A while back, we reported on a language acquisition study mentioned in Cognitive Daily which suggests that listening to and singing along with music may play an important role in learning a language. We love to listen to and share foreign language music anyway, so here is a new feature by Beyond Words that highlights albums from around the world.

This month we’re using the excellent (and absolutely free) online music service Grooveshark to showcase three amazing albums from South Africa, Chile (via France), and Peru. Enjoy!

Various Artists: Next Stop … Soweto – Township Sounds
From The Golden Age Of Mbaqangwa (2010)

Strut follow their recent forays into Nigerian and Ethio grooves with a brand new wide-ranging three-part series exploring underground South African music during the late ’60s and ’70s. ‘Next Stop… Soweto’ Volume 1 explores the vibrant energy of the township jive sound. Jazz had been a fixture in South African music since the 50’s and jive initially emerged a decade later as a fusion combining elements of rural Zulu music and harmony vocal styles with Western instrumentation. Hear STRUT trace some of the amazing music – that often only appeared on short run 45’s at the time – including tracks from lesser known bands that plied their trade under apartheid during the years before the tumultuous Soweto uprising of 1976… until now all have been largely unknown to the outside world. –© Strut Records

Listen to the second track, “Maphuthi,” by The Mgababa Queens:

Check out the full album at: Amazon

Ana Tijoux: 1977 (2010)

Ana Tijoux is regarded as one of Latin America’s leading female MCs. She has been nominated by the MTV Latin America VMAs for “Best New Artist” and “Best Urban Artist.” Tijoux has been featured on tracks by Bajofondo, Control Machete and DJ Bitman. But it was a Julieta Venegas collaboration which helped expose her to the mainstream. With 1977, Tijoux proves her abilities as a true rapera through sophisticated lyrics, a hypnotic jazzy voice and dynamic beats. The new album paints a picture of her childhood in France and pays homage to early 90s hip-hop that influenced her as a teen in Chile. –© Nacional Records

Listen to the second track, “Partir De Cero”:

Check out the full album at: Amazon

Susana Baca: Seis Poemas EP (2009)

“Don’t forget me, sing me.” Those were the words Chabuca Granda wrote on her deathbed more than twenty years ago in a letter to Susana Baca. For Baca, Chabuca’s plea is as powerful today as when she first read it. Seis Poemas, her latest six-song EP is partly a tribute to Chabuca Granda, one of the great figures of Latin American song. Baca, who got her start spinning the poems of others into wistful melodies, also borrows the verses of Federico Garcia Lorca, the Spanish avant-garde poet who was assassinated during his country’s Civil War, and in a nod to her ancestry she delves into Peru’s overlooked, yet rich African legacy.

It’s not the first time Baca interprets Granda’s songs and poems. In 1984, a year after Granda’s death, she reworked some of her music, and in 1995 the single “Maria Landó,” a Granda composition with words by César Calvo, became the North American breakthrough that catapulted Baca from relative anonymity onto the world stage. –© Luaka Bop

Here’s the first track from the EP, “El Bosque Armado (La Canoa)”:

Check out the full album at: Amazon

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ALTA has provided Language Training to government agencies, businesses of all sizes, and non-profit organizations for 30 years. As trailblazers in the area of language training through video-conferencing technology, we invite you to learn more about our Online Language Training programs. The only unconditionally guaranteed language lessons in the business.

                          

Welcome to the second installment of ALTA’s Beyond Words Podcast. Our podcasts provide listeners with the latest language news, language-related interviews, and language lessons that can be applied to real-world situations. They’re always brief, always informative, and always entertaining.

Today’s language lesson deals with Russian phrases for ordering a drink at a bar. You can listen to the lesson on our website or download it for later playback on any standard MP3 compatible device. We hope you enjoy listening!

Listen to Episode 2: A Russian Lesson

Download

To download Episode 2 for playback on any MP3 compatible device, simply right click and “save link as” or “save target as” — DOWNLOAD .

Subscribe on iTunes

You can subscribe to the Beyond Words Podcast on iTunes. Every time we release a new episode, your iTunes library will automatically upload it. Just follow the link — SUBSCRIBE.

____________________________________________________________________________________________
ALTA has provided language training to government agencies and corporations for 30 years. To learn more about our programs, please visit Online Language Training.

