stations outside of Russia which broadcast in Russian and they are not in the list:

Links

Where to get books in English in Barcelona

2011-01-09T18:27:00.001+01:00

Nowadays, it's not difficult to get books in foreign languages. You can buy books in an online bookshop.

Although, if you are in Barcelona (Spain), there are some bookshops that offer books in English and, also, learning material.

Here's a list of bookshops in Barcelona. If you know more bookshops with foreign languages books in Barcelona or in another city, you can leave a comment.

Hibernian Books
Second hand books in English and a small selection of new books. You can find a few ones in other languages such as Italian or German.
C. Montseny 17
+34 93 2174796
http://www.hibernian-books.com

BCN Books bookshop
Focus on learning material, although, it's got other books in English. Three shops:
C. Roger de Llúria, 118
C. Amigó, 81
C. Riera d'Horta, 32
+34 93 4763343
http://www.bcnbooks.com

Libreria Anglesa Come In
Learning material plus a good range of other sort of books in English.
C. Balmes, 129 bis
+34 93 453 12 04 / +34 93 453 18 06
http://www.libreriainglesa.com

Alibri Llibreria
It's got some foreign languages learning material: English, French, German or Russian.
C. Balmes, 26
+34 93 3170578
http://www.alibri.es

Fnac Barcelona
Books in English and learning material.
Plaza Catalunya, 4
+34 93 3441800
http://www.fnac.es

Links

VOA Learning English Youtube channel

2010-12-18T15:04:00.000+01:00

A previous post, Voice of America (VOA) special English, tells about a special English radio broadcast. This is intended for those who learn English as a foreign language and it's an excellent tool to listen real English.

Moreover, VOA Learning English has got a video channel in Youtube. The channel is plenty of videos. Basically, they are news spoken in slow English with a box that displays the script of the speech.

The videos are classified into different lists: Technology Report, Economics Report, General Interest, Health Report, Education Report and Agriculture Report.

VOA Learning English channel

A news and information service used by English learners and teachers worldwide. Reports are written in VOA Special English, which is read one-third slower than regular English. VOA Special English programs are broadcast online, on radio and on TV.

New York City Celebrates Its 400th Anniversary

Links

Learning foreign languages: listening skills

2010-12-02T08:57:00.000+01:00

Just reading some tweets you can find some interesting language related articles. Here, there are some language posts I found in Twitter. They have some helpful tips about listening skills:

Beginning Russian through film

2010-11-27T14:37:00.000+01:00

Beginning Russian through film is intended for students of Russian. It's got a collection of videos, with its scripts, to improve your Russian. There are chapters of Eralash (a TV humor magazine for children from de soviet era) and films such as Crime and Punishment, Moscow Doesn't Believe in Tears, The Pyatnitskaya Street Tavern, Volgograd and so on.

About this experient (from the web)

"Short digitized clips from Russian films are the primary source of language and culture in this course. We collected close to 400 clips and placed them on this Web site along with many supporting materials. You can use a Windows or Macintosh computer to take advantage of the course. No registration is necessary (or, indeed, possible), and no credit is given, unless the student is registered for first-year Russian at Cornell. (...)". Read all the text.

Beginning Russian through film: http://russian.dmll.cornell.edu/brtf/index.htm

Language exchange online: Russian

This is a list of people offering to teach or learn Russian. You can participate posting your message or answering someone else's posting.

Global language exchange (messenger, e-mail, voice, chat, skype, webcam, msn): Russian

The top 100 language blogs

2010-11-24T11:45:00.000+01:00

"The Top 100 Language Blogs is probably the largest language blog competition hosted annually by bab.la and Lexiophiles. It is aimed at finding the best blogs related to languages and awarding language-loving bloggers."

In Top 100 Language Blogs 2010, you can find an interesting list of 100 language blogs. It's a list of online resources to learn a foreign languages such as Korenan, English, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Thai, Dutch, etc.

Top 100 Language Blogs: http://en.bab.la/news/top-100-language-blogs-2010

Practicing and learning languages

In addition, you can find native speakers for a language exchange, a private class or a translator in Babelan.net: www.babelan.net

Do you speak English?

2010-11-19T10:04:00.000+01:00

Humor about languages.

Top 5 ways to learn foreign languages for free online

2010-11-13T21:00:00.000+01:00

This is a video (from Youtube) with some tips that could be useful.

Audio Lingua - mp3 in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Portuguese

2010-11-13T13:18:00.000+01:00

Audio Lingua is a great site to listen real native speakers and to improve listening skills of French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Portuguese.

You can search short audio files in the previous languages and listen them. All the recordings are uploaded by native speakers who talk about their interests, their countries or their lives.

In addition, you can contribute recording your own voice in your native language to help students of your language.

Audio-Lingua introduction (from the web page)

What is Audio-Lingua? A collaborative bank of authentic audio resources, recorded by native speakers, for a freely pedagogical or personal use.
Audio documents? Short, a maximum recording length of two minutes, on various subjects…
Collaborative? It means that any person who feels interested may contribute sending personal audio documents by filling in the form.
Authentic? For they are only made by native (English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian or Spanish) speakers ! All accents can be useful.
Aim? To train oral comprehension for anyone who would like to improve this language skill.

Audio Lingua: http://www.audio-lingua.eu

More links

Babelan. Language exchanges, private lessons and translations

German language and Berlin in Babelan

2010-10-25T11:13:00.000+02:00

Thanks to a user, Denis, Babelan has been translated into German. We appreciate it and would like to thank him for his contribution.

Moreover, we also added a new city in the list of cities and countries that you can find in Babelan: Berlin.

Visit here Babelan Berlin in German.

Babelan is the languages site to find native people for a language exchange. It also allows to search and offer language classes and translations services. All just a click away. No sign ups, no fees.

You can contribute and help us translating Babelan into any language. Further info >>

French film guide for English speakers

2010-09-01T13:03:00.000+02:00

This web page is intended for students of French as a foreign language. Obviously, the user should have an upper-intermediate or advanced level.

French Film Guide for English Speakers has got a list of French films with comments about them. In addition, there is a "cheat-sheet" for every film which is a list of vocabulary, idioms and language notes useful when watching the film.

Some of the films that you can find in the site are The Story of Adele H, Nô, Le Placard, Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis, Les amours d'Astrée et de Céladon, La face cachée de la lune, and so on.

French Film Guide for English Speakers (http://www.ffguide.ca)

Moreover, you can find a language partner or a tutor and improve your French in Babelan (http://www.babelan.net).

Web pages to learn and practice Spanish

2010-08-23T11:30:00.000+02:00

Here, there's a list of resources to learn Spanish online. Moreover, you can find native speakers, make new friends and practice Spanish in Babelan (language exchange).

