Finally, a dialect dictionary for Spanish

I've been waiting some time now for a way to figure out the differences in Spanish slang. It varies region to region, and country to country. When you travel, you'll hear people using words you think are "wrong" because their actual meaning differs from the slang meaning they're using them in. Plus, there's always the off-chance that you'll say something from your dictionary that means something quite different where you are.

That's where TuBabel comes in. It's a country-coded dictionary of Spanish dialects. Alright! If you know a good deal of Spanish already, it's pretty fun to go through the site and see what means what where.

Oscars are no picnic for other countries

We all know that the Academy Awards snubs foreign films. There's only one film allowed to be submitted by each country for consideration. In this day of digital film, which makes production costs lower and distribution easier, it should be fairly obvious that films produced and shot outside the US are more accessible than ever. There are whole distribution companies that purchase DVD rights of foreign films, so that films can get out to the public without going through the lockdown of theatrical distribution.

With so much going on outside the country, and so much dreck being produced by Hollywood, it would be great to expand the categories and options for Best Foreign Film in the Oscars, rather than continue to limit it so severely. Getting a nomination can make a film a commercial success, and those tremors can be felt around the world, in a good way!

A whole new kind of tourism?

Now I'm totally used to the idea of different kinds of tourism popping up as a way to invigorate people about traveling. I definitely approve of eco-tourism and agro-tourism, but there's a new juggernaut on the horizon. Yes, it's The Love Boat for Policy Wonks.

The very idea of being stuck on a boat with Ralph Nader is enough to give me sea-sickness right here and now. I've met the man, and he's charming enough, but I don't want to be sipping a martini on a cruise ship while talking about Dubya. Of course, there's no way I'd drop several thousand dollars for the privilege. Is the irony lost on the liberal-leaning Nation readers that they're flying to Alaska to get on a diesel-chugging boat to talk about global warming with Beltway insiders? Hmm.

Let's hope the Alaska Tourism Board comes up with a better idea next time!

The internet is your language learning friend

I was looking for a way to brush up on my Spanish skills the other day, and did a little Googling of the various options out there for language tools you can use on your iPod. Apparently, the NY Times beat me to it with a little article called Learning from a Native Speaker, Without Leaving Home. I'd seen the SpanishPod site and just didn't get around to using it. LiveMocha was news to me though, and I plan on signing up soon. There's so much information to be had on the internet (well, duh) but it's really awesome to see websites start to leverage the possibilities of new media and high bandwidth connections for education purposes. There's a real advantage for someone learning a language with a native speaker, whether virtual or real. Learning French from a Texan (it happens) is not really a great way to start out, because then someday you'll have to correct what you've learned already.

Also a lot of places are letting you try before you buy, which is great when you're looking around for which program would be right for you. One such retailer, TheLanguageStop.com has free first lessons of each title (including the great Pimsleur series) and now has downloads, so you can digital purchase and receive your language course instead of paying for shipping and ripping CDs to the iPod the hard way.

Of course, the secret ingredient for learning a language successfully is discipline. No matter how many programs you purchase or sign up for, you have to do the homework consistently if any magic is going to happen!

Tips for Getting the Bus

It seems easy enough. Getting the bus means finding out where it stops and having correct change or your MetroCard ready. It's not quite what it seems in other countries, though.

This mild warning also goes for trains, planes, and automobiles when you're traveling abroad. Language barriers are part of the problem, but so are somewhat shady business practices. Often times, if you ask a driver or ticket taker if they're going to the place you need to go, they will say that they are even if it's not on the itinerary. That's because independent carriers are responsible for their own expenses, and can go out of the way to drop you off somewhere if they can still make money. So if you're going to Point A from Point B, you may actually have to make 15 stops in between and add hours to your travel time. Always ask what other stops there are when boarding, instead of only asking if they stop at your destination. Keep in mind that it is possible, though rare, for there to be multiple towns or cities that share a name, or have similar names. Avon could be a different town that Avon-by-the-sea or Avonshire, and when you're dealing with totally different travel situations than you're used to, it's easy to get flustered.

That said, there's a great many adventures to be had when traveling around the world. Enjoy the ride!

Gaviotas Intentional Community

A few years ago I was introduced to a really cool book called Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World. It's about an intentional community in Colombia that was founded by a visionary inventor named Paolo Lugari. The premise was that the cost of living was far too great for most people to live comfortably, and in the process, massive resources were being wasted. He set out to invent simple devices that saved time and energy (in a real way), that also leveraged technology to help people. One of the first projects was a solar hot water heater placed on each apartment building or house, that preheated the water before entering the boiler by just using the sun. This saved countless kilowatts, and established Lugari and those he worked with as true innovators.

Eventually the idea was struck to move into the woods and start a sustainable eco-village. Many trials and tribulations later, there is an incredible model of how to live off the grid and on the land. It is nearly impossible to get updated information about the community online, and the seemingly endless civil war in Colombia has not helped matters. I highly recommend the book, and reading more about an incredible project.

Friends of Gaviotas (official page)

Wikipedia article on Gaviotas

Welcome to Discourse Recourse

So I've been thinking... along with my new year's resolutions came an idea of how to stay motivated and interested in learning languages and traveling through the winter, and the months to come.

I decided to start this here blog as a way to keep ideas and inspiration flowing. Already it's working pretty well. For instance, the Times wrote a nice little piece called The Other Iran, a travelogue about being American and going to one of the more unlikely tourist destinations these days. The author manages a great faux pas:

“Excuse me, ma’am,” I sputtered in phrase book Farsi to the first person I met — a bearded soldier.

which pretty much sums up the difference between practice and reality when learning a language! I personally would not have relied on just a Farsi phrasebook to get around, but that's just me.

This leads me to another anecdote about Iran--never buy a Persian rice cooker. No matter how much money you think you're going to save, you're going to end up getting rid of it. Why? It browns the bottom of the rice. Intentionally. This is great for making Persian cuisine, but if you're looking for sushi or stir-fry, it's not going to treat you right!

I hope you find some enjoyment or amusement here in the months to come. Don't be afraid to subscribe to the RSS feeds, and avoid the pesky reload button.

Cheers!