All music and sound effects were provided by The Freesound Project.
Thank you to the following people for use of their field recordings and samples:
Genghis Attenborough, Djgriffin, Robinhood76, Fogma, Mich3d, Afterguard, Bauhaus2006, Tr4ck3r, and Dobroide

                          

If you’ve decided to learn a new language but don’t know where to start, here are five tips that will get you going in the right direction.

1. Self-guided Programs versus Instructor-led Programs

Our experience has taught us that the best way to acquire a new language is through personal customized training led by a professional instructor who is a native speaker of the target language.

There are also many self-guided language programs that may be a good place to start for individuals with zero knowledge of the new language. These resources are unlikely to guide learners beyond basic proficiency levels — greetings, basic requests, and so forth, but many of them do provide good introductions to the new language, and a bit of a foundation before starting intensive training. Self guided options include mp3/cd and book based courses by the Foreign Service Institute and, for free, the Massachusets Institute of Technology’s Open Courseware, a collection of activities, notes, and audio/video lectures.

Community colleges and intensive language institutions like Middlebury’s Language Schools offer the advantage of complete immersion in the language—no English allowed—and you’re forced to keep on track with the study plan. Although learning on your own may be more cost-effective, people with serious language goals and the means to pay tuition would do well to consider total immersion programs. A great middle ground is online instruction. ALTA’s own Online Language Training offers the benefit of personal customized instruction while maintaining the flexibility and mobility of self-study programs.

2. Practice Makes Perfect

An important element to learning a language, no matter what method you choose, is to really study. Every day you need to set aside time in your schedule to practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Here are a few ideas to get you out of the coursework and into real life situations:

• Watch a foreign film without subtitles. You might not understand everything that goes on, but it is a good way to use context and cultural clues to learn words—and to hear how everyday speech sounds like in that language.
• Read one newspaper article in your target language every day. Not only will you catch up on the latest news from around the globe, you’ll also hone your reading comprehension skills.
• Log onto sites like italkie and chat with a language exchange partner. It’s like having a pen pal in the other language, but via video feed!
• Improve your writing skills by starting a journal in the other language. After you write something, submit it to Lang-8, a language exchange website that allows you to submit writing in a foreign language and then have a native speaker correct it for you. You can then, in turn, help others learn your native language by doing the same for them.

3. Focus on the Vocabulary

Chances are, if you know 1000 of the most common vocabulary words in any language, then you can follow 85% of normal speech. Make flash cards of common verbs, nouns, and adjectives and review them on a daily basis. Every time you run across a new word, make a note of it—and then remember to review it until you recognize it on sight/speech. Vocabulary isn’t everything, but it is a huge facet of any language.

4. Follow Through

A day will come, whether one week into learning a language or after several months, when you need a break. No matter how long you need to take off, don’t forget to hit the books again. After taking time off from the language, simply start by reviewing the last couple of activities/chapter/vocabulary words that you worked on. Spend a day or two reviewing to make certain you know it before you move onto more material. Don’t make a habit of taking time off, but remember that it’s ok to take a break every now and then—as long as you remember to put your nose back to the grindstone again.

5. Don’t Stress the Small Stuff

A huge hurdle for many language learners is the need to say and understand everything perfectly. While that’s a good thing, remember, don’t stress out! You’ve just started to learn an entirely new language, something you didn’t grow up hearing spoken in your household or taught at your school. It is natural to mix up words and phrases. Learning a new language isn’t fast or easy, it takes time and work, so don’t be frustrated when you don’t pick up everything on the first try—with the proper guidance, and hard work, you will reach your goal.

Stay tuned to Beyond Words for more advice, audio exercises, and interesting language articles!

                          

While the data from the Modern Language Association (MLA)’s 2006 study, “Enrollments in Languages Other Than English in the United States Institutions of Higher Education” is a few years old, there is still much to be gleaned from the report’s findings. From 2002-2006, the number of foreign language learners, in languages other than Greek and Latin, increased by 175,734 students, or 12.9%. Interestingly enough, during that same time period, college enrollment dropped by 48,000 students, according to the Digest of Education Statistics. So while postsecondary enrollment has increased since 1960, when the MLA began its analysis, in recent years the number of students enrolled in foreign language classes has increased while college enrollment has fluctuated by 50,000 students or so.

