What Is the Fastest Way to Learn a Language?

The US government uses it, fortune 500 companies use it, heck, even Mormon missionaries use it when learning a new language. What is this program that is so effective that people who have never spoken a language can be in it in just a few months? What is the secret that can unlock your mind and make learning any language possible?

I once asked a friend who had mastered Chinese how he did it. His response was simple: "I moved to China and wanted to eat, if I couldn't speak, I might not eat or I might hate the food, I quickly learned." This man went from knowing zero Chinese, to passing an advanced level Chinese test 6 months later! When he told me this story, he confirmed what I had long suspected. The secret to learning a language isn't fancy software, it isn't years of college or high school courses, it is complete immersion into a language!

As exciting as this realization was, I quickly found this was no easy task. Most people just don't have the time or resources to move out of their country for a year and learn a language. So what solutions are there to complete immersion?

1. Find a native speaking friend who is willing to learn with you. The benefit to this is that it is free and can be fun for you and your friend. The problem is there is a good chance you don't know anyone who speaks the language you want to learn, or, if you do, they would rather speak English with you. That being said if you know someone you should ask!

2. If you have a friend learning the same language, decide with them to only speak in that language when you are together. For example, if you are learning Spanish, only use Spanish when together. Now obviously, you will encounter words that you don't know. When you don't know a word use the English equivalent, but keep the Spanish grammar. This method can greatly increase your ability to learn a language!

3. One last option is to sign up with a website that sets you up with native speakers. If you are only looking for chatting through reading and writing I would check out livemocha.com, they are free and allow you to chat with people from around the world. The downside is that those people are often trying to learn English, so they would expect you to help them as well. If you want a good website that connects you with both native speakers and other learners check out cafespeak.com. They focus on conversation, so essentially you would be utilizing Skype to converse with someone else in their native language.

Learning a language through immersion can be fun and exciting. Try one, two, or all of these methods to quickly immerse yourself in your language of choice. Good luck!

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Learn Japanese Fast: 3 Must-Follow Tips for Learning the Japanese Language

Japanese, with its unique alphabet and complex sentence structures, can be quite a challenge for Westerners to learn. Like all learning endeavors, though, you can make the process much easier and more efficient by doing a little planning before you dive in. In this article I am going to tell you three things you should do to make your Japanese language learning experience a pleasant, efficient and worthwhile one.

Discover Your Learning Strengths

Contemporary research based on Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences shows that there are 7 distinct types of learners: visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, and logical-mathematical. Before you jump into Japanese do yourself a huge favor and find out what kind of learner you are. To discover whether you're a linguistic or a logical-mathematical learner, just take one of the many free tests on the Internet. Go to Google and type in "Theory of Multiple Intelligences free test," and you'll find one.

Look at a few and use the one that has the most questions; you'll get the most accurate results that way. When doing this, keep in mind that you won't be just one type of learner. You will have much more strength in certain areas, though. Find your strengths and then design a Japanese language learning strategy that's best for you.

Get Friendly With the Katakana Alphabet

You may not know this, but the Japanese writing system has more than one alphabet. One of them is called Katakana. It is the simplest alphabet, and it is used to transcribe foreign words, to represent the names of plants, animals, and minerals, and to type out technical and scientific terms.

It is also commonly used to write the names of foods, which makes it very useful for you to know. In addition, it's a phonetic alphabet, so it's not too difficult to learn. If you study hard, you can master the sounds of the 48 characters of the system in an afternoon or two. So, before going out and trying to tackle Kanji, the much more difficult system of characters that make up the primary written form of the Japanese language, get familiar with Katakana. This will ease you into success, one step at a time.

Work With a Native Speaker From the Beginning

When learning a language that uses the same alphabet as your own, for example, if you're a native English speaker learning Spanish, you can learn a lot just by adjusting your own pronunciation. When learning Japanese, though, you will be making sounds that are totally and completely different than anything you are used to. For this reason, it is imperative that you work with a native Japanese speaker from day one.

Fortunately, doing this is as easy as ever. You have several options. One is to find a local Japanese speaker and work with him or her in person. This is a great option, but it is also the most expensive. The next option is to use language learning software or online instruction. These programs, in the early days, were not very good. Today, however, you can get high-quality, fully interactive language learning software programs recorded by native speakers for under a hundred dollars. This is much cheaper than hiring a personal Japanese tutor, and you can repeat lessons over and over until you're satisfied that you have learned them.

Finally, if you want a totally free option, you can do a language exchange over the Internet. All you do is go to a language learning forum and search for a native Japanese speaker who is willing to teach you Japanese in return for you teaching him or her your native language, whatever it may be.

It doesn't really matter which option you choose. Just make sure that you're working with a native Japanese speaker right from the beginning; it's much harder to fix bad Japanese pronunciation than it is to just learn it correctly in the first place.

Final Thoughts

Learning Japanese can be challenging for Westerners, but, with a bit of planning, you can have a great learning experience. To ensure success, find out what type of learner you are, learn the Katakana alphabet, and work with a native Japanese speaker from day one.

Check out my Rocket Japanese Review. My honest and in-depth software reviews are the best on the web!

Or, for more great learning tips, check out my blog, The Live in Asia Blog.

Have a great day!

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Is Rosetta Stone Really Worth It?

Nowadays, learning a language on the computer is all the rage. More and more people are buying products like Rosetta Stone or subscribing to online services such as Mango Languages. Are these products really worth the money though? Let's face it, most people struggle to afford the higher end language products such as Fluenz and Rosetta Stone. It's rather hard to justify spending about five hundred dollars on software that you're not sure will work for you, but, it seems to work for everyone else. Let's take a more in depth look at Rosetta Stone and see exactly what it will and won't do.

Rosetta Stone is currently in its forth version and the price for its complete Latin American Spanish language pack is (at press time) $479.00. One year ago, when I bought it, the third version sold for the same price. I have asked Rosetta Stone Customer Support and they tell me that there no actual difference in the software between versions three and four. Rather, version four comes with access to Rosetta Stone's online learning community, TOTALe, which version three did not. After finding that out I decided not to upgrade to the next version.

So how does the software work? Rosetta Stone uses a method that is called "Dynamic Immersion", which is basically a fancy way of saying that it does not use any English to teach you a foreign language. Rather, the program uses pictures of people and objects, with their Spanish translation underneath. In my opinion, this makes Rosetta Stone by far the easiest way to learn vocabulary in a new language. Because there is no English, the translated words stick in your mind with the pictures, which leads you to think in that new language. Just that feature alone makes this software extremely useful.

The program is composed of several levels, which are composed of several units, which in turn are composed of several lessons. Each of the units focuses on a certain subject, such as school or shopping. In each of the lessons, you learn new vocabulary and ideas then, after the lesson, there are several activities which you can complete to further your knowledge of the subject matter. Each of the activities focuses on you being able to do a certain thing such as: speak, listen, write, understand, et cetera. A good deal of the exercises are repetitive, but that's part of what helps you remember the language.

The company often boasts about its speech recognition program that gets you speaking your new language write away. While it does help you to form sentences quickly, the voice recognition software is certainly not bug free. There have been many situations where I know that I said the write thing, but the software just won't recognize it. Sometimes I will just turn off the speaking activities to avoid this. Rosetta Stone also claims that it will teach you to speak without an accent, if you set the speech recognition to only recognize native sounds. There are many flaws since, with Latin American Spanish for example, there can be many different types of accents, all of which are from native Spanish speakers. Also, for most adults learning a second language, it is almost impossible to speak without an accent, and so it's very difficult to succeed with native speech recognition.