Web pages to learn and practice Spanish

Aprender español - http://www.aprenderespanol.org

BBC - Languages - Spanish - http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/

Business Spanish - http://www.businessspanish.com

Espagnol pour débutants - http://www.golondrina.net

Learn Spanish - http://www.lingolex.com/spanish.htm

Learn Spanish online - http://www.frenchspanishonline.com/beginnerspanish/freespanish.html

OnlineFreeSpanish.com - http://www.onlinefreespanish.com

Spanish language and culture - http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/SLC/index.php

Spanish pronto - http://www.spanishpronto.com/spanishpronto/

Spanish verb conjugation - http://www.verbix.com/languages/spanish.shtml

Spanish verb tense notebook - http://www.angelfire.com/amiga/detodoelmundo/

Spanish-tutorials - http://www.spanish-tutorials.com

Test yourself - Free online Spanish exercises - http://www.cicclapaz.com/spanishonline.html

Practica Español - http://www.practicaespanol.com

Links

Babelan, language exchanges and lessons

Learning Korean online - web pages

2010-08-12T14:26:00.000+02:00

A list of web pages that you can find to learn Korean online.

An Introduction to Korean - http://www.langintro.com/kintro

Mireene - http://coreano.mireene.com/

Let's learn Korean - KBS - http://world.kbs.co.kr/learn_korean2

Hangul Forest - http://hangulforest.com/index_e.htm

Korean123.com - http://www.korean123.com/

Learn Korean - http://learnkorean.elanguageschool.net/

Learn-Korean.net - http://www.learn-korean.net

Learnkorean.com - http://www.learnkorean.com

Life in Korea - http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Language/korean.cfm

Sogang Korean Program - http://korean.sogang.ac.kr

Practicing and learning Korean

You can also visit babelan.net. In Babelan, every user can find native speakers for a language exchange, a private class or a translator: www.babelan.net

Russian in Exercices

2010-07-29T11:00:00.000+02:00

Usually, in this blog you find posts about other free and interesting language related web pages. However, this one is about a self-study book of Russian.

It's a grammar book titled Russian in Exercices. This book is an additional tool for your Russian classes or your self-study. Although, it's not a book to be used alone.

It is divided into different sections. The first one is an introduction to basic language topics (gender, noums, pronoums...).

The following section is focus in cases (accusative, nominative...), verbs and complex sentences.

At the beginning of each key point there's a short explanation of the grammar point, although, it is not comprehensive. Probably, this is a weak point of the book. On the other hand, the excercises cover all the most useful examples of each grammar point and this is why this book is so recommendable. The last pages of the book contains all the answers for every excercise.

Excerpt from the preface

Russian in Exercices is intended for beginners. It contains exercises designed to consolidate and activise basic Russian grammar and vocabulary. Russian in Exercices falls into two parts: 1. An Introductory Lexical and Grammatical Course, and 2. The Main Course.
(...)
Russian in Exercices is based on a limited number of commonest Russian words, a feature which makes it possible to use it to supplement any comprehensive Russian course.

Practicing and learning Russian

In addition, you can find native speakers for a language exchange, a private class or a translator in Babelan.net: www.babelan.net

Watch to Learn Chinese

2010-06-17T14:14:00.000+02:00

Watch to Learn Chinese offers a collection of videos to help you to learn Chinese. They are arranged in three different categories: beginner, medium and advanced. There are over five hundred videos uploaded by 120 different users. Also, If you find a interesting video you can submit it.

About Watch to Learn Chinese... "This site was created by Philipp Lenssen and Yinxue in 2008, living in Germany, with YouTube videos by their respective creators. I hope the currently 564 videos from 120 creators can help you train your Chinese, along with additional material you may have or classes you may take."

Watch to Learn Chinese - http://watchtolearnchinese.com

Easy Beginner Chinese Lesson: Shopping 1 "I don't want it!"

Practicing and learning Chinese

In addition, you can find native speakers for a language exchange, a private class or a translator in Babelan.net: www.babelan.net

Learn Russian with Alla's videos

2010-06-02T11:11:00.000+02:00

Allatek's Channel has got several videos to learn Russian from scratch. In a pleasant way, Alla, an Ukranian language teacher, helps to improve Russian with her videos.

The lessons cover from the beginner (with the alphabet) to a high level (with vocabulary, idioms, useful topics -such as travel, work, family...-, etc).

Alla states in her channel "My name is Alla Shubina and I'm an online Russian Teacher and Tutor. I specialize in teaching international business clients, university and high school students, and those with romantic relationships. I'm now offering live, online one-on-one Russian Language lessons via Skype or MSN Messenger. After teaching and studying various world languages over the past ten years, I've found there is no substitute for live conversation and instruction with a native speaker. Live interaction provides immediate feedback and dramatically increases fluency."

Enjoy learning Russian: http://www.youtube.com/allatek

Watch one of the videos: Asking Directions (straight ahead, left, and right)

Practicing and learning Russian

In addition, you can find native speakers for a language exchange, a private class or a translator in Babelan.net: www.babelan.net

Freechineseblog.com - Learn to speak Mandarin Chinese online free

2010-05-26T13:07:00.000+02:00

Freechineseblog.com is a web page that offers Chinese video lessons. It was built by David, in Taiwan, and the videos are presented by himself. There are videos with basic topics, grammar, greetings, introductions and formalities as well as fun vocabulary.

In addition, there's a list called Learn Mandarin Resources with interesting web pages.

Video presentation about Mandarin from the website

"Hi! My name is David! Here you can learn Mandarin Chinese online by watching over 30 original videos that I’ve made. Chinese is really not as hard as you might imagine at first. With some studying and determination you too can learn to speak fluently one day! This site will give you a very good start and if you wish to pursue a more in depth linguistic training please purchase any of the highly recommended Chinese courses offered for sale on this site. I hope this website gives you some inspiration to pursue learning the language and I wish you good luck!"

Freechineseblog.com: http://freechineseblog.com

Practicing and learning Chinese

In addition, you can find native speakers for a language exchange, a private class or a translator in Babelan.net: www.babelan.net

How to Learn French Online. Web pages

2010-05-08T16:53:00.000+02:00

You can find in this post a list of resourses online -webpages- to learn and practice French. If you know more you can post a comment about it.

Apprendre.tv - http://www.tv5.org/TV5Site/enseigner-apprendre-francais/accueil_apprendre.php

Aula Fácil - http://www.aulafacil.com/CursoFrances/CursoFrances.htm

Bonjour de France - http://www.bonjourdefrance.com

Moddou - http://www.estudiodefrances.com

Fannygrosse-FLE - http://fannygrosse-fle.wikispaces.com/

Cours de langues - Radio Canada (for children) - http://www.radio-canada.ca/jeunesse/courslangues/

French tutorial - http://www.frenchtutorial.com/index.es.php

Lexique FLE - http://lexiquefle.free.fr

Polar FLE - apprendre le français - http://www.polarfle.com

RFI - Langue française - apprendre - http://www.rfi.fr/lfes/statiques/accueil.asp

Practicing and learning French

In addition, you can find native speakers for a language exchange, a private class or a translator in Babelan.net: www.babelan.net

Teaching English: How Do You Teach English to Adults?

2010-05-03T21:58:00.000+02:00

Teach English to adults by choosing topics, vocabulary and expressions that are relative to situations in their normal daily life. Practice speaking, perform common activities and learn a foreign language with tips from a teacher in this free video on education.