But what does this say about enrollment in specific languages—are certain languages like Spanish and Arabic more popular now than before?

In 1960, modern languages other than Spanish (i.e. excluding Latin and Greek) were 58% more popular than Spanish. By 2006, Spanish, however, was 15% more popular than other modern languages. This shift began in the mid-1990s, sometime between 1990 and 1995 and is a decidedly contemporary phenomenon, but it wasn’t until 2006 that the number of Spanish language learners pushed into a strong majority over every other foreign language.

The breakdown of the top five foreign languages learned in 2006 is as follows:

Spanish (822,985 students)
French (206, 426 students)
German (94,264 students)
American Sign Language (78,829 students)
Italian (78,368 students).

The first three, of course, are expected—Spanish, French, and German have always been the top three foreign languages in the United States. Until recently, however, French has always been the most popular, followed by Spanish and then German.

Interestingly, though, while Arabic does not make the top five, it has seen the most drastic growth in numbers of students enrolled. From 2002-2006, the number of students enrolled in Arabic courses has increased from 10,584 students to 23,974 students—a 126.5% jump. Along the same lines, Chinese, number seven on the list, has seen a 51% increase from 2002-2006, with American Sign Language, Italian, and Japanese hovering in the 20-27% growth range. French and German, on the other hand, have only seen a 2.2% and 3.5% increase during the same time period. While the number of students enrolled in French and German is certainly much higher than those enrolled in Chinese or Arabic (the 206,426 students enrolled in French in 2006 versus the 23,974 enrolled in Arabic), if the “less popular” languages continue to increase exponentially as they have from 2002-2006, the modern language game might look a lot different in ten or fifteen years.

As heartening as these statistics are, there is a concrete difference between those who only begin to learn a foreign language and those who pursue advanced study. The ratio of introductory to advanced enrollment in all languages at all universities (including 2-year institutions), for example, is approximately 5:1. For some languages, the disparity is greater, for others not as drastic. Introductory students in Russian, it seems, do pursue advanced study to a greater degree than those studying other languages—the ratio is only 8:3. American Sign Language, on the other hand, has a ratio of 14:1—it seems that most students enroll in only a semester or two of ASL. So how does Arabic, the language with over 100% growth fare? It’s ratio of beginning learners to advanced learners is 8:1—on par with most languages other than Spanish, French, or German, but not exceptionally encouraging if one is looking for proficient English-Arabic speakers. French and German, the second and third most popular languages, hover around a ratio of 4:1, whereas Spanish sits at one of 5:1.

Although one would think that the ratios would be closer when looking at the statistics minus two-year institutions, the ratio of introductory to advanced students is barely lower—7:2 for all languages. In regards to the top three languages, however, the ratios are much closer—3:1 for Spanish, French, and German, and Russian, while 8:3 in institutions including two-year schools, is 7:3 in four-year institutions. Arabic remains only slightly better at a ratio of 7:1.

Overall, it’s easy to see that foreign language learning at postsecondary institutions is on the rise, but it’s hard to pin down the degree to which students are actually learning languages. There’s not data, for example, on the ratios of introductory to advanced foreign language learners in 1960 vs. 1990, so it’s impossible to compare the competency level of foreign language learners now vs. then. What is easier to see is that Spanish has not just overtaken French and German as the most popular language, but also that with a 10.2% increase in enrollment from 2002-2006, it’s far out-pacing French and German with their 2.2% and 3.5% respective increases. And the languages to watch are definitely Arabic and Chinese with their 126.5% and 50% increase in enrollment from 2002-2006. Should we expect those numbers to keep growing, or will some other language become a key player in the higher education scene?

photo by Magdalar

                          

Welcome to the first installment of ALTA’s Beyond Words Podcast. Each episode will provide listeners with the latest language news, language-related interviews, or language lessons that can be applied to real-world situations. They’re always brief, always informative, and always entertaining.

Today’s language lesson deals with Arabic phrases for getting from an airport to a hotel. You can listen to the lesson on our website or download it for later playback on any standard MP3 compatible device. We hope you enjoy listening!

Listen to Episode 1

Download

To download Episode 1 for playback on any MP3 compatible device, simply right click and “save link as” or “save target as” — DOWNLOAD .