Another problem that I have with Rosetta Stone is its claim that it teaches grammar. The grammar lessons are short and simple. They focus on things like which article to use for a word, or which verb conjugation goes with a given subject, but these lessons do not explain why it has to be the way it. My opinion on grammar is that there is no way to successfully teach it, without explaining it. Rosetta Stone doesn't explain anything, because the company's theory is that, when we learnt our first language, we weren't explained anything about grammar. The difference is though that then we couldn't be explained anything about grammar, so we just went with the flow, now we are older and smarter. We question things. I used Rosetta Stone for Spanish, and I was already familiar with French grammar, so I had a pretty good idea of what to do in Spanish, but, if I had been learning an eastern language (or any language that unconnected to what I knew), Rosetta Stone would have probably been too confusing for me to use.

In my own opinion, Rosetta Stone fails to give users enough opportunities to write in their new language. Yes, as I said earlier, they do have writing exercises, but they are far and few between. Normally, each exercise only asks you to write a few words or short sentences. I believe that, to memorize spelling and punctuation in another language, one needs to have more practice writing.

After a month or two of learning Latin American Spanish just through Rosetta Stone, I found that I could speak quite well, and I had confidence that I was saying things correctly. It amazed people that I could carry on a (basic level) conversation with other Spanish speakers. The problem, however, was that I was a little shaky on spelling. I could read quite well but, when it came to writing, I often found myself questioning where to put accents. After you learn one Romance Language, the grammar of the others will be fairly easy. That being said, I had a good knowledge of Spanish grammar. This knowledge, however, came more from my experience with French, rather than from Rosetta Stone itself.

So is Rosetta Stone worth it? I would honestly say that it is. Although there are many problems that I have found with this software, and it is not the godsend that many people assume it is, it will really help you memorize vocabulary words. I would not, however, recommend that Rosetta Stone be the only way you learn a language. It would be extremely beneficial to have a tutor as well, someone to whom you can ask questions. If that is not an option for, then I would suggest you buy a good grammar book to guide you where Rosetta Stone cannot.

Wilhelm Schulz offers both private tutoring and online classes for as low as $10 per hour.

To find out more on Wilhelm Schulz (Founder of Futurama Languages) go to:
http://futuramalanguages.weebly.com/

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Tips to Learn Conversational Spanish

Many can see the value in learning conversational Spanish.Spanish has quickly become the second most spoken language in the United States, and many nations across Europe are also seeing an amazing growth in the amount of Spanish speakers. So, how can you learn conversational Spanish without getting frustrated and pulling out your hair?

The first step is simple. Keep you vocabulary simple to begin with. Many learners get discouraged by trying to learn all of the grammatical rules about conjugating verbs and gender and blah, blah, blah, and its too overwhelming and they give up. Keep it simple. Learn a few basic phrases that you can use right away. Don't try to understand why a certain phrase is said a certain way. Just go with it, and use your new words. Invest in a good Spanish/English dictionary. It will save you a lot of time and work by getting a good one as you start to learn.

The next step is to increase your vocabulary. Start with your nouns. Learn what the things around you are called in Spanish. Remember, you can't start putting together sentences without a vocabulary! You can start with they category that you feel you'll use the most. For example, if you hire a he keeper that speaks Spanish, obviously your vocabulary should focus on household words. Likewise, if you work with Spanish speaking construction workers, use the nouns from work as your vocabulary.

As your third step, you can start learning verbs, the words that make things happen in any language. Don't worry about conjugating the verbs just yet. Make a list of the most common verbs in your chosen category. For example, to speak to your house keeper, you'll need verbs like clean, wash, sweep, etc. On the construction site you'll need verbs like move, lift, measure, cut, etc.

The fourth step is just to practice what you have learned already. Stay comfortable and encouraged with what you are learning. Keep reviewing and using what you know.

Now you can start conjugating your verbs. Start with present tense and forget everything else for now. It will all come in time, all you really need now is to get the point across. If you want a simple way to express future tense for your verbs, you can use the phrase "Voy a..." and then add your verb. It simply means "I am going to..." And you are now speaking in present and future tense!

I hope these few little tricks help you, but its really just the tip of the ice berg! If you want to learn conversation Spanish, there are many other tools available to help you do just that.

If you want to get more tools to help you learn conversational Spanish check us out!

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10 Tips on How to Save Money on Translation

1. Deliver Your Files Electronically

The easiest method to deliver your files for translation is electronically - via electronic mail or FTP. Surely, it is possible to snail mail or fax a hard copy or even deliver it to a translator personally, and many translators would happily take hard copy for translation, but most of the time translation of these documents can cost you a lot more, considering that the translator might need to format the translated text so it matches the original. If you have to translate and certify your personal documents, the easiest way to deliver them is to scan and send the copy via email. When you fax your documents, anything could go wrong. To name just a few possible glitches - the recipient could be out of paper, the paper could get stuck, the fax could not print foreign characters correctly, the copy could not be readable, especially if you are faxing a copy of another fax. While scanning your document renders a perfect picture that looks just like the original.

2. Use Plain Language

Generally, the plainer the language you use, the easier it is to translate it. If you wrote your copy, try to examine it to see if you have used any words that can have several interpretations. Try to substitute these words by others that are not ambiguous. An exception to this recommendation would be a sophisticated advertising copy that has a punch line or a pun. However, translation of marketing collateral differs from mainstream translation, and is considered a creative adaptation. This may require considerable time and extra expenses, because translators might need to do a great deal of research in order to find a similar expression in the target language, or to produce an entirely new one.

3. Use Consistent Terminology

If you write a technical document designed to assist people in using a software product or an appliance, you need to use the terminology consistently throughout all your documents. Repetitive terms exclude any ambiguity and make a translator's task incredibly easier, and your expenses lower. The exception to this rule is fiction or poetry, where the livelier the language you use the more literary value your work could possibly have.

4. Use as Few Writers as Possible

Sometimes companies don't have technical writers on staff, and the writing is done by engineers, managers, coordinators or administrative personnel who have little if any training in writing. Which isn't an issue by itself - many people are perfectly competent at writing with no formal training. The real problem is when you have many people write your documents. People always have different opinions about correct means of conveying a message. So if you use several writers, you most likely realize that everyone has their unique style, their preferred terms, expressions, and so forth. If you have several writers, your documents are bound to be inconsistent, which can result in additional translation expenses, more inconsistency due to the translation, and, finally, to customer frustration. This is particularly important with customer-focused product literature. Technical writing is different from creative writing, where the use of colorful metaphors and juicy expressions is valued.

5. Use as Few Translators as Possible

To translate the same document or related documents, you should employ as few translators as possible for the very same reason - consistency. Like writers, every translator has a different way with words. Even if you were very consistent in your writing, if you assign the task to several translators, there will inevitably be inconsistency, as the translators might use different terms for the very same concept. Certainly, it can be fixed with the aid of one editor and/or proofreader, however, many sneaky errors always are able to crawl into important documents.

