#foreign-language — Public Fediverse posts

@llutz @jeridansky TIL You can press-hold ATL text in a foreign language in the Ivory for Mastodon app and get a translation! 🎉 #ALTtext #ForeignLanguage #Translation

I just did a check how well I do speak englisch already and got rated between B1 and B2 with the option to get such an certificate.

So It's getting better, still need to work on my grammar and pronunciation but this is doable I think.

#Englisch #EnglischLevel #ForeignLanguage #Learning #Speaking #Writing

A quotation from Shakespeare

CASSIUS: Did Cicero say anything?
CASCA: Ay, he spoke Greek.
CASSIUS: To what effect?
CASCA Nay, an I tell you that, I’ll ne’er look you i’ th’ face again. But those that understood him smiled at one another and shook their heads. But for mine own part, it was Greek to me.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Julius Caesar, Act 1, sc. 2, l. 289ff (1.2.289-295) (1599)

Sourcing, notes: wist.info/shakespeare-william/…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #foreignlanguage #ignorance #incomprehensibility #obscurity #other #uncertainty

A quotation from Jerome, Jerome K.:

«
It is at school […] that he learns of the importance attached by the French nation to pens, ink, and paper. “Have you pens, ink, and paper?” is the first question asked by one Frenchman of another on their meeting. The other fellow has not any of them, as a rule, but says that the uncle of his brother has got them …
»

Full quote, sourcing, notes:
https://wist.info/jerome-jermome-k/71640/

#quote #quotes #quotation #education #language #school #foreignlanguage #French

The department’s National Security Education Program defunded Chinese flagship programs at Brigham Young University, San Francisco State University, and the Universities of Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. That leaves Arizona State University as the only government-funded intensive Chinese program in the west US.

In the past year, West Virginia University eliminated almost three-quarters of its faculty positions and got rid of all #foreignlanguage majors.

- From Chronicle of Higher Education

Navigating the difficult task of teaching oneself Italian through the marvels of AI voice dubbing is a 21st-century twist on the ancient wisdom of “Physician, heal thyself.” That age-old saying, ripped from the heart of biblical narratives, pushes us towards self-reflection and repair before we set out to fix or guide others. When we apply this idea to the adventure of self-learning Italian — or any foreign language! — by using our own voices echoed back to us in Italian through AI wizardry, welp, it’s like we’re living in a high-tech remix of that proverb.

Hey, this whole DIY Italian-learning gig, powered by AI, is a masterclass in “Student, Teach Thyself.” You start out wanting to bridge the gap between your native English and Italian, relying on smart tech to mirror your words back in a language that’s foreign to your ears. It’s a fascinating process, really. You’re both teacher and student, the healer and the healed, using your own spoken words as the building blocks for a new linguistic edifice.

Think of it as tackling your own linguistic shortcomings head-on. You’re in the driver’s seat, steering through the intricacies of Italian grammar and pronunciation with nothing but your determination and a bit of AI magic. It’s a testament to human resilience and adaptability, sure, but it’s also a bit of a solitary quest — a story that requires you to face your own “linguistic ailments” without a traditional guide or classroom setting.

Drawing a parallel between “Physician, heal thyself” and “Student, Teach Thyself” opens up a whole new perspective on self-improvement and education. The original saying throws a spotlight on the irony of healing, or teaching, others without first addressing our own flaws or gaps in knowledge. Similarly, jumping into learning Italian with AI as your only companion requires a leap of faith — a belief in your own ability to overcome language barriers through self-directed study.

While the biblical proverb might have hinted at the skepticism Jesus faced from his hometown crowd, our modern-day language-learning scenario celebrates the individual’s initiative to tackle personal challenges head-on. There’s a bit of skepticism here too, though. It’s about trusting not just in yourself but in the power of technology to faithfully translate your intentions and nuances into another language.

This blend of self-teaching Italian mirrors the broader, more universal pathway of self-improvement. It’s not just about acquiring a new language; it’s about embracing the challenge of learning in an unorthodox way, pushing the boundaries of traditional education, and discovering the joys and frustrations of relying on oneself (and one’s chosen tech tools) for growth.

Here’s how I discovered to use my own content, in my own voice, to spin myself around and become my own Italian tutor!

We start with the basics. A podcast file recorded by me in English:

Human-AI Intersection: Creativity, Education, and the Future of Learning

ORIGINAL ENGLISH:
The original Human Meme podcast file in English.

And, here’s the PR blurp for that episode: “Let’s start with history. Art, in all its forms, has been a cornerstone of human civilization. From the cave paintings of Lascaux to the masterpieces of the Renaissance, from the haunting melodies of ancient folk songs to the boundary-pushing soundscapes of modern music, art has been our companion through every stage of human development. It’s how we’ve expressed our deepest emotions, our greatest aspirations, and our most profound questions.”

So, now, with the finished podcast episode in hand, I upload the file to my dubbing site, and I  choose Italian as the language to “dub” (or translate) my English podcast into — and the rest becomes AI magic, as MY OWN DUBBED VOICE now translates into one of 29 languages I can choose from, and yes, that includes video dubbing as well! Amazingly, all these dubbed translations use my own AI voice. Wild!

ITALIAN:
Here is the Italian voice dub of the podcast.

GERMAN:
Why stop at just Italian! Here is the German voice dub of the podcast!

RUSSIAN:
Russian voice dub of the podcast!

SPANISH:

CHINESE:

Now let’s kick the process up a note with a video dub example, using the same AI language tech.