Subscribe on iTunes

You can subscribe to the Beyond Words Podcast on iTunes. Every time we release a new episode, your iTunes library will automatically upload it. Just follow the link — SUBSCRIBE.

____________________________________________________________________________________________
ALTA has provided language training to government agencies and corporations for 30 years. To learn more about our programs, please visit Online Language Training.

All music and sound effects were provided by The Freesound Project.
Thank you to the following people for use of their field recordings and samples:
Genghis Attenborough, Djgriffin, Bram, Acclivity, Corsica_S, CGEffex, Burkay, and Afterguard

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-d1f907415ea19550131e6912f9582dbd}

                          

Speech perception is the process by which we hear, interpret, and understand the sounds that make up language. While most people think first of the tongue when acquiring new language skills, the ear should not be forgotten. The auditory perception and comprehension of sounds specific to the foreign language you study are vital to communication, and these skills need to be practiced. For instance, many English language learners have trouble distinguishing between l and r sounds in spoken English. This difficulty doesn’t suggest that they are slow learners or lacking in language abilities, but that they have not spent sufficient time practicing listening comprehension with the speech sounds of English.

Research by CDT scientists specializing in hearing and cognition shows that speech perception practice makes learning English easier when paired with existing language training methods. Emeritus Professors James Miller, formerly of Washington University School of Medicine and Charles Watson, former chair of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at Indiana University, have drawn from their many years researching speech perception and computer-based training systems, to develop the most comprehensive speech perception training program: Speech Perception Assessment and Training System for students of English as a Second Language (SPATS-ESL).

The SPATS software system, originally developed for the hearing-impaired, was modified for use with ESL. The program works by helping learners to recognize syllable constituents: onsets, nuclei, and codas, as well as sentence recognition. Syllable constituent and sentence tasks are interweaved throughout training. In constituent training, SPATS uses an innovative training algorithm, Adaptive Item Selection (AIS), which focuses training on specific sounds.

From Communication Disorders Technology:

SPATS-ESL is not designed to teach English grammar, vocabulary, or idioms. It is designed to teach International Students with a basic knowledge of English to be able to accurately perceive naturally spoken English sentences and to be able to identify the basic sounds of spoken English accurately.”

According to data from CDT, a vast majority of SPATS-ESL users said that perceptual training should be used in all ESL programs, that perceptual training improved their participation in every day conversation, and that perceptual training improved their pronunciation of English. CDT’s research and perceptual learning products indicate that speech perception training may significantly aid non-native language learners.

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ALTA Language Services, a leader in customized language training for 30 years, has entered into a cooperative arrangement with Communication Disorders Technology, Inc., developers of computer-based speech training systems for persons with hearing impairment and for students of English as a second language. To learn more about the program, please visit our Speech Perception Training page.

                          

You can test the study’s findings with the 10 Foreign Language Cover Songs we compiled here. When able to, we included the original English language song so you could compare the two versions. We posted the English language streams via the free online music service Lala. You’ll notice the YouTube video directly followed by a smaller gray and blue Lala player.

In order to stream the original English versions through Lala, you may need to start a free account. Signing up for Lala is easy, and once you have an account, you’ll be able to stream tracks from their music catalogue of more than eight million songs. You can also follow ALTA on Lala so you can hear what we’re listening to in the office and suggest new tunes to us!

Johnny Cash performing I Walk the Line in German

Die Ärzte performing Gehn Wie Ein Ägypter
A German cover of The Bangles’ Walk Like An Egyptian

Seu Jorge performing David Bowie’s Life on Mars? in Portuguese

Los Campos Magnéticos performing El Galán de La Paternal
A Spanish cover of The Magnetic Fields’ The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side

Blondie performing Call Me in Spanish

Mikel Erentxun performing Esta Luz Nunca Se Apagará
A Spanish cover of The Smiths’ There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Rachid Taha performing Rock El Casbah
An Arabic cover of The Clash’s Rock The Casbah

Adriano Celentano performing Pregherò
An Italian cover of Ben E. King’s Stand By Me

Oksana Mysina and Oxy Rocks performing Не то уж теперь
A Russian cover of Bob Dylan’s Things Have Changed

Shang Shang Typhoon performing レットイットビー
A Japanese cover of The Beatles’ Let It Be

More Music for Language Learners:

For additional covers in foreign languages, visit these sites:

The Word: Foreign Language Covers Thread
Lyrics Training: Improving Language Skills Through Song

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ALTA has provided Language Training to government agencies, corporation, and non-profit organizations for 30 years. As trailblazers in the area of language training through video-conferencing technology, we invite you to learn more about our Online Language Training programs. The only unconditionally guaranteed language lessons in the business.