6. Send All Relevant Files and Glossaries

If you translate a portion of your documents in-house and outsource others, I cannot stress enough the importance of sending previously translated relevant documents. The translators will use them to ensure your translated document is consistent throughout. Sending any glossaries you could have created will also save them a lot of time and effort on research, clarifications and asking questions.

7. Always Send the Source Files

While it's possible to translate a printed document or a PDF file, if you need a quick, smooth translation you should send the source files. Recreating a document from scratch can be extremely time-consuming, and is a lot more costly. Send files in Indesign, FrameMaker, Quarxpress or whatever program was used to create it. Translators are quite tech savvy!

8. Always Send the Final Version of Your Document

Never translate documents that will be for sure changed or edited later! Going into a document to incorporate last minute changes is very time-consuming, costly and error prone.

9. Send Written Instructions

Unless you have dealt with this particular translator or company before, you should always jot down your instructions and any relevant information and background of the document. Translators might make their best guess as to what you might need, but that may very well be a wrong one.

10. Be Prepared to Respond To Questions

Be open to questions - translators ask questions because they want to do their best job, not out of mere curiosity. If something seems obvious to you, it could be because you have worked on that document for a long time and you could be unable to see all the information gaps it contains. Don't let the meaning get lost in translation!

http://www.breakthroughtranslations.com/ offers translation services in all major languages. We are experts in technical, medical, legal, marketing and business translations. You can get a free non-obligatory quote for you translation project here: http://www.breakthroughtranslations.com/contact-us/get-a-quote/

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Learning Uncommon And Common Spanish Vocabulary Words

In this lesson, we will learn some more common Spanish vocabulary words and uncommon Spanish vocabulary words. These 4 Spanish vocabulary words are really what I consider "uncommon common Spanish words."

They are uncommon because I did not learn them from any of the many home-study Spanish courses that I used to learn Spanish. They are common because I hear these words used very often here in Medellin, Colombia. And by the way, these words are not only spoken in Colombia but everywhere in the Spanish speaking world.

1. Escote - cleavage

Esa mujer esta mostrando su escote.
That woman is showing her cleavage.

2. Estria - stretch marks

Las estrias son un problema comun en las mujeres.
Stretch marks are a common problem with women.

3. Postizo - something false that replaces something natural (i.e. fake)

Medellin and some other cities in Colombia are known for plastic surgery. Both men and women
from all over the world come to Medellin for plastic surgery or "cirugia plastica." Some of the types of surgery that women come to Medellin to get are:

- Senos postizos (synthetic breasts or breast enhancements -- the formal or proper phrase)
- Tetas postizas (synthetic breasts or breast enhancements -- the informal phrase)
- Culo postizo (enhancement or implants of the buttocks -- VERY INFORMAL phrase)

4. Caspa - dandruff

Lina compro un producto especial para lavar el cabello, porque esta harto de tener caspa.
Lina bought a special product in order to wash her hair because she is fed up with having dandruff.

If you wish to learn more common as well as uncommon Spanish vocabulary words, you should practice your Spanish with native Spanish speakers every change you get, especially regular Spanish speaking folks as opposed to your Spanish instructor.

Spanish instructors have a tendency to teach their students the most common Spanish vocabulary words. This may be helpful when trying to achieve a conversational level in Spanish. But if you want to be completely fluent in Spanish, then you need to practice as much as possible with regular folks.

This is also helpful not only for learning additional everyday vocabulary words, but it also helpful for learning how to comprehend spoken Spanish. If you have practiced this language with a Spanish instructor and then had the chance to listen to regular folks speak, then you probably noticed that regular folks tend to speak a lot quicker than your instructor and do not clearly announce every syllable as your instructor does.

Pat Jackson is the Founder of Learning Spanish Like Crazy - the only learning Spanish method that teaches real authentic everyday conversational Latin American Spanish. Pat presently lives in Medellin, Colombia - the City of Eternal Spring. If you would like to get FREE Instant access to the first 2 MP3 auido lessons of Learning Spanish Like Crazy and get FREE instant access to 10 learning Spanish videos from one of our BEAUTIFUL native-Spanish speaking Latina instructors, then go here now: Learn Spanish online That's http://www.LearningSpanishLikeCrazy.com/

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You Can't Answer a Question If You Can't Say the Answer

It takes time to become accustomed and familiar with new words and phrases. It would be nice if people could be told something once, then be able to recall and use this information perfectly forever more. But it doesn't often happen.

The names of fractions in English are somewhat irregular, at least to start with because English, as it developed, absorbed words from more than one other language (usually Anglo Saxon or Old English and Latin).

For example half and third are derived from the Old English words 'healf' and 'pridda'. But quarter comes from the Latin 'quartus'. Next comes fifth, not 'fiveth', which comes from the Old English 'fifta'. After this, things settle down with sixth seventh and so on. But it is still necessary to learn the exceptions.

Another common difficulty is saying remainders and improper fractions. For example five divided by four is one remainder one or one and one quarter. It is very common for children to be confused at the two ones in one remainder one and in one and one quarter. After all these are not phrases that they are likely to have used before. In contrast by the time children learn to count at school they are likely to have used the words one, two and three many times. (How many ice creams would you like?). But one and one quarter is more of a tongue twister.

Another difficulty comes with converting kilograms to grams, or kilometers to meters. This is often thought of as a math problem. But it is in largely a speaking problem. There are two parts.

Firstly just repeat exactly what is said but replace kilo with thousand and thousand with kilo.
So two kilograms becomes two thousand kilo grams.
And three thousand grams becomes three kilo grams.

It really is that simple!

Secondly, learn the how to say fractions of a thousand. So 1/2 a kilogram is five hundred grams which means five hundred grams is half a kilogram.

Children seem to be comfortable with saying two thousand five hundred grams for 2 1/2 kg and three thousand five hundred grams for 3 1/2 kg.

But ten thousand five hundred grams for 10 1/2kg
or one hundred thousand five hundred grams for 100 1/2kg
seem to be more difficult to say, until they become familiar.

For some reason it seems that saying one thousand five hundred grams for 1 1/2 kg is takes longer to become familiar with.

By the time they are comfortable with saying and one hundred and one thousand five hundred grams for 101 1/2 kilograms you can be confident that they have got to grips with this particular type of problem.

Jeremy Shiers is the father of four children. Jeremy has a BSc in mathematics and a PhD in Physics. For the last 17 years he has been passing on his knowledge to his children.

He has noticed that some parents do not do this which he believes is due to them making one or more common little mistakes. To read Jeremy's free report visit: http://sevenlittlemistakes.com/.

Jeremy has written another longer report describing in detail how he helped his children get started with arithmetic and maths. Visit http://startingarithmetic.com/ to download your copy.

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Comment on French Language Programs on the Internet

I am a French teacher who works to help others learn the beautiful language. I know how hard it can be to learn a new language, and I also know how much success depends on having the right learning tools.

As a French teacher, one query I am often asked is what learning package is the best for grownups or teens wishing to learn and speak French from home. Long ago I set out to discover the answer to this question, and one thing genuinely surprised me when I did. There are too many French learning packages out there that just aren't satisfactory enough.

When you look at the tools out in the market on the internet, you'll discover software, books, flash-card systems, and more. Sorting through them all is difficult, and selecting one can be even more intimidating. In Advance of getting to my thoughts on any French packages let's first talk about what a French learning package is and isn't.