ORIGINAL ENGLISH:
My infamous video of me cutting my finger on my own knife.

ITALIAN:
This is the Italian video voice dub.

GERMAN:
German video voice dub.

RUSSIAN:

TEACHING THYSELF ITALIAN:
Now we get into the mirror within a mirror within a mirror, an endless reflection of one echoing voice in the wilderness. This is where the river meets the sea, and the gravel bends the road in self-learning AI learning magic. I use LingQ as one of my Italian learning sites. Using my dubbed from English into an Italian podcast audio file — WITH MY OWN DUBBED VOICE! I was able to upload the Italian translation of my Human Meme podcast as an “imported tutorial” — thus creating my own tutorial on the LingQ website to teach myself with my own content!

Here’s how my imported podcast tutorial looks on Ling! — of, to, and for myself! — teaching thyself:

Teaching yourself Italian with the help of AI isn’t just an exercise in language acquisition; it’s a modern-day enactment of healing and improving oneself, wrapped in the bizarro world of an inverted digital cloak of voice dubbing technology. It’s really just all about being bold enough to say to your own self, “Student, teach thyself,” with the same conviction that once inspired, “Physician, heal thyself.” And in this conundrum, every mispronounced word, every successfully translated sentence, becomes a step towards not just learning a new language, but also discovering more about oneself and the endless possibilities of self-directed learning in the echo of your own voice!

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https://bolesblogs.com/2024/02/05/student-teach-thyself-my-dubbed-podcast-in-italian/

#11Labs #ai #aiVoice #chinese #communication #dubbing #foreignLanguage #german #humanMeme #italian #learning #lingq #performance #Podcast #russian #soundcloud #spanish #translation #youtube

Does anyone know a good place to consistently buy foreign language books in the US? I’m willing to pay up to double sticker price.

Specifically looking for children’s books in German and literature/contemporary novels and books in German, Russian, and French.

Please don’t suggest Amazon, as it’s hardly a reliable source.

@bookstodon #books #bookstodon #foreignlanguage

Being a Norwegian, as far as I can remember the national broadcaster (NRK) aired foreign productions in the original language, with Norwegian subtitles.
Absolutely all my friends, family and relatives agree upon one thing, it helped us learning another language, and especially English.

https://theconversation.com/do-subtitled-films-really-help-you-learn-languages-216610

#language #subtitles #learninglangauge #foreignlanguage

Research shows people who speak another language are more utilitarian and flexible, less risk-averse and egotistical, and better able to cope with traumatic memories.
‘I couldn’t believe the data’: how thinking in a foreign language improves decision-making https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/sep/17/how-learning-thinking-in-a-foreign-language-improves-decision-making #bilingualism #foreignlanguage

Does anyone know a 1:1 Mandarin Chinese teacher in Portland that takes adult students?

(sorry for the repost, but realized I should use hashtags: #PDX #portland #LearnMandarin #LearnChinese #ChineseTeacher #ForeignLanguage #Mandarin #LanguageLearning #languages )

Hi, new #introduction for newcomers from #twittermigration

I am a #lgbt #neurodivergent woman with #adhd and #autism. I love #books, #reading, #writing #poetry #tea #plants #divination and #arts. I'm learning several #foreignlanguage ( #language). Leftist. I #write on a #blog that a friend launched for me on #wordpress and only had to reset twice for cause of dumbassery but my family still thinks I'm an informatic genius

Does anyone have young kids (i.e., 8-12) who want to learn a new language? What tools/apps/websites are they using? My 10 year old wants to learn Japanese but has the attention span of a fly, so something that is interactive and kid friendly would be nice. Thanks!

#language #foreignlanguage #teaching #languagestudy #languagestudies #japanese

Chips in Hungary

https://tausibs.org/display/66e18145-2764-3f87-aa25-53b509686276

Another (much longer!) list: 203 Most Beautiful Untranslatable Words (The Ultimate List: A-Z): https://www.theintrepidguide.com/untranslatable-words-ultimate-list/. Some of these are quite beautiful, profound, poignant, &/or humorous.

#untranslatable #words #lacuna #lacunae #lexicalgap #lexicology #lexicon #language #foreignlanguage #polyglot #translation #world #international #global #culture #writingcommunity #writing #community #read #readers #reading #readersofmastodon #bookstodon #bookworm #linguistics #learning

Sprezzatura = "I woke up this way."🤣

Sobremesa = "Siesta culture personified." The stateside workplace equivalent: 'What happens when the boss takes the team out for a long lunch, usually on a Friday."😉

Wabi-sabi = "You break it, you buy it ... but then you put it back together again."😉 Also, wabi-sabi = "Zero waste before it was a thing ... but make it beautiful."🤣

Sisu = "Standing in line at the DMV."😂

#humor #untranslatable #words #language #foreignlanguage #culture #writing

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28 Words That Don’t Exist in the English Language: The Power & Beauty of Untranslatable Words | Princely H. Glorious: https://medium.com/swap-language/28-words-that-dont-exist-in-english-you-ll-wish-they-did-e200ef1c3ae2.

#untranslatable #words #lacuna #lacunae #lexicalgap #lexicology #lexicon #language #foreignlanguage #polyglot #translation #world #international #global #culture #writingcommunity #writing #community #writer #author #writersofmastodon #authorsofmastodon #read #readers #reading #readersofmastodon #bookstodon #bookworm #bookwyrm #linguistics #learning