                          

The Direct Method

The Direct Method is also known as the Oral or Natural method. It’s based on the active involvement of the student in both speaking and listening to the new language in realistic everyday situations. The process consists of a gradual acquisition of grammatical structure and vocabulary. The learner is encouraged to think in the target language rather than translate. He or she hears and uses the language before seeing it written.

The Grammar-Translation Method

This method grew from the traditional method of teaching Latin and Greek. The method is based on analysis of the written language using translation exercises, reading comprehension and written imitation of texts. Learning mainly involves the mastery of grammatical rules and memorization of vocabulary lists.

The Audio-Lingual Method

This self-teaching method is also known as the Aural-Oral method. The learning is based on repetition of dialogues and phrases about every day situations. These phrases are imitated, repeated, and drilled to make the response automatic. Reading and writing are both reinforcements of what the learner practices.

Comparing the Language Training Methods

This comparison graph shows the expected results for a typical student applying the same amount of time and motivation to the learning. We scored the value of each method from 1 to 10 in the following aspects: Speed of Learning, Listening Comprehension, Speaking Capability, Writing Capability, and Grammar.

The Direct Method gives the student the ability to communicate quickly because she is encouraged to be creative during practice. It gives, by far, the widest range of capability to understand what another person says to you and in developing your capability to speak. This is the method of choice for instruction with a live trainer and where speaking and listening are most important.

The Grammar-Translation method requires the learner to spend a lot of time understanding the language structure. Listening and speaking suffer because of this. Understanding the structure is helpful in reading and particularly in writing. Grammar and vocabulary are emphasized throughout. This is the method of choice when the student’s goal is to achieve a high level of writing and reading ability in a foreign language, versus speaking and listening.

The Audio-Lingual Method also allows the learner to communicate quickly but within the limited range that the repetition allows. It improves comprehension only if the speaker uses phrases that the learner has studied. Reading is limited, and an understanding of how to use the language is very limited. This is the method that is used when a live trainer is not available.

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ALTA creates customized online language training programs based on the Direct Method and the Audio-Lingual Method. ALTA lessons include initial, interim and final language testing to verify progress. All testing is on ALTA’s 1 through 12 scale or the U.S. government’s ILR scale (Interagency Language Roundtable). The Audio-Lingual Method is used for specialized programs that are not trainer-led, particularly at the lower levels of initial skill.

                          

Since the earthquake in Haiti, thousands of medical workers, translators, and interpreters have organized for specialized relief efforts. Translators Without Borders will soon offer a medical triage dictionary for use with Haitian Creole, and ALTA has enlisted our resources to translate and record Haitian Creole medical phrases for aid workers and volunteers. Based on selections from the Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook published by the Red Cross, we hope that the phrases are useful for those who want free Haitian Creole pronunciation practice.

Haitian Creole sometimes has more than one term or phrase to describe a medical condition or English term. In those cases, our translator was asked to choose the most common Haitian Creole variant in order to be understood by all speakers despite regional and cultural differences.

You can listen to the phrases directly on our website or download them for later playback on any standard MP3 compatible device. Each sound clip contains a recording of the English phrase followed by the Haitian Creole pronunciation, and finishes with the Haitian Creole phrase repeated for emphasis. We hope that this resource is helpful and we welcome any feedback.