First, a digital learning package is NOT the only thing you need to master French. You in addition need to take the time to read French publications, to speak to French-speaking individuals, and to make learning (and speaking) french a portion of your day-to-day existence. I can't stress how important this is to speed up the learning procedure.

Secondly, NOT every person needs a French learning package. In fact, if you aren't dedicated to learning the language you likely won't learn anyway. Learning French isn't tough if you apply yourself, but you need to make the decision right now that you are going to spend some time learning.

Third, a French learning program IS the simplest means to get started with the language. It will also cost much less (and take less time) than taking beginners lessons from a community college. The most suitable learning packages can take you right from beginner to advanced French.

Fourth, if don't take the time to buy the correct learning package you will merely make learning French harder. This is really the number one reason individuals don't follow through with their plan to master the language. Too many of the tools out there are actually just a waste of money.

If you've been considering of learning French then you'll be pleased to hear that, along with some of my colleagues, we took the time to evaluate the best four French learning packages in the market place today. We founded our evaluations on the following criteria.

* Level of French Learning - An acceptable French program should cover everything right from getting started levels up to having fundamental conversations with native French speakers.

* Amount of Information - The Amount of learning substance enclosed in the package

* Teaching Methods - Many people retain data better when taught with different methods. A suitable French program should use a variety of methods for teaching/retention.

* Follow Up Substance - Beyond the basic training course is there more substance in the market place to take your learning further?

* Additional Information (Fun Factor) - A suitable learning package should be fun to use. The most suitable programs we evaluated included games that magnified retention and made learning fun.

* Basic Language Abilities - Does the program supply adequate Content (and teach it rapidly enough) that the learner should grasp a basic dialog right after using the program for a while.

* Reading/Writing /Speaking Abilities - Along with speaking does the program teach language/grammar for reading, speaking and writing French?

With our evaluations we actually took two steps. First we evaluated the programs as teachers. We looked at their situation from the point of view of - would they be able to teach our students what we taught them. The next move I took was to in bring the programs into my adult learning classes. I had my grownup students use the programs at home for a period of time and then gave an introductory test to see what they had understood and retained.

The four programs we reviewed are as follows:

1st. Rocket French

2nd. Easy French Lessons

3rd. Lingo Basics

4th. Learn French Program

Buzz Hill - Professional Reviewer of online Products
Want more information learning to speak French go here: http://learnfrenchlanguagereviews.com/

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Spanish Audio Lessons

With all the options available to new learners it can sometimes be difficult knowing what method is best. Spanish audio lessons tick all the boxes as they introduce the language through key words and phrases, slowly breaking in the different Spanish sounds and structures, without confusing the learner with technical words or rules.

These audio lessons have become a very popular way for students to incorporate learning Spanish into a busy timetable; the lessons can be done while traveling, doing housework or during most leisure activities. The quality of the lessons and what it gives to the learner also helps to make them so popular. In addition the lessons are usually quite cheap and can be downloaded instantly from many different providers.

The majority of the audio courses have similar structures and methods. There is usually a native Spanish speaker who breaks down Spanish words in the the different sounds. The listener has to repeat the Spanish sounds, attempting to copy the Spanish speaker as closely as possible. Then some phrases are strung together with their meaning in English also explained. The learner has to repeat the phrases a number of times before moving on. At the end of each lesson a review is given and this is usually where the learner has to translate some English phrases into Spanish. The learner then has the option to repeat the lesson or move onto the next lesson.

The material that is covered during the lessons is not only repeated in future lessons but it adapted to include other words and is used in different tenses and situations. This helps the learner gain a skill of creating lots of different sentences from just a few learned phrases and vocabulary.

Listening to Spanish audio lessons and following the instructions carefully is highly recommended for beginners, and there have also been some courses put together for intermediate and advanced speakers. Going through the lessons and making sure that your pronunciation is correct will help you greatly when you go on to learn more about the Spanish language. Knowing the basic structures from an early stage means that you can build on what you have learned through taking a Spanish course, going to a foreign country or practicing Spanish grammar with online resources or books.

Many courses offer a free download so that you can try the methods before purchasing. Spanish audio lessons are a great way to start your Spanish learning.

Jorge has reviewed different Spanish audio lessons and also writes about how to start learning Spanish.

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ESL Teaching Tip: How to Teach a Class With a Wide Range of English Levels

With teaching English in China for many years, I often found myself in situations where I was thrust into a classroom as the new American English teacher. Before me there would be 30 - 40 grade school students with 20 - 30 parents sitting in the back. On my left there would be a couple of 2nd graders and on my right I would find a couple of 6th graders. The whole class consisted of an incredible disparity in English ability.

If I focus on the slower students, then the more advanced students would be bored. If I focus on the more advanced students then the beginners would not be able to understand. Obviously, the best solution would be to split the class, but because of student schedules, or teacher availability it would not be an option. I get one chance to make that perfect impression, or the parents in the back will pull students out of the class. How do I make the right impression, so all of the students in the class at least feel like they are learning something?

Here are five suggestions for teaching a class with a wide range of English levels.

Follow the 10% - 50% focus rule. Typically in China, I would look at my class and mentally divide it into half based on their English level. Then I would take the lower half and come up 10%. This usually was a good focus for the material. I would try to give this 40% of the students the majority of my time and effort. For the top 50% of the students I would throw out "nuggets" of harder English to keep them interested. Then whenever we had pair work or group work, I would focus in on the lower 10% and try to give them some individual help. This way everyone feels important, and I am meeting everyone's needs.
Allow the students to be successful. Students love to have the right answer, and this will build their confidence. In order to be successful, present the information using clear instructions, and practice thoroughly. If the teacher uses clear visuals, exciting games, enjoyable activities, and great body language, the students are more likely to remember what was taught and will be more successful in class.
Bring extra materials for those that will finish their assignments quickly. It is discouraging for a teacher when an assignment is passed out and 10% of the class finishes in 10 minutes and the last 10% finish in 40 minutes. To avoid this, always put a time limit on each of your assignments, and walk around to help those that are struggling. Then have an extra fun, but educational assignment to give to those that finish early.
Allow the more advanced students to do some of the teacher's job. For example, if you are playing a reading game where students have to stand when they hear a specific type of word, have a student read instead of the teacher. This will increase the amount of time that the student speaks, and decrease the amount of time the teacher speaks. Also, if a slower student asks a question, see if the more advanced student can answer it instead of the teacher answering all of the questions. Remember, the main goal of the ESL teacher is not to teach, but to motivate, guide and clarify.
Realize the entire level of the student. John might have a better speaking ability than Mary, but Mary might have a better reading ability than John. So, not only do you look for overall English level, but also specific English level. To effectively teach an ESL class, the teacher has to very alert to pick up on the various levels of each student. Never assume that because the writing skill is good that the listening skill is also good.

Teaching ESL students is a great challenge and for me it has been more artistic in nature than scientific. Yes, there are many scientific methods to use in a classroom, but when it comes down to an individual student, develop the ability to look into the eyes of the student and see where he truly is at. The master teacher will develop a level of intuition to know whether or not his students are comprehending.

For great ESL resources for both the student and the teacher go to http://www.ilesi.com/. ILESI stands for International Languages Educational Services Inc., and has established English training centers all over the world.

