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Pimsleur blog analysis of Translator Toolkit

Obama takes a hit for preaching bilingualism

It's hard to believe that conservatives would lash out at candidate Barack Obama over his suggestion that American children should learn languages... but they did. It's rather silly considering there have been numerous grants promoting language learning from the State Dept--specifically in Mandarin, Arabic, and Farsi--as a way of ensuring there are enough people available to work for the government doing translation in "politically critical" languages! Admittedly, Obama only knows a small amount of Indonesian as his second language, but I'm pretty sure he could catch up with some Pimsleur training! Any effort to reach out to children and broaden their horizons should be commended.

Polish tots learn a language before speaking

The AFP just released an interesting article about Polish tots learn sign language early. The children and their parents, none of whom are deaf, are part of a Polish study to find out of toddlers can learn sign language and communicate effectively before they can actually verbalize speech. I'd love to see a larger scale study on this, as it would make for a very interesting parenting experience.

Australian kids need to learn another language

The Herald Sun had an interesting article today about the need for Australian children to learn languages. Apparently due to the country's remote location, and the increasing global dominance of English, most Australian kids drop second-language instruction once they are out of primary school. Educators are calling on Prime Minister to include compulsory language instruction in a new education plan, suggesting that each child learn one Asian and one European language to better compete in the international workforce. Certainly the United States is not an island, but many feel disinclined to learn another language unless it is for pleasure travel. It's still important to realize, wherever you are, that you can speak many languages in the most unlikely of places.

Mmm mmm good! Cooking in Spanish

One of the things I like to do when traveling is go to bookstores and check out what different books exist. I am often drawn to cookbooks, because it's hard to find authentic recipes, and sometimes the best way to get a good recipe is to go to the source! Inevitably, once I get home I need to look up most of the words in the recipe, many of which are specialized and not always in a standard dictionary.

That's where the food dictionary wordlist comes in. Check out the quick 500 word Engish/Spanish cooking dictionary, and your tastebuds will thank you.

LA City Council rapidly learns Spanish

In a bold but smart move, members of the LA City Council are taking it upon themselves to learn Spanish...and fast! According to statistics, 40% of LA county residents above the age of 5 speak Spanish at home. It's interesting that members of government would face the reality that many if not most of its constituents speak Spanish and would consequently move to be accessible, which I wholeheartedly applaud. No word yet on how the council members are picking up their palabras.

True immersion: Learning languages from drunks

"Drunks, he explains, "are the world's most underrated language teaching resource.""

Well there's a way to start an interesting article! The LA Times writes a review of linguist Derek Bickerton's new book Bastard Tongues. What could possibly be the context for such a strange claim?

"They speak slowly and with exaggerated care, they often repeat themselves, and they don't mind if you ask them the same questions over and over."

Oh, that. Not to mention the fact that their pronunciation might be a little...slurred perhaps. But that appears to be Bickerton's style, going out in the world more like Anthony Bourdain than Sister Wendy. Bickerton is no braggart, however, drawing closely on Noam Chomsky's theories, and doing field research in places that most linguists fear to tread.  It should make for a very interesting read.