Expert: Michael Walter Mitchell
Bio: Michael Walter Mitchell has a masters degree in education from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has been teaching English and history at various secondary schools.
Filmmaker: Paul Volniansky

Learning and teaching Languages

In Babelan.net, every user can find native speakers for a language exchange, a private class or a translator: www.babelan.net

Sydney in Babelan

2010-04-30T12:52:00.000+02:00

Babelan has added a new city to offer and find languages exchanges, classes and translations services. The new city is Sydney. Currently, the list of cities in Babelan is as follows: Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Paris, Mexico DF, London, New York & Chicago.

Visit Babelan Sydney

Learning Japanese - web pages

2010-04-04T09:23:00.001+02:00

Everyone can find several web pages to learn Japanese online. Probably, it is difficult to say which is the best, however, you can use some of them together in order to learn and practice the language.

Here, there's a list. Some web pages are in English and others in Spanish.

A Japanese guide to Japanese grammar - http://www.guidetojapanese.org

Aprende japonés - http://www.aprendejapones.com

Bilingoz - http://www.bilingoz.com

Charles Kelly's online Japanese language study materials - http://www.manythings.org/japanese/

Japanese grammar guide - http://www.guidetojapanese.org

Habla japonés - http://www.hablajapones.org/

Japanese lessons - NHK - http://www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/

Japanese learning - http://www.japaneselearning.com/

Japanese listening comprehension exercises - http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/japanese/listen/

Japonés por libre - http://www.japonesporlibre.com/

Japoneando - http://japoneando.com/

Learn Japanese in 20 weeks - http://www.japanesein20weeks.com/

Minna - http://opal.ecis.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~jems/hosokyoku/bangumi.html

Reading tutor - http://language.tiu.ac.jp/index_e.html

Survival Japanese - http://www.ajalt.org/sj/howto.html

Practicing Japanese

In Babelan.net, every user can find native speakers for a language exchange, a private class or a translator: www.babelan.net

Lyrics Training - Improving your foreign languages skills

2010-04-01T12:08:00.001+02:00

"Lyrics Training is an easy and fun method to learn and improve your foreign languages skills like English through the music and lyrics of the songs."

It offers music videos in different languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch). Their lyrics are displayed under the image with gaps to be filled in. This way the user can improve their listening skills. All the videos are categorized by levels (easy, medium and hard).

Lyrics Training: http://www.lyricstraining.com

Other recommended links

Babelan (language exchanges, classes & translators): http://www.babelan.net

In order to learn a language well, we should also learn about the country as well as the cultures and lifesty?

2010-03-22T12:15:00.000+01:00

This is an interesting question published in Yahoo! Answers. Read the answers or leave yours.

In order to learn a language well, we should also learn about the country as well as the cultures and lifesty?

Meet people from around the world (language exchange)

2010-03-10T08:40:00.001+01:00

Thousands of language students search native speakers to practice foreign languages. New technologies (skype, messenger, e-mail, voice, chat, webcam, msn,...) allow students to make new friends and talk in different languages.

In babelan, the languages site, users can find native people from around the world and practice languages, discover new cultures and have fun.

Global language exchange

Discussion: Internet, tools to learn foreign languages

2010-03-01T10:37:00.001+01:00

The chances to learn and practice a foreign language thanks to internet has increased.

Although, How do you use internet to learn a foreign language? Which tools do you use?

Leave your comments and experiences. Share your ideas as they can be useful for everyone.

Babelapoint, Russian grammatical dictionary

2010-02-27T14:57:00.001+01:00

Basically, babelapoint is a reference tool for students of Russian as a foreign language.

The user will find all the noums and adjetives declination forms (Nominative, Prepositional, Accusative, Genitive, Dative and Instrumental) as well as the verbs conjugations.

The best way to see what it can be found is an example.

If you look a noum, e.g. up house (дом), you will be able to find:

If you look up a verb, e.g. to buy (покупать), you'll be able to find:

All the forms for the verb. (It tells that покупать is imperfetive. Although, it doesn't state that the perfective form is купить. This a weak point in the verbs area.)

Finally, you can also look up a preposition with an adjective and noum and get the appropriate delination forms.

Related links

Learn Croatian

2010-02-12T11:46:00.001+01:00

"Welcome to Learn-Croatian.com, site designed for free grasping of the Croatian language. Whether you're coming here for holidays or business, you'll find enough information on this site to communicate with the locals and get what you want - providing you don't get into deep conversations :) Everything on this site is free to use and is compensated by ads to pay for the hosting and work put into the site."

This is not a site to learn the whole language but to begin learning Croatian. Hence, this is a web page for beginners. The user can reach a level enough to visit Croatia and get by in shops, retaurants, means of transport and so on.

You'll find a set of lessons with basic grammar and a complete and useful phrasebook. In addition there are recordings that will help you pronouncing Croatian.

On the other hand, they also offer paid translation services, although there's a basic and free service.

Learn Croatian: http://www.learn-croatian.com

More links

Babelan. Language exchanges, private lessons and translations

Reasons to learn a new language

2010-01-28T11:50:00.000+01:00

A bit of humor

A New Twist in Cat and Mouse Relations

Two mice sat in their hole watching the Cat lurk outside. "I know how to make the Cat go away," said the first mouse.

"How?" the second mouse asked in surprise.

"Watch! Bow, wow!!!" barked the first mouse. Peering through their hole in the wall, they saw the cat running away in fear.

"Ah, see the benefit of knowing another language!"

Russificate

2010-01-20T12:20:00.000+01:00

It is not difficult to find web pages to start learning any foreign language. The trouble is to find sites for upper beginners or intermediate students.

Russificate is a blog (all in Russian) for students of Russian who have already studied for a while and are no beginners.

This blog is built by a Russian teacher, Yulia, from Moscow. And she states: "This blog is dedicated to Russian as a foreign language and, at the same time, to some elements of the Russian culture. I´ll try to do my best so that you´re not get bored. The exercises will concern both vocabulary and grammar and even podcasts! Learn Russian with pleasure!"

You can practise several skills with Russificate, reading, listening, reading and writing. And there is diverse stuff you can find in the blog. Here's some examples:

Learning book reviews: Полезные сайты. Какие учебники русского языка купить?
Writing & reading exercises with answers: Пишите письма. Ответ на приглашение. Уровень 1.
Listening skills: Занимательные истории
Grammar points: Грамматика: Несовершенный и Совершенный вид. Уровень 2.
Lexicon: Туризм
Russian Culture: Коммуникация: поздравить с Новым Годом и Рождеством

In addition, there are videos, links to other Russian resources, slang examples and so on.

Russificate: http://russificate.blogspot.com

Other interesting sites

RFI - Radio France Internationale - Langue française - apprendre

2010-01-10T19:56:00.000+01:00

"RFI doesn’t just broadcast in French, we teach and promote it too. Some listeners want to be able to converse in a language they don’t have the opportunity to practice every day. Others need to master French for work and require help getting more familiar with it. Many simply like French and French values. RFI has a team of specialist teaching and radio professionals to help."

This is a really comprehensive site to learn French. The learner can find several resources in order to improve their French skills: news, podcasts, activities, multimedia, radio shows, excercises, bulletins, teaching materials (for teachers) and so on.

The web page is so huge, hence, the best option is to browse and find the stuff you need for your level. In any case, you can conctact its team of French teaching and learning specialists (langue.francaise@rfi.fr).