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Why to Choose an English Russian Technical Translation?

A translator is a must have if you are in some foreign country and are clueless of the language spoken there. For instance, a majority of Russian entrepreneurs visiting foreign countries for their business deals hire translators, who are fluent in both English as well as Russian for communicating effectively.

Not only if the Russian entrepreneurs, but also if you would like to make some business relations with Russian counterparts, then language might come as a big obstacle. Particularly, when it comes to discussing technical specifications and devising business strategies, it becomes necessary to overcome the language barrier. A Russian may learn English and vice versa. However, what if one is asked to do a PhD on a technical subject in English and then do it all over in Russian. Sounds messy, isn't it? Hence, it is ideal to choose to English Russian technical translators, as they make the whole process easy.

English Russian technical translation is quite different from the usual translation. In fact, a Russian English technical translator has more hold on the vocabulary than an ordinary one. They are well equipped technically with a proper knowledge on the conversions of units from Russian to English. Moreover, they know how English technical terms read in Russian. With the help of a good technical specialist, you can execute an effective communication with Russian counterparts, which can help you create good business relations with them.

For instance, there are a few peculiar units such as mkm in Russia. Such units do not occur in SI (Standard International) units. On the contrary, a non-Russian technical person may find difficultly in understanding English conversion for mkm. Thus, a technical specialist plays an important role here. Moreover, he plays a pivotal role in executing result-oriented business discussions. In fact, finding English Russian translator is not too difficult. You can refer to any genuine translator's website, which you can find using any popular search engine.

Russia is a big hub for business and can act as good pivotal point for your business too. Especially, if you have a marketing firm and intend to sell Russian products in your country, then hiring a technical translator is certainly a smart choice. It is ideal to hire an expert in the field than hiring a casual translator. English Russian technical experts involve only the expertise in the field. They are a group of people, who are both qualified as well as talented. Thus, it is quite evident that there is a lot of difference between technical translator and usual one.

Visit English Russian Technical Translation website if you need quality translation.

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Expressions That Always Use The Spanish Present Subjunctive

There are some expressions in Spanish where the present subjunctive is always used. These expressions start with "que", because there is implicit expression of a desire. "Deseo que...."/ "Espero que", etc. (I wish/ I hope that). These phrases are very common in Spanish, so let's take a look at some of the most common ones so you can start incorporating them into your Spanish vocabulary today.

Please note that the translations won't be exactly literal, but more closely what we would say in English to express the exact same meaning.

Something to say to someone if they are sick:
!Que te mejores! (I hope you get better)

Something to say to someone who is going to have an exam or is going on a job interview:
!Que te vaya bien! (I hope it goes well for you!)

Something to say to someone who is going on vacation or who is going to a concert:
!Que te diviertas! (I hope you have fun!)

Something to say to someone who is going to sleep:
!Que descanses! (I hope you get some rest!)

Something that most grandmothers say:
!Que Dios te bendiga! (God bless you!)

Something to say to someone who has to do something they don't want to do:
!Que te sea leve! (It won't be that bad!)

Something to say to a kid who is going to bed:
!Que suenes con los angelitos! ("Sweet dreams!" The literal translation would be "I hope you dream with angels!)

Something to say to someone who is receiving a present:
!Que lo disfrutes! (I hope you enjoy/like it!)

Remember that it is always necessary to use Subjunctive when there are desires from one subject but another subject will do the action.

"Espero que mi jefe tenga un buen dia" (I hope that my boss has a good day.)
"?Quieres que prepare la cena?"(Do you want that I prepare dinner?)
When the subject is the same we only need to use Infinitive.
"Juan quiere comprar una casa"(Juan wants to buy a house)

I hope that you have enjoyed today's Spanish grammar lesson on the topic of expressions that always use the present subjunctive. So now e you have some very common expressions in Spanish that you can start using right away that use the present subjunctive. With that said, we will leave you with one more very common expression: !Que tengas un buen dia! (Have a good day!)

Anna Rivera is a native Spanish speaker from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is also a Spanish instructor and the author of 2 learning Spanish books. If you would like to get FREE instant download access to the MP3 audio and PDF transcripts to her Spanish lessons absolutely free AND read her reviews of the most popular learning-Spanish products, then visit her web site now in order to: learn Spanish online That's http://LearningSpanishProductsReviews.com/.

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Language Translation Services Done by a Professional and Experienced Translator

As we know that today the importance of translation has truly increased with the globalization. This importance can be perceived by the fact that there is an increase of interaction of people from far and wide. People from different places have different ideas and ideologies to share with others; because of it the translation has come of great importance to people to convey or share their ideas in an effective manner with them. Today because of education people are becoming more interactive to others which are so essentially required for enlargement of their businesses and as a result of it people need the help of translation for good communication. Translation has turned into a big business today as we see a lot of big companies have started providing translating services. Translation is significantly used for different languages with common objective of bringing proper understanding among the masses. It is also used for breaking the cultural barriers which are the big hurdles on the path of integration of countries, people and joint working system.

The increase and development of tourism, a major source of generating revenues to every country, has actually expanded the importance of translation. It is a common phenomena that people have become so interested to indulge in tourism activities by spending their holidays in far off at foreign places. They need special translators to make them understand and enjoy other culture by immersing into it. The use of the translation has got into diverse fields; from Government to corporate offices there is a necessity of interpretation required for carrying out various official tasks. For example, any foreign delegate visiting India may require expert Hindi translator in-case he doesn't understand English or Hindi besides his national language.

Expert interpreters, having sound communicating skills of that language spoken by the delegate need to be hired. Keeping in view the emerging trend of the importance of translation several educational institutes run by Government and private players are providing various diplomas and degrees in different foreign languages where thousands of candidates sit every year for entrance tests which talks about translating demand. Now we can realize how important the translation has become which is attracting the corporate world to have a glance towards it. Because of it the Government has begun to pay attention on this sector, hence, the more this tourism sector increases, the more importance of translation will be increased. Therefore, we can say that there is the possibility of good prospect for people willing to make career in translation.

Prashant Katiyar is a translator.

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How to Learn Chinese Tones!

For speakers studying Mandarin, learning the tones can be quite the challenge. Mandarin has 4 tones, and one neutral tone; This means that one word can have a variety of meanings based on the way you say it. The Mandarin word "ma" for example can mean mom, hemp, horse, scold or indicate a question depending on what tone is used! Being such a foreign concept, how can you learn tones without hours of meaningless repetition?

The first answer is simple, you need to understand that even in English we use tones all the time! We may not realize it, but by putting a different intonation on the exact same word we can have a variety of meanings!

Take the word "yeah" for example. Our tones on it are very similar to the Chinese tones!

1. A Mandarin first tone is a high level and neutral pitch. Try saying "yeah" just a little higher than your normal voice, and also keep it the same pitch. What did that sound like? If you were to say that in a conversation what would you be expressing? In English a high level neutral pitched "yeah" indicates doubt. Its like saying "I see what you are saying, but I'm not sure." And we get all of that out of just saying "yeah!"

2. A Mandarin second tone is rising tone - you start your voice low and it comes higher. Say "yeah" with a voice lower than your normal voice level, then immediately rise it just a bit above your normal voice level. When you do this with "yeah" you usually are saying either "really? That's interesting."

