June 22, 2013

Languages in the News

Language Corps Members Employ Skills for Nation

This article from the American Forces Press Service highlights the work being done by volunteer linguists with the Department of Defense. The volunteers provide language and cultural knowledge to those who are fighting overseas and at home. Rather than train employees in the more than 250 languages that the American forces encounter, the Language Corps employs volunteers with expertise in these languages to assist in translation and communication duties for numerous agencies, including the CDC, the Department of Labor, and Interpol. Motivated by a desire to serve the country, these language experts address the needs of an increasingly diverse workforce.

Click here to read Language Corps Members Employ Skills for Nation.

State of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Address

This short video clip from a recent White House conference on the state of Science, Engineering, Technology and Math highlights one question asked by a high school student regarding the place of language education in the teaching of STEM subjects. The respondent notes that language knowledge will be critical to future scientific collaborations, particularly with the space program. More importantly, he highlights the fact that multilingual speakers have the ability to look at situations from multiple perspectives or points of view, helping them become better problem-solvers when working to solve scientific problems.

Click here to watch part of the State of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Address.

Languages: The State of the Nation, Demand and Supply of Language Skills in the UK

The British Academy presents an extremely detailed look at language skills, linguistic supply and demand, and national educational policies for the United Kingdom. Research on the needs of businesses as well as the history of language education across all levels indicates there is an insufficient supply of language-speakers to address the growing demands of a global economy.

The report includes several interesting features: case studies of UK businesses to illustrate the gaps in language needs; detailed outlines of K-16 language policy from Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Great Britain; and analysis of how the market fails to prioritize language skill acquisition, creating a "vicious circle of monolingualism." The report concludes with recommendations for establishing a greater variety and depth of language education, including combining language with vocational and STEM initiatives, and helping employers to prioritize language skill acquisition within all levels of their business.

Click here to read Languages: The State of the Nation, Demand and Supply of Language Skills in the UK.

Tips and Tools

Websites

Learn a Language

This website offers lessons in eight languages. The site is free because it is supported by advertising dollars, although users can choose to pay for an ad-free version of the site. Each course includes visual flashcards, native speaker audio and interactive games.

The Lingo Dingo game challenges users to type in correct words or phrases quickly in order to build a robot. A memory-style game is also available. Vocabulary is split between themes and phrases.

Additional pages with brief explanations of culture, lists of the most common verbs, and an occasional blog are also available. The site could be used as an introduction to a new language, with lots of vocabulary and opportunities to hear native speakers.

Click here to access Learn a Language.

MERLOT

The Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) site is teaming with authentic material in different languages. Many video clips give visitors to the site a glimpse of how the