In addition, you can find a list of learning centres for French as a Second Language.

RFI - Langue française - apprendre

10 Tips for language learning success

2009-12-29T09:17:00.000+01:00

Article from vistawide.com with some guidelines for students of foreign languages.

If you're a first-time language learner, you know that emotional ups and downs come with the territory. When you understand a concept or begin to comprehend the language, you may experience feelings of exhilaration. However, these are often followed by moments of frustration and discouragement, during which you might feel as if you will never master the concepts and attain the ability to understand and communicate effectively. Below are some time-tested, research-verified approaches that will help mitigate potential frustration and will increase your ability to succeed in language learning.

1. Set realistic expectations

It is natural to feel uncomfortable in a language class. You're used to being in classes where the mode of communication -- the language of instruction -- is a given.

In a language course, however, it is the mode of communication itself that is the focus of instruction. For this reason, a language course is different than most other courses you will ever take. Not understanding and making mistakes -- things that are negative learning indicators in other courses -- are a very natural part of the language learning process. Accept the fact that you will not understand everything. In fact, at the very beginning, you will not understand much at all.

Remember that during the initial period of adaptation your ear and your mind are adjusting to the sounds and the rhythm of the language. Though you will not understand all of what is being said, you will be amazed at your increasing ability to make sense of the language. Remember that the only way to learn the language is through practice, practice, and more practice; in the course of practicing you will make many errors … and you will learn from them.

2. Break study time into smaller chunks

Research shows that language students learn more effectively and retain more when they study frequently and for shorter periods of time than if they study infrequently for extended periods of time. Try to study each day, and whenever possible, several times a day. This means, for instance, doing a few homework exercises each day rather than doing all homework assignments the night before they are due.

In addition, there are many otherwise mentally "idle" moments during the day when you can work in some studying. For example, you can review vocabulary while eating breakfast, recite the alphabet while showering, count your steps as you walk between classes, name as many object as you can in the target language on your to way school, take your vocabulary flash cards with you on a road trip.

There are many moments during the day when you can squeeze in a few minutes of practice time. Through the repetition of material, it will be come increasingly familiar, until it eventually becomes an automatic part of your language repertoire.

3. Learn vocabulary effectively

Vocabulary is the most essential element of communication. The more words you know, the more you can say and understand.

The absolute best way to learn vocabulary is through the use of flash cards that you make yourself. Purchase a set of 3 x 5 index cards and cut them in half. (This makes them small enough to carry everywhere.) Write a vocabulary word on the front and its English definition on the back. As you learn more information about each word (e.g. plural forms of nouns, principle parts of verbs), you can add these to the cards.

There are many ways you can use flash cards as a learning tool. To help you learn and remember noun genders, for example, you can color code the nouns by gender, either by using colored cards or colored ink. When studying, organize words in meaningful groups (e.g., by noun gender, in thematic categories, regular verbs vs. irregular verbs). Shuffle the cards or groups, so that you use the stack(s) in a different order each time. Use the cards in both directions: first look at the foreign language words and try to recall the English definition. Then shuffle and look at the English definitions and attempt to remember the foreign language words. Flash cards offer many possibilities. Take advantage!

4. Practice language actively

Whenever possible, speak the language aloud rather than reciting it silently to yourself. Say vocabulary words out loud, read passages in the text aloud, do pronunciation activities orally and not just mentally. Write out the answers to activities rather than gliding through them in your mind. Read aloud entire sentences in an activity rather than just reading a fill-in response. Transferring language from your mind to your mouth is a skill that requires a great deal of practice.

5. Do homework conscientiously

In the course of a conversation, it is not practical to look up noun genders or fret over verb tenses. But homework offers you a golden opportunity to practice your language skills in a deliberate manner.

When doing your homework, you have the luxury of time. Look up words and genders you don't know. Refer to charts and other resources available to you. This will reinforce the material and eventually it will become automatic. If you never look things up or simply guess, you will be strongly reinforcing errors and you will never learn proper forms and words. Read instructor feedback on homework and ask clarifying questions when necessary. Maximize the utility of your homework to your learning.

6. Form study groups

Meet regularly with classmates to work together on homework assignments, to learn vocabulary, to study for tests, or just to practice speaking the language. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses when it comes to language learning. Learning with others helps decrease knowledge gaps and gives you opportunities to actively discuss concepts and material covered in class, thereby increasing the chances that you will remember it. You will benefit from the knowledge and abilities of your classmates, as they will from yours.

7. Identify your learning style

Each person has his/her own learning style and everyone learns at a different pace. Try not to get frustrated if someone else in class seems to be progressing more quickly than you. You might find that you have a knack for grammar but have difficulty with speaking. Or you may find that you understand things perfectly in class, but when it comes to the homework assignments, you feel lost. Strive to identify your own personal strengths and let these help you in your learning process. If you are a visual learner, for example, write things down and try to associate words with images. At the same time, strive to identify your own personal learning barriers and make efforts to overcome them. For example, if you tend to be quiet in classes and often refrain from participating, force yourself to sit at the front of the classroom.

8. Maximize your language exposure

If your ultimate goal is language fluency, as it is for many students learning a language, then it is important to know that you will become more fluent more quickly if you increase the amount of contact you have with the language. You can start by simply practicing the language with a classmate outside of class. You can befriend native speakers in your community or attend a local foreign language conversation hour, if one exists. Rent a movie in the target language, or listen to authentic audio or video online. (Many foreign television and radio stations have streaming or archived audio and video programs).

Remember that you won't be able to understand everything, and you might not understand much at all at first. Nonetheless, these experiences will make you increasingly familiar with the sounds, rhythm, and intonation of the language. Increased exposure to and active practice with the language will help you develop skills more quickly.

9. Spend time on task

Use the time you have in class each week to work on your language skills. This means not only attending and paying attention in class. If you finish a partner activity early, use the time to try conversing with your partner in the target language on a related topic. Or work on your written homework. Or study the weekly vocabulary. If you finish a lab activity early, attempt trying some supplemental activities, work on the week's written homework, or explore some cultural sites. If you are in your language class, you should be doing something language-related. Make the most of the time you have to maximize your learning.

10. Communicate with your instructor

Take responsibility for your learning. Communicate with your instructor any problems that may be interfering with your learning or any specific difficulties that you are having with the material. Seek help immediately when you need it. You might be surprised how easily such difficulties can be resolved. Also, be proactive about making up missed work. Not only your grade, but also your success at learning depend on it.

Links

Babelan. Language exchanges, private lessons and translations

The advantages of learning Spanish as a second language

2009-12-08T19:21:00.000+01:00

An interesting article about the importance of learning Spanish. Source: literacynews.com

Without question, if you’re interested in learning a second language, Spanish is one of your best options. Whether you’re looking to meet high school language proficiency requirements or simply want to round out your education, Spanish is one of the most useful languages you can learn. You may even find that learning Spanish will help you in other areas of your education.

Similarity to Other Languages

Spanish is one of several European languages based on Latin – called the Romance languages. As a result, when you learn Spanish, you’ll have a beginner’s key to a number of other languages, including French and Italian. Because many words in Spanish are based on Latin roots, you may find that learning Spanish will help you understand medical and scientific terms.