3. A Mandarin third tone is a falling first, then rising tone. Say "yeah" starting high, then bring it down, then bring it back up. What does this mean in English? In a conversation most of the time it would mean "you are right, but what's your point?"

4. The Mandarin fourth tone is a falling tone. Imagine you are upset at someone and they just asked you a question you thought was a dumb question so you answer "yeah." Start a bit high then drop fast. In this case Yeah simply means yes, but with it you are also indicating that the person should have known better then to ask that question.

The reality is that Chinese is not that much different from our own language. Tones are a little foreign, but understanding we use them in some cases as well can further your understanding. The major difference is that their tones are assigned to EVERY word, whereas we use them selectively.

One more thing to point out, you can't simply not worry about tones and assume people with understand you. As your language ability increases so do the importance of tones. One of the best things you can do to hear and understand tones is get practice with a native speaker or advanced level student of Chinese.

I would recommend checking out my website http://www.cafespeak.com/ where you can use Skype to meet with a native speaker of a language. In the meantime, keep working on those tones!

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The History of Braille

Braille, a form written communication used by the blind, has interesting origins. Invented in 1824, braille stems from a combination of ideas from a French Army captain and a blind teenager. Today, braille is used worldwide as a standard means for blind people to communicate and educate themselves with the written word, and it has changed little since its creation.

Louis Braille was born in 1809, and was not visually impaired until after a terrible accident. When he was only three years old, Louis was playing in his father's saddle-making workshop, and he scratched his eye while trying to cut leather. Although the wound was bandaged, an unfortunate infection eventually took hold, spreading to both of his eyes and causing complete blindness. Despite the horrible accident and illness at a young age, Louis held on to his curiosity and love of learning. Seven years after the accident, Louis Braille received a scholarship to The National Institute for the Blind Youth in Paris, where he met Charles Barbier.

While studying at The National Institute for the Blind Youth (also know as the Royal Institute for Blind Youth), Louis Braille learned to read the outlines of raised letters in special books. This system was created by the school's founder, but it was inefficient and the books were large and few. In 1921, Louis was inspired during a school assembly when Charles Barbier demonstrated a system he created for the French military after Napoleon expressed a need for way for soldiers to communicate silently in the dark, called "night writing." His system used sets of 12 raised dots, with each set representing a letter. It was too cumbersome for the soldiers to use efficiently and thus was rejected for use by the military. However, the students at the school were very interested in and impressed by Barbier's creation. It was much easier to understand and faster to read than anything they had seen before. Another advantage was that they could write using this system by impressing the dots on wood to form the symbols.

Louis Braille was especially impressed with what Charles Barbier had shown him and his classmates. He always was an intelligent and intuitive boy, and even at the young age of 12 he noticed the flaws and room for improvement on the Captain's invention. Over the next few years, Louis Braille developed his own system based on what he learned from Charles Barbier's inventions and his experience of being a blind person who wanted to communicate fluently in the written word. In 1824, Louis put the final touches on his system, calling it "braille," after himself. In 1829, he released the first book about his writing system, entitled "Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Songs by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind and Arranged for Them." Ever since, braille has made reading possible for blind people around the world.

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Teaching ESL: How to Have a Successful English Corner

I must admit that after hearing "What-a is-a your favorite-a color?" for the 100th time, I was not too interested in English corners. The idea was to give the Chinese students an opportunity to speak to the Americans and practice their English. Hopefully, we could then persuade them to visit our training center and take classes. In theory, it was a good idea for everyone except for the Americans. I can still see the shy elementary school student being prodded by his Chinese mother to "show off" the few English phrases the boy had memorized. I felt sorry for the boy as I tried to keep an hour-long smile up and could relate to the boy's awkwardness.

After spending over 300 hours in English corners over the 7 years that I spent in China, I have found that there are right ways and wrong ways to have them. We were initially told that if we, the Americans, would simply show up somewhere, that a large crowd of aspiring English learners would bombard us with intense English conversations. This never happened. I helped to hold English corners in libraries, bookstores, parks, colleges, on a busy street and even at McDonald's. Each of these had to be built from the ground up, but can be developed into a very successful program.

We had two types of English corners - free talk and activity based. Free talk English corners were usually effective in colleges and libraries. Activity-based English corners were effective in each place, but required more work and preparation. Listed are a few tips on how to have a successful activity-based English corner.

Decide on the format of the English corner. We typically broke up the English corner up into 4 parts. First, we taught 8 - 10 "Frequently Used American Expressions." These were either idioms or collocations that we could act out and try to present in a vivid way. We never tried to explain the meanings, but instead we tried to act them out so the students could try to guess the meanings. Next, we usually taught a song that had simple words to understand. Then we taught a culture tip, and finally played a game.Decide to enjoy the situation. I knew that if I was bored with what I was doing, then my students would be bored too. I clearly remember trying to teach the idiom, "You're barking up the wrong tree." I had a student stand on a chair, while I pretended to bark like a dog up at him. We always did what we could to throw in some spice into the lessons, not only to keep the students coming back, but also to keep ourselves interested in the lessons.Be flexible. I vividly remember teaching for two years in McDonald's. We sectioned off a corner of McDonald's and had a weekly English corner at 3:00 PM on Saturdays. We brought a portable display to let people know what we were all about. We brought a professional sound system with two cordless mics. Whatever we needed to do to try to make the English corner a success. However, many times, something went wrong. Either there was a mistake in the worksheet or no batteries for the mics. Sometimes we would plan for 30 students and 100 would show up, and sometimes we would plan for 100 and 5 would show up. If you ever conduct an English corner, you'll have to be willing to "ride the waves."Follow the 10% - 50% focus rule. Typically in China, I would look at one of my classes and divide it into half based on their English level. Then I would take the lower half and come up 10%. This usually was a good focus for the material. I would try to give this 40% of the students the majority of my time and effort. For the top 50% of the students I would throw out nuggets (not McNuggets from McDonald's) of harder English to keep them interested. Then whenever we had pair work or group work, I would focus in on the lower 10% and try to give them some individual help. Be warned. English corners in public places will attract everyone. It was common for our public English corners to have both kindergarteners and college English professors all looking to learn some English.

I still have many great memories, and I made many friends through the work at the English corners.

For great ESL resources for both the student and the teacher go to http://www.ilesi.com/. ILESI stands for International Languages Educational Services Inc., and has established English training centers all over the world.

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Simple Tricks for Learning Spanish for Beginners

In this short article we will talk about a few simple ideas that will make it easier for you to learn beginners Spanish. By using this simple tricks and taking advantage of modern digital technology available everywhere you will be able to be much more productive while learning Spanish. The most important thing to remember along the process is: make sure to remain focused and have fun.

How to Learn Spanish Vocabulary Quickly

Although there are hundreds of different theories when it comes to learning Spanish vocabulary words, one that has proven to be highly productive is the one that most of us used to learn our native language, and that is paying attention to the words occurs most commonly used during conversations. Focusing on the most commonly used vocabulary words while learning a language is an excellent way to gain command of a language in a shorter period of time with less effort. If you spend some time thinking about it, why should you bother learning works that are not used frequently? It is much better to use your mental energy and time in learning the vocabulary and grammar that is used most of the time. Let's think of learning Spanish for beginners for a moment, a good way to get a good idea about the words most commonly used in spoken Spanish, is to pay close attention to the kind of words we use while speaking in English. Just sit down and write down an imaginary dialogue that you might have upon arriving to a Spanish-speaking country (you can write this in English, don't worry too much about it, one or two pages should be enough) and then begin by circling a specific word such as "want", "going" or "like"; make a list of the amount of times each word is repeated, and this will give you a hint of the kind of words that should be a priority as you continue to study Spanish vocabulary and grammar.