Haitian Creole Medical Phrases:

1. What is your name?

2. I am a nurse.

3. I am a doctor.

4. I am a disaster volunteer.

5. I am a social worker.

6. May I examine you?

7. How old are you?

8. Were you recently injured?

9. Did you lose consciousness?

10. When did you become ill?

11. Do you have any pain? Where does it hurt?

12. Does it hurt when I press here?

13. What is your level of pain, rating it from 1 to 10?

14. Are you bleeding anywhere?

15. Do you have a cough? Are you coughing anything up?

16. Are you having trouble breathing?

17. Please take a deep breath.

18. Please open your mouth, stick out your tongue, and say “aah”.

19. Please hold this under your tongue.

20. I’m going to take your temperature.

21. You have a high fever.

22. Do you have diarrhea?

23. Are you constipated?

24. Do you have any swelling?

25. Do you have trouble seeing?

26. Do you have trouble hearing?

27. Do you have trouble swallowing?

28. Do you have trouble walking?

29. Are you pregnant?

30. When was your last menstrual period?

30 (b). Alternate phrase using a common idiomatic expression for ‘menstrual period’:

31. Do you have a history of cancer, heart disease, or diabetes in your family?

32. Do you have any chronic diseases, such as asthma, diabetes, or epilepsy?

33. Are you taking any medicine right now?

34. Are you allergic to any medicine?

35. I need to take your blood pressure.

36. I need to listen to your chest.

37. I need to give you an injection.

38. I need to take a blood sample.

39. I need to give you some stitches.

40. You have a broken leg.

41. You have a broken ankle.

42. You have a broken arm.

43. You have a broken wrist.

44. You have a broken shoulder.

45. I need to put a cast on your broken leg.

46. I need to put a cast on your broken ankle.

47. I need to put a cast on your broken arm.

48. I need to put a cast on your broken wrist.

49. I need to put a cast on your broken shoulder.

50. Please urinate into this container.

51. Do not eat or drink anything. (Note: Haitian Creole recording separates this into two phrases: Do not eat anything. Do not drink anything)

52. You are going to be okay. Don’t worry.

Download

To download these Haitian Creole Medical Phrases for playback on any MP3 compatible device, simply right click and “save link as” or “save target as” — DOWNLOAD .

Related Articles

Beyond Words Podcast Episode 4: Emergency Medical Phrases, A Haitian Creole Lesson

Other Online Resources

Byki Haitian Creole for iPhone and iPod Touch
English – Haitian Creole Medical Dictionary
Haitian Creole Phrasebook
Translators Without Borders

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The Help Heal Haiti graphic T-shirt by Bruno Postigo can be purchased online. Proceeds go to Red Cross.

ALTA is an Atlanta based Language Services Provider celebrating 30 years in business. In addition to providing Translation Services, Language Testing, and Language Training, ALTA participates in various charities, from raising money for AIDS research, to offering free language training programs to non-profit organizations. For more information, please call 404.920.3800.
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SYMPATHY and EMPATHY
The word “sympathy” has been used in the English language far longer than has its sibling “empathy.” For centuries, “sympathy” meant the ability to “feel with” another person – to understand and to be affected by his circumstances. In the early 20th century, “empathy” worked its way into English as a term utilized in psychoanalysis. Whether being empathetic helps or hinders the agent is up for debate, but having such a quality does imply a great deal more effort than merely being sympathetic. Being empathetic entails not only “feeling with” another entity, but also projecting oneself onto that entity to fully comprehend its state of being.

FLAUNT and FLOUT
Here we find another case of similar sounds and wholly different meanings. To flaunt a quality or object is to put it on display, to parade it around in order to impress others. To flout something is to scorn it and treat it with contemptuous disrespect. The latter has a surprising etymology, most likely form the Old English flouten, meaning “to play the flute.” Apparently the flute could make a fairly derisive-sounding whistling sound.

DISCREET and DISCRETE
Most of the time when we wish to utilize discretion, we mean the first term, Discreet: prudent, cautious, and not in plain sight. The second word, discrete, is typically used in the field of mathematics to refer to distinct and separate entities.

STATIONARY and STATIONERY
When you are standing in one spot, you are stationary. When you write a letter on fancy paper and stamp it closed with wax, you are using stationery.

VENAL and VENIAL
Though they sound similar, these words could not be further apart in meaning. A “venial sin” is a small peccadillo – pardonable, easily excused, and quite minor in nature. The word originates in the Latin venia, meaning “forgiveness.”

“Venal,” however, indicates something far graver and more reprehensible, stemming from the Latin, venum, meaning “sale.” This term came to indicate a person susceptible to corruption, who could be bought or bribed if the price was right.