In fact, many people consider Spanish the easiest of the Romance languages because it lacks the complex pronunciations found in French, while still retaining a structure and root word usage that’s compatible with other languages. You’ll also find that the Spanish language has a natural rhythm that makes it comfortable to speak and write. In some cases, you may even find that Spanish is easier to learn than your native language!

Spoken All Over the World

Historically speaking, conquerors and missionaries from Spain and Portugal were primarily responsible for the spread of the Spanish language throughout the American continents. Today, Spanish is spoken all over Europe, as well as in Mexico and many countries in South America. That said, it’s important to realize that people in specific geographic regions speak in dialects that may be very different from what you initially learned. However, the basic elements of European dialects are similar enough that you’ll be able to interpret these different patterns with ease.

Easy and Convenient to Learn

Considering that Spanish is spoken by over 300 million people around the world, it should come as no surprise that locating classes and tutorials is fairly easy. If you’re a high school student, you probably have the option to elect Spanish studies for free. Many colleges also offer full credit classes for students, as well as non-credit versions for community members. There are also hundreds of tapes, videos, books, and dictionaries designed to help you learn Spanish on your own. You can also take advantage of the internet to find websites, chat rooms, and other resources that are developed exclusively in Spanish.

When you’re thinking about learning a second language, it’s important to consider the benefits of all your different options. Unfortunately, if you choose a less commonly known language like Latin, you won’t have many opportunities to practice with others or to directly use your knowledge. Learning Spanish will give you this kind of linguistic grounding. At the same time, you’ll gain the ability to converse with millions of people that may or may not speak your native language. In addition, if you don’t already speak English or another Romance language, Spanish offers you a key foundation to learning them.

Links

Babelan. Language exchanges, classes and translations

Russian For Everyone

2009-12-01T14:20:00.001+01:00

Developed by Dr. Julia Rochtchina as a self study guide for elementary level learners of Russian and for intermediate level students who wish to review basic grammar and vocabulary.

This is a grammar course for beginners and intermediate students of Russian as a foreign language. The site is quite well structure and presents several grammar topics. Each topic with its explanations, quizes, phrasebooks and audio files. You can also test yourself with a set of the Russian language games.

You can find specially usefull the Summary Tables, as you can print them out for your study. Have a look, for instance, of the "Summary of Case Uses" (Basic uses of Nominative, Prepositional, Accusative, Genitive, Dative, Instrumental cases), or "Verb Endings" (Verb Endings: First and Second conjugation. Regular Forms).

In addition, there are everyday a couple of new Words of the day you can listen and learn.

Links

BBC - Languages - German

2009-11-21T19:51:00.000+01:00

One of the most outstandings sites of the BBC web pages is the BBC Learning English. It's a web page for students of English as a foreign language.

However, BBC has got several foreign languages sites (visit BBC Languages) for students of other tongues. You have access to audio and video courses of French, German, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian and others.

BBC German is the one to visit if you want to learn German. The page offers different resources in order to improve your listening, writing, reading and speaking skills: grammar lessons, videos, tests, a newsletter, a tutors area, and so on.

Other related links

Importance of Learning a Second Language

2009-11-10T17:19:00.001+01:00

An interesting article about the importance of learning a foreign language. Source: literacynews.com

So what is the importance of learning second language other than the one that were born in and that we grew up with? Well there are many benefits to learning another language, and here I’ll out line just a few, so that you can start thinking whether having a second language will be an important skill to have in your future.

With ever changing technology, communications and the Internet these days the world has become a smaller place. This also applies to business. A global business can be run from a sole computer these days. So with the vast majority of companies these days planning to go global, having the benefit of a second language as a communication skill that you can demonstrate would put you in good stead with any employer.

Whilst travelling is easier and with the influx of immigrants entering into primarily English speaking countries, the need for speakers and translators are in much needed demand. You can take great advantage of this by discovering the importance of learning a second language, which will definitely further your career.

Imagine visiting a country on your next holiday and being able to converse with the locals. Surely you’d probably make a few mistakes here and there, but I am sure you would have a blast learning another language initially and then being able to practice it on your holiday. So not only can you show that you are multilingual, but also show cultures and people around the world much respect, hence you will appreciate it more and they will appreciate the effort you’ve made which will make you’re holiday a more enjoyable experience for it.

Languages are the main part of culture and each country, therefore the importance of learning a second language can make it relatively easy and wonderful way of absorbing another culture. Learning a second language can not only challenge your mind and fulfil your soul, but it will also allow you to meet and speak with a variety of people, locally and worldwide and develop your knowledge, skills, understanding, tolerance and patience. Increase your skill set and learn a second language by visiting www.Second-Language.org

Links

Language classes, exchanges and translations >>

RusskogoYazyka, a collection of Russian videos

2009-10-28T20:27:00.000+01:00

This is an odd collection of old Russian videos for advanced beginners. This is what the owner of this Youtube channel tells about these videos from the Soviet era:

"Specifically designed to help you learn this most beautiful language, this Channel gathers 61 videos (1 song + 11 full lessons + 49 help lessons with basic vocabulary in English) for advanced beginners.

"The audio recordings are the original ones from the Soviet era. So the dialogues reflect the Soviet way of life.

"I am not a video maker, so I inductively edited some raw material from the book "Так Говорят Русские" and from Internet Soviet propaganda posters using Adobe Premiere Pro software ad hoc."

Russian As Russians Speak It (Так Говорят Русские) aims at improving the student's command of Russian dialogue techniques and is designed for students who have worked through an elementary Russian course and who wish to develop their aural comprehension and speech habits. The student is assumed to have mastered the fundamentals of Russian pronunciation and intonation, the formation and meaning of the most essential nominal and verbal forms, the basic syntactical structures, and to have a command of an elementary Russian vocabulary.

RusskogoYazyka: http://www.youtube.com/user/RusskogoYazyka

Тема 1 - Урок 1 Познакомьтесь: это моя семья

Babelan is growing! (Paris and French language)

2009-10-26T15:37:00.000+01:00

There are new features you can find in Babelan. These are as follows:

The site has been fullly translated into French, thanks to a contributor.
Paris has been added as a new city. You can offer and search languages exchange, classes and translations services in this city. Paris >>

You can contribute and help us translating Babelan into any language. Further info >>

Babelan, the languages site
http://www.babelan.net

Foreign languages podcasts

2009-10-08T09:25:00.000+02:00

Students of foreign languages search for audio files in order to learn and practice their target language. Ivoox, a free site to share audio files, offers several languages podcast channels. Here, you have a collection of them.