Listen to songs in Spanish (and print the lyrics)

Listening to music is another excellent way to practice your Spanish listening skills. Although this technique is often under-appreciated, it is one of the most effective ways to improve your listening and comprehension skills while acquiring useful vocabulary. All you need to do is find a song that is relatively slow and easy to understand (phonetically, something along the lines of Frank Sinatra or any other song in which the words are clearly spoken), then go online and find the lyrics and read them a few times while you listen to the song. After that you will realize that a song in Spanish that used to seem apparently undecipherable, now it's much easier to understand.

In the end, making sure you learn useful vocabulary and grammar is one of the best ways to learn Spanish productively while having fun as you continue to develop your Spanish speaking skills.

Keep learning Spanish with our free online Spanish lessons and videos learn Spanish free online.

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What Is Braille Transcription?

Reading is one of the primary means of gaining information about the world. Through newspapers, magazines, signs and more, people acquire details about the world by decoding printed words and determining their meaning. Blind people, however, are unable to gather visual signals and cannot access this type of information. The blind have just as much need for this information as anyone else. Whether it is a detailed knowledge of current events or a simple understanding of what room to enter, the blind have just as much need for printed information as those with normal vision. To make information more accessible, many printed items are also available in Braille. Braille is a tactile information system that allows the blind to read information using their fingers rather than their eyes.

There are multiple ways to transcribe text into Braille. The simplest way is known as Grade 1 Braille. In Grade 1 transcription, each letter is substituted with its braille equivalent. While this is an effective, easy way to write things in Braille, and while even the untrained can easily accomplish this, there are multiple drawbacks to Grade 1 Braille. Braille characters are quite large, so direct transcription takes up a large amount of space. When transcribing a simple sign, this may not seem like a limitation, but for larger documents, space is at a premium. Using the full, large character for every letter is often not the ideal choice.

An alternative method is Grade 2 Braille. This form of Braille uses a wide range of contractions to conserve space. Twenty-three of the most common words are represented by a single letter rather than by the full word. For example, the word "can" is written simply as "c." This reduces the number of letters that need transcribing, as these words are likely to appear frequently in documents. Similarly, some common combinations of letters are shortened in words, and some other words are abbreviated. The entire set of conventions underlying Grade 2 Braille is quite comprehensive, covering hundreds of pages of text.

While Grade 2 Braille is typically sufficient to make transcription of text feasible for even long documents, Grade 3 Braille is sometimes used. This form of Braille incorporates even greater abbreviations and is considered informal. Typically, this Grade 3 Braille is used only by individuals writing notes to themselves. It is rarely used in formal documents or texts. For most purposes, Braille transcriptionists should focus on Grade 2 Braille.

The need for trained Braille transcription is quite high. With the massive volume of printed material available, there is a high demand for people who can transcribe this text into viable linguistic material for the blind. However, as is apparent from the voluminous size of the list of conventions for transcribing Grade 2 Braille, performing these transcriptions is no simple task. Braille transcriptionists must undergo thorough training to familiarize themselves with these conventions. They must also complete certification tests to be considered effective transcriptionists. Braille print is a primary means of contact with the world for a wide swath of the population, so highly reliable and consistent transcription is essential for effective comprehension.

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The Three Most Important Sounds to Master When Speaking French

French has a number of sounds that do not exist in English. Are some more important than others? It's hard to say, but here is a look at three candidates that are both common and troublesome.

1. The u sound

The pronunciation of this common vowel is very different from that of its English counterpart. The lips are rounded into something akin to a pout. It's almost like whistling. Here are some examples of words with this sound:

lu, connu, su, du, pu, rue, bu, plu, truite, mu

This difficult sound is important because when mispronounced it tends to sound like "oo". Here are pairs of words that illustrate the difference:

pu - pou

bu - boue

rue - roue

mue - moue

su - sou

cul - cou

Longer words with u can be challenging, as in:

construire, instruire, l'instruction, l'instrument, la puanteur, la lueur

Here are some phrases using this sound:

Le concert nous a beaucoup plu. (We liked the concert very much.)

J'ai su qu'elle ne viendra pas. (I found out that she will not be coming.)

J'habite la rue Ste-Catherine. (I live on Ste. Catherine Street.)

Elle a bu du vin. (She drank some wine.)

L'homme est bien connu de la police. (The man is well known to the police.)

Je ne comprend plus rien. (I don't understand a thing.)

2. The French r

One of the most challenging sounds of French for English-speakers is the consonant r.

The sound associated with the letter r in French is totally different from the sound of the English letter r. In fact, there are two kinds of r in French. A somewhat archaic pronunciation that you will hear in old French movies and songs, in parts of France, Canada and Africa is a vibrating sound made with the tip of the tongue flapping against the roof of the mouth. This is called a rolled r. In French, this pronunciation is often described as "rouler les r".

The other more contemporary sound, very typical of the city of Paris, is produced way at the back of the mouth and is a rasping sound akin to what is made when coughing. The rolled r sound is probably easier to learn, but this guttural r is what you want to master.

The sound of the r will vary slightly if it is at the beginning, middle or end of a sequence of sounds. It is strongest at the beginning of a word and weakest at the end.

Beware of a special complication when reading aloud written French. The r is not pronounced at all at the end of French verbs ending in -er. This includes the largest group of verbs such as: aller, louer, noter, parler, manger, etc. In words other than these verbs, the final r is pronounced. (Remember that in the vast majority of French words the final written letter, except for r, is not pronounced). Here are groups of words that sound the same despite differences in spelling:

paire, pair

par, part

cher, chair, chaire

ver, vers, verre, vert

bonheur, bonne heure

serre, sert

beur, beurre

Here are verbs ending in pronounced r:

voir, boire, avoir, faire, construire, maintenir, prendre, tendre

3. The sound of eu.

Although it is written with two letters, eu, this is actually one sound. Something like the articulation of the u sound, the lips are not as rounded and extended. This sound is found in words like:

deux, peu, peux, peut, feu, pleut

Note that the eu spelling is also used for a different but similar sound in words like:

oeuf, coeur, gueule, neuf, meuble

The real challenge of pronouncing French is to articulate these sounds in sentences. This is where those mouth muscles get the workout. Here are some examples.

Je n'en peux plus. (I can't take it anymore)

Le barrage est construit en pierre. (The dam is built of stone.)

Il pleut aujourd'hui. (It is raining today.)

Stanley Aleong specializes in methods for learning foreign languages at the advanced level. He believes that an excellent strategy for achieving advanced proficiency in French or Spanish is to work with many carefully selected authentic examples. To learn more about some very effective learning tools based on this principle, visit Advanced French / Spanish.

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Parents hope learning Chinese is children's ticket to success

Parents hope learning Chinese is children's ticket to success

                                         

Parents hope learning Chinese is children's ticket to success

Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- Mandarin Chinese isn't a language you would expect to hear on the streets of South African cities.