English

- Grammar Challenge [BBC]: Improve your English grammar with the BBC. Each week we challenge an English language student on an area of the English language such as verb forms, tenses, prepositions and pronunciation. Listen to a short presentation on the topic then try to answer the questions. The programmes are recorded on location in an English language classroom. Each episode lasts for six minutes and is made available every Friday.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-grammar-challenge_sq_f11373_1.html

- 6 Minute English [BBC]: Learn and practise useful English language for everyday situations with the BBC. Your weekly instruction manual for saying or doing something in English is published every Wednesday. Each programme is six minutes long and contains examples and explanations to help you improve your knowledge of the English language across a wide range of topics.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-6-minute-english_sq_f11371_1.html

- ESL Podcast: A podcast is an audio file that you download from the Internet. After you download it, you can listen to it on your computer or on an MP3/portable music player (for example, an iPod or iRiver). You can subscribe to a podcast so that it is delivered to you automatically each day, just like a newspaper.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-esl-podcast_sq_f1350_1.html

- Listen to English: The podcast website for people learning English On this page - podcasts to help you improve your listening skills.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-listen-to-english_sq_f12359_1.html

- Tu inglés!: Vamos a ejercitar tu oído para el inglés! Practicar y aprender con un nativo. Cada sesión incluye entrevistas, practicas de conjugacion, consejos, grabación de discursos y otros recursos. ¡A aprender!
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-tu-ingles_sq_f1864_1.html

- Podcast de Vaughan: Todos los días el programa de Cloverdale (Cloverdale's Corner) en MP3.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-podcast-vaughan_sq_f1399_1.html

French

- FLE - Madrid: Apprendre le Français.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-fle-madrid_sq_f1832_1.html

Chinese

- Podcast China y Japón: Podcast sobre China. Aprenda chino mandarín mientras monta en bicicleta. Podcast sobre Japón.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-podcast-china-japon_sq_f11111_1.html

Spanish

- L de Lengua: Podcast sobre el mundo del español como lengua extranjera y las aplicaciones didácticas de la web 2.0.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-ldelengua_sq_f1239_1.html

BBC Learning English

2009-09-13T12:20:00.001+02:00

Probably, BBC Learning English is the most comprehensive web page to study and practice English. It covers a wide range of levels from a lower intermediate to proficiency level.

Any student of English can improve different skills with the site: reading, listening and also writing and talking (thanks to its Community where the user can contact other people). In addition, there are areas to learn grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation topics.

The page has got lots of resources. Words in the news is a tool to work listening skills and also to broaden the vocabulary. Face Up to Phrasals helps to improve such a difficult topic as phrasal verbs. Quizzes is the place to test your knowledge of the language. For teachers is the area for teachers. And the site offers dramas, blogs, questions and answers and so on.

It's really comprehensive and a good complement to students and teachers: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

Russian Language Podcast

2009-09-03T08:48:00.001+02:00

There are some skills we need to develop in order no learn a foreign language: writing, reading, listening and speaking. You need to practice quite a lot every skill if you really want to learn the target language.

It is difficult to find resources with a suitable level for a foreign student. Regarding listening skills, you can find dozens of radio stations in many languages, although finding recordings for students of lower levels is not easy.

Russian Language Podcast is a site focus on intermediate students of Russian. The site is built by Tatiana, a Russian and French teacher and interpreter. The page has many podcasts, all in Russian, with the tapescript.

"This podcast is for those who already know basic grammar and want to improve their Russian level. If you don't speak Russian at all, but can understand few words, you still can listen to this podcast, it will help you too. This podcast is entirely in Russian."

Russian Language Podcast: http://russian.mypodcast.com

A couple of Japanese web pages

2009-08-26T09:49:00.000+02:00

This post presents a couple of Japanese resources for students of this languages. The first one is A Japanese guide to Japanese grammar, a reference web site to Japanase students.

"This site explains Japanese grammar in a systematic step-by-step process and is released under the Creative Commons License. It was created as a resource for those who want to learn Japanese grammar in a rational, intuitive way that makes sense in Japanese. The explanations are focused on how to make sense of the grammar not from English but from a Japanese point of view. To learn more about this guide, go to the introduction page and start learning this intriguing and unique language!".

There is a web page version, although, there is a version available to download (sip file or pdf). Also, the page is translated into different languages: German, English, Spanish, French, Bahasa, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Finish, Turkish and Korean.

A Japanese guide to Japanese grammar: http://www.guidetojapanese.org

The second one is Charles Kelly's Online Japanese Language Study Materials. As Charles Kelly states "these are free-to-use online materials that I have developed to help people learn Japanese."

This site is an interesting tool to practice the use of the language with quizzes, vocabulary exercices, flashcards, crossword puzzles, videos and so on. It's got a selection of Japanese language study sites to find more resources to learn this language.

Charles Kelly's Online Japanese Language Study Materials: http://www.manythings.org/japanese/

Forvo. All the words in the world

2009-08-20T12:13:00.001+02:00

This web is an interesting tool for language learners of any language. As the web page describes itself "Forvo is the largest pronunciation guide in the world, the place where you´ll find millions of words pronounced in their original languages."

How it works

You need to know how to pronunce a word in your target language (eg. thanks in Spanish: gracias). You Search your target language "Spanish" and the word "gracias": http://www.forvo.com/word/gracias/

There you can find different recordings uploaded by native people. If the word doesn't exist in the web you can ask for a native to record it.

Right now, there are 220 different languages in Forvo (English, Portuguese, Arabic, German, Spanish, Russian, Persian, Italian, Dutch...)

Forvo: http://www.forvo.com

Language exchange: Russian

2009-07-24T10:26:00.000+02:00

This is a list of people offering to teach or learn Russian. You can participate posting your message or answering someone else's posting.

Global language exchange (messenger, e-mail, voice, chat, skype, webcam, msn): Russian

Liveworda, tutoring Russian language with native speaker

2009-07-22T09:27:00.000+02:00

Liveworda is a blog that offers a collection of video lessons for students of Russian. The owner of this website presents it this way:

Hello, My name is Alla. I live in Moscow (Russia).

If you want to learn Russian language - this blog for you. I have just started producing Russian language videos and publishing my videos and videos of another teachers in this blog. All teachers are native speakers.

I hope you start follow me. If you like my blog, please help us spread the word. I encourage feedback.

The lessons are useful to learn and practice pronunciation of basic words and sentences. You can also find music, materials to learn Russian and other tips.

Liveworda: http://liveworda.blogspot.com

Here, you can watch an example.

Learn Russian: I love you

We learn russian phrase and words on topic "I love you" in this lesson. For example: I love you. Love came to my heart. I fell in love with you from the first sight. I need you so much. I can't live without your love.

Learning foreign languages. Tips

2009-07-01T09:37:00.000+02:00

If you are searching tips to improve the foreign language you're studying, here's some articles about different strategies to be used.

10 Tips for Language Learning Success
Article contents:
1. Set realistic expectations
2. Break study time into smaller chunks
3. Learn vocabulary effectively
4. Practice language actively
5. Do homework conscientiously
6. Form study groups
7. Identify your learning style
8. Maximize your language exposure
9. Spend time on task
10. Communicate with your instructor

15 Language Learning Resources at Your Fingertips
Article contents:
1. Find a pen pal
2. Rent and watch a foreign film
3. Read or watch foreign news online
4. Find native speakers in your community
5. Join or start a conversation group
6. Visit an ethnic restaurant
7. Find a book or magazine in your library
8. Use a foreign language search engine to explore your interests
9. Join a foreign language discussion board
10. Visit a foreign language chat room
11. Plan a trip
12. Study abroad

Learning a Language - The Basics
Article contents:
Study Little Often
Revision
Do Not Run before You Can Walk
Targets
Look for Partners with Similar Interests
Do Not Expect to Feel Progress all the Time
Make as Many Mistakes as You Can
Enjoy yourself

And already posted in this blog

MongolHel. Videos to learn Mongolian

2009-06-25T09:00:00.000+02:00

A Youtube video channel that "contains Mongolian language lessons for English speakers. These videos are designed to help those who are interested in learning Mongolian".