But as trade with China grows -- worth a record $20 billion in 2010 -- more and more children are being encouraged to learn the language.

Students attending a special school in Pretoria start at the very beginning, counting to 10, and as they get older they graduate to Chinese etiquette and simple conversation.

By the time they get to high school, these South African kids can read and write simple sentences in Mandarin.

The Pretoria Chinese School was established in 1934 to cater for what was then a small Chinese community. Today, it has morphed into a multi-racial embodiment of Nelson Mandela's rainbow nation.

School director Seew Hau says China's economic growth and its huge investments in Africa have had a direct impact on the school.

"We know of big companies offering bursaries to children if they had a Mandarin background," Hau said.

Parent Philisiwe Ngoetjana is confident her decision to bring her son and daughter to the school will one day pay off.

"They could go to the Far East, they could study there. China is investing all over the world and in Africa particularly, so they can have great careers with that skill," Ngoetjana said.

While many of the kids complain that writing and pronouncing Chinese words is difficult, they enjoy learning about the culture.

"For Chinese New Year for example, a lot of different things symbolize different things," student Nicolene Steenkamp said. "Noodles symbolize something -- the longer the noodle the longer your life."

Last year, trade between China and Africa as a whole exceeded $100 billion -- mainly to feed China's appetite for African commodities.

And while learning Mandarin is still something of an exotic rarity in South Africa, it could be the smartest investment these kids make.

Source:http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/05/27/south.africa.school.chinese/index.html?iref=allsearch

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* Area	TAIWAN                       AFGHANISTAN                       ALBANIA                       ALGERIA                       AMERICAN SAMOA                       ANDORRA                       ANGOLA                       ANGUILLA                       ANTARCTICA                       ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA                       ARGENTINA                       ARMENIA                       ARUBA                       AUSTRALIA                       AUSTRIA                       AZERBAIJAN                       BAHAMAS                       BAHRAIN                       BANGLADESH                       BARBADOS                       BELARUS                       BELGIUM                       BELIZE                       BENIN                       BERMUDA                       BHUTAN                       BOLIVIA                       BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA                       BOTSWANA                       BOUVET ISLAND                       BRAZIL                       BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY                       BRUNEI DARUSSALAM                       BULGARIA                       BURKINA FASO                       BURMA參見 MYANMAR                       BURUNDI                       CAMBODIA, KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA                       CAMEROON                       CANADA                       CAPE VERDE                       CAYMAN ISLANDS                       CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC                       CHAD                       CHILE                       CHINA                       CHRISTMAS ISLAND                       COCOS（KEELING）ISLANDS                       COLOMBIA                       COMOROS                       CONGO                       CONGO,THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE                       COOK ISLANDS                       COSTA RICA                       CATE DIVOIRE                       CROACIA                       CUBA                       CYPRUS                       CZECH REPUBLIC                       DENMARK                       DJIBOUTI                       DOMINICA                       LIBERIA                       LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA                       LIECHTENSTEIN                       LITHUANIA                       LUXEMBOURG                       MACAU                       MACEDONIA                       MADAGASCAR                       MALAWI                       MALAYSIA                       MALDIVES                       MALI                       MALTA                       MARSHALL ISLANDS                       MARTINIQUE                       MAURITANIA                       MAURITIUS                       MAYOTTE                       MEXICO                       MICRONESIA（FEDERATED STATED OF）                       MOLDOVA REPUBLIC OF                       MONACO                       MONGOLIA                       MONTSERRAT                       MOROCCO                       MOZAMBIQUE                       MYANMAR                       NAMIBIA                       NAURU                       NEPAL                       NETHERLANDS                       NETHERLANDS ANTILLES                       NEVIS                       NEW CALEDDNIA                       NEW ZEALAND                       NICARAGUA                       NIGER                       NIGERIA                       NIUE                       NORFOLK ISLAND                       NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS                       NORWAY                       OMAN                       PAKISTAN                       PALAU                       PANAMA                       PAPUA NEW GUINEA                       PARAGUAY                       PERU                       PHILIPPINES                       PITCAIRN                       POLAND                       PORTUGAL                       PUERTO RICO                       QATAR                       REUNION                       ROMANIA                       RUSSIAN FEDERATION                       RWANDA                       RYUKYU                       ST. HELENA                       DOMINICAN REPUBLIC                       EAST TIMOR                       ECUADOR                       EGYPT                       EL SALVADOR                       EQUATORIAL GUINEA                       ERITREA                       ESTONIA                       ETHIOPIA                       FALKLAND ISLANDS（MALVINAS）                       FAROE ISLANDS                       FIJI                       FINLAND                       FRANCE                       FRENCE, METROPOLITAN                       FRENCH GUIANA                       FRENCH POLYNESIA                       FRENCH SOUTHERN TERRITORIES                       GABON                       GAMBIA                       GEORGIA                       GERMANY, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY                       GHANA                       GIBRALTAR                       GREECE                       GREENLAND                       GRENADA                       GUADELOUPE                       GUAM                       GUATEMALA                       GUINEA                       GUINEA-BISSAU                       GUYANA                       HAITI                       HEARD AND MCDONALD ISLANDS                       HOLY SEE（VATICAN CITY STATE）                       HONDURAS                       HONG KONG                       HUNGARY                       ICELAND                       INDIA                       INDONESIA                       IRAN（ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN）                       IRAQ                       IRELAND                       ISRAEL                       ITALY                       JAMAICA                       JAPAN                       JORDAN                       KAZAKHSTAN                       KENYA                       KIRIBATI                       KOREA, DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF                       KOREA, REPUBLIC OF                       KUWAIT                       KYRGYZSTAN                       LAO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC                       LATVIA                       LEBANON                       LESOTHO                       SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS                       SAINT LUCIA                       ST. PIERRE AND MIQUELON                       SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES                       SAMOA                       SAN MARINO                       SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE                       SAUDI ARABIA                       SENEGAL                       SEYCHELLES                       SIERRA LEONE                       SINGAPORE                       SLOVAKIA                       SLOVENIA                       SOLOMON ISLANDS                       SOMALIA                       SOUTH AFRICA                       SOUTH GEORGIA AND THE SOUTH SANDWICH ISL                       SPAIN                       SRILANKA                       SUDAN                       SURINAME                       SVALBARD AND JAN MAYEN                       SWAZILAND                       SWEDEN                       SWITZERLAND                       SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC                       TAHITI                       TAJIKISTAN                       TANZANIA, UNITED REPUBLIC OF                       THAILAND                       TOGO                       TOKELAU                       TONGA                       TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO                       TUNISIA                       TURKEY                       TRUKMENISTAN                       TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS                       TUVALU                       GUANDA                       UKRAINE                       UNITED ARAB EMIRTES                       UNITED KINGDOM                       UNITED STATES                       UNITED STATES MINOR OUTLYING ISLANDS                       URUGUAY                       UZBEKISTAN                       VANUATU                       VENEZUELA                       VIET NAM                       VIRGIN ISLANDS BRITISH                       VIRGIN ISLANDS U.S.                       WALLIS AND FUTUNA ISLANDS                       WESTERN SAHARA                       YEMEN                       YUGOSLAVIA                       ZAMBIA                       ZIMBABWE                       OTHER
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