MongolHel: http://www.youtube.com/user/MongolHel

Here's a sample.

Greetings and Introduction in Mongolian

Babelan, the languages site >>

Success with Foreign Languages: Seven who achieved it and what worked for them

2009-06-23T13:26:00.000+02:00

Success with Foreign Languages: Seven who achieved it and what worked for them, by Earl W. Stevick, a book about learning foreign languages that could be worth a read.

Summary: "This book contains Earl Stevick's analysis of the strategies used by seven successful language learners and the implications for becoming a more successful language learner yourself. There are extensive excerpts from taped interviews with the seven learners, with Stevick's comments on the strategies and beliefs of the various learners. The book ends with Stevick's summary of what we can learn from the experiences of these learners. This book shows the diversity of approaches and beliefs that can be held by successful language learners and can provide suggestions for strategies that may work for you."

Complete table of contents >>

Download the book (free) >>

Babelan, the languages site >>

Where to promote your translations and interpreting services for free

2009-06-08T11:20:00.000+02:00

This is a list of internet sites where a freelance translator or a translations company can advertise its services for free. Although, there are much more sites, this is in only a sample:

Babelan.net is a languages site. There you can offer for free (not registration required) translations services and languages classes in different cities (New York, London, Toronto, Madrid, Barcelona, Mexico...).
http://www.babelan.net
Language Translation Forum has different topics. Among other interesting ones you can advertise your services in Business - Buy, Sell or Trade > Services.
http://www.translation-services-usa.com/forum/
Just landed has got a worldwide classifieds service. Go to "classifieds > Services > Editorial / Translation"
http://classifieds.justlanded.com
Craiglist is an online community covering 50 countries worldwide. Go to your target city and then "Services > writing/editing/translation"
http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites
OLX is a clasifieds web page. Select your target country and visit "Services > Writing - Editing - Translating"
http://www.olx.com
Locanto is also a classifieds web page. Select your target country and city and visit "Services > translation"
http://www.locanto.com
This is a UK based classifieds web page:
http://translation-translator.vivastreet.co.uk/translation-classified-ads
The target of Hallo London (a classifieds web page) is London. Go to "services > translation & interpreting"
http://www.hallolondon.co.uk
This is a freelancers web page. Go to "Profession > Look in this skill area > Translation"
http://www.freelancebbs.com
Comunity with a database of translators and interpreters. Some of the features are not free.
http://www.proz.com/

Videos to learn Portuguese

2009-06-02T09:58:00.000+02:00

A Youtube user has collected a set of videos to learn Portuguese. There are different playlists to learn pronuntation, conversation or vocabulary. In addition, you can find more web pages to learn Portuguese in the Babelan directory.

Watch one of the videos called Learn Portuguese - Conversation 2

Voice of America (VOA) special English

2009-05-21T12:48:00.000+02:00

A good way for improving listening skills is tunning to a native radio station. Althoguh, it's is difficult to understand real English from a native broadcasting.

VOA special English helps listeners to learn American English while they learn about American life and stay informed about world news and developments in science.

As they quote the goal is to communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language was not English.

Hence, VOA special English is a excellent tool to listen real English for a poeple who study the language and are not fluent. It offers, audio and video news and features about the USA and the world.

VOA special English: http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/

Aploosh, videos to learn Japanese

2009-05-11T10:48:00.000+02:00

Thanks to websites like Youtube, a student of any language can find videos to learn and practise languages. Aploosh is a youtube channel with a colection of funny videos to learn Japanese.

Here's the first lesson "I'm Yan"

Aploosh: http://www.youtube.com/Aploosh

Babelan, the languages site >>

Toronto in Babelan

2009-05-01T11:39:00.000+02:00

Babelan has added a new city to offer and find languages exchanges, classes and translations services. The new city is Toronto. Currently, the list of cities in Babelan is as follows:

The most outstanding new feature in the Babelan site is the Global language exchange (messenger, e-mail, voice, chat, skype, webcam, msn) area. This is where you can find native people to practice your target language from home, just with your e-mail, messenger or voice software. It could be any language Russian, English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, French, German, Hungarian, Turkish, Polish, Italian, Arabic, Greek, Czech or Korean.

Global language exchange (messenger, e-mail, voice, chat, skype, webcam, msn) >>

Help others to find a language exchange, a private lesson or translation service

2009-04-07T13:06:00.000+02:00

You can help others to find a person for a language exchange. Also, you can help a student to find a private tutor (and vice versa) or a freelance translator a work.

Just place a link in your blog or personal page. Babelan has a free message board to offer and find a language exchange, a class or a translation service.

Example

Babelan - The languages site.

Copy and paste this code

Mexico in Babelan

2009-04-02T13:54:00.000+02:00

Babelan has added a new city to offer and find languages exchanges, classes and translations services. The new city is Mexico DF. Currently, the list of cities in Babelan is as follows:

Global language exchange (messenger, e-mail, voice, chat, skype, webcam, msn) >>

Learning Estonian

2009-04-01T09:14:00.001+02:00

Recently, someone suggested in the Babelan directory a language page to practice Estonian, ZpeakIt. You can find there different useful phrases in Estonian and its translation into English. Clicking the phrase you can listen it.

There are some basic topics you can choose from: greetings, shopping, questions, help, conversation, thanks, conversation questions, common expressions, travel, asking the way, weather nad all phrases.

There is also a an area for registered users where you can monitor your progress.

ZpeakIt: http://zpeakit.com/main

Babelan, the languages site >>

The daily English show

2009-03-17T14:13:00.000+01:00

There are many interesting tools in internet to improve your English: blogs, chats, dictionaries, podcasts, videos...

Here's antother one. Sarah is a New Zealander based in Niseko, Japan. Every week since 2006, she records a short video lesson, The daily English show. Everyone can watch these short lessons in her Youtube channel. In addition, you can find all the video scripts in The daily English show blog.

Moreover, she's got a set of delicious cook lessons for students of English. It's called the Sunday kitchen. Try this one: Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Watch this sample of The daily English show:

Hannah From Scotland, Airline Toilet Charges

Babelan, the languages site >>

Germany vs USA - Foreign Languages

2009-03-03T16:24:00.000+01:00

This is a video I found. Two guys talk about their experiencies with foreign languages.

Alex and Jim talk about Foreign Languages.

Alex (from Germany) and Jim (from the USA) talk about cultural differences and similarities between Germany and the USA.

Babelan, the languages site >>

Improving foreign languages skills - Language exchange

2009-03-02T14:35:00.001+01:00

When learning a foreign language, there are some different skills we need to improve in order to comunicate: writing, reading, speaking or listening. For example, it is pretty clear that we cannot speak if we cannot understand (listen) what the interlocutor is telling us.

Probably, the very first step learning a new foreign language is enroling a class. This could be either in a language school or with a private tutor. Obviously, this cannot be only source of learning and improving a new foreign language. Nowadays, new technologies, such as internet, offer us a wide range of languages resources.

Thanks to internet, you can improve your reading skills just with newspapers, magazines or blogs in the target language. Listening can also be boosted by listening radio stations and watching tv channels or videos.

The list of sites is endless in any language: English, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Romanian, Vietnamese, French, Dutch, Hungarian, Polish...

Thus, it could be wise to search for pages that deal with a topic you like (e.g. a hobby). You will improve faster because the topic will attract you and you will pay much more attention rather than a boring issue. In addition, when you know the topic in your mother language helps to understand the new language easily.

Thousands of language students are willing to speak a foreign language with native people. So, why do not try to find a language exchange. This could be a one-to-one exchange if you both live in the same city or a virtual exchange using the new techonologies (e-mail, chat, messenger, webcam, microphone...).

Recently, I searched some different sites to meet native people for a language exchange. Check them out and use the one that fits your needs.

Babelan is a languages site. There you can find for free (not registration required) native people from around the world for a language exchange via mail, chat, voice,... Also one-to-one exchanges in New York, London, Barcelona, etc.
http://www.babelan.net/
Another place is My Language Exchange. You can find several registered members to practice a foreign language via email, text chat or voice chat. Needs registration.
http://www.mylanguageexchange.com/
Shared Talk is a community to practice foreign languages. It has different tools such as text chat or a voice chat. Needs registration.
http://sharedtalk.com/
In Speak Mania you can find penpals for a language exchange. Needs registration. It has a an audio and video chat.
http://www.speakmania.com/index.php?language_id=1
Lang-8 is a language exchange community focus in writing skills. Needs registration.
http://lang-8.com/
ConversationExchange.com is a community offering three types of language exchange face to face, penpals and text and voice chat. Needs registration.
http://www.conversationexchange.com/
Gumtree is a classifieds website, although, it has a languages swop category mainly for the UK and Ireland. It's free and needs no registration.
http://www.gumtree.com/
Another classifieds site with a language exchange category is Justlanded. It works in a wide range of countries, The UK, Ireland, Romania, China, Russia, Italy, Spain, USA, Germany, South Korea and so on.
http://classifieds.justlanded.com/

There ara several sites where you can find native people for a language exchange, you can find them searching in internet. This is only a sample of some of them that could be useful.

Language teaching abroad

2009-02-27T11:32:00.001+01:00

Probably, you want to travel abroad to stay in a foreign country for a long time. Some people want to learn a language, to study in an university or just long for an experience in a different place.

Unless you are a rich person, you'll need to earn your living abroad. When arriving a new country this could be a problem, specially, if you don't speak the native language.

There are many sort of jobs as bartender, bellboy, cook,.. the list is endless. Although, you may choose to teach your own language and get some extra money. It makes no difference which language you speak German, Russian, English, French, Italian, Chinese or Japanese. There are hundreds of chances to teach languages in language schools or offering private tuition.

A part from rendering your CV in all the languages schools, you may use internet to offer you private lessons. It's free and everyone can reach your post.

Nowadays, internet provides many sites to post free adverts. Here, you can find a sample list of sites to find students for your private classes:

First of all, a language site called Babelan. Currently, this has a free message board to offer classes in New York, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver and Chicago. This website is focus in languages.
http://www.babelan.net

Another site to place your free classifieds is Justlanded. It works in a wide range of countries, The UK, Ireland, Romania, China, Russia, Italy, Spain, USA, Germany, South Korea and so on.
http://classifieds.justlanded.com

A New York classifieds site is ikinewyork.com that has got a tutors, language lessons category.
http://www.ikinewyork.com

A UK based forum for tutors, students and parents is Local Tutor Forum. Here you can offer your private tuition in the UK.
http://www.localtutorforum.com

Japanese, English and other languages can be offered in Tokyo Notice Board.
http://www.tokyonoticeboard.co.jp

Loquo is a free classifieds site in Spain. It's got dozens of categories such as room, cars, jobs or servicies, also, it has a 'tutoring and private lessons' area to post your adverts.
http://www.loquo.com

Campusanuncios.com and mundoanuncio.com are two global classifieds web pages. So you may post your advert to teach not only in Spain but around the world.
http://www.mundoanuncio.com
http://www.campusanuncios.com

Related links

Finally, I'd like to add some other related links that could be useful:

English language teaching job opportunities worldwide http://www.eslbase.com/jobs/

Language recruitment and Language Jobs in Madrid, Spain
http://www.toplanguagejobs.es

Classes, courses or private lessons
http://www.language-school-teachers.com

Directory of jobs for teaching abroad
http://www.teachabroad.com/search.cfm

English Teachers - Madrid
http://madridteacher.com/

Babelan, the languages site >>

Lithuanian lessons

2009-02-24T11:55:00.000+01:00

The latest link we added in our directory is Debesélis, an online Lithuanian lessons wesite. It's got an English version and a Spanish one.

Debesélis offers free lessons, grammar resources, phrases, vocabulary, links to other Lithuanian related sites and a forum. This is a site worth to visit for a beginner.

Debesélis: http://www.debeselis.net

Babelan, the languages site >>

Russian dictionary

2009-02-13T11:38:00.000+01:00

Multitran offers an online Russian dictionary which "includes phrases, examples and cross-references". The dictionary is quite comprehensive. In addition, users can edit or report errors.

It translates from Russian into English, German, Spanish, French, Dutch, Italian, Latvian, Estonian, Japanese and Afrikaans and viceversa.

Multitran dictionary >>

Babelan, the languages site >>

Iranian Songs Translations

2009-02-06T09:28:00.000+01:00

Learning by Singing Persian - Yadgiriye Farsi ba avaz khani یادگیری فارسی با آوازخوانی

Iranian Songs Translations is a blog that offers a funny way to learn Persian.

Her owner Laura Vivero describes her site as follows: "Salam, my name is Laura and I am a fan of persian music. Thanks to the effort of some iranian friends who kindly translated Iranian songs into english (specialy, my beloved friends Vanda, Mehdi, Mozhgan and Shakiba), I gathered a modest collection of translations which I here would like to share with you. They can help you to learn or improve your Persian, or just to enjoy the beauty of Iranian songs. I firmly believe that singing is an optimal way of learning languages. At least I´m doing that myself!".

Enjoy and learn Persian: http://iraniansongstranslations.blogspot.com

Babelan, the languages site >>

Babelan, the languages site

2009-02-05T09:48:00.000+01:00

Babelan is the languages site to find native people for a language exchange. It also allows to search and offer language classes and translations services. All just a click away. No sign ups, no fees.

Babelan New York >>

Babelan London >>

The most outstanding new feature in the Babelan site is the Global language exchange (messenger, e-mail, voice, chat, skype, webcam, msn) area.

This is where you can find native people to practice your target language from home, just with your e-mail, messenger or voice software. It could be any language Russian, English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, French, German, Hungarian, Turkish, Polish, Italian, Arabic, Greek, Czech, or Korean.

Global language exchange (messenger, e-mail, voice, chat, skype, webcam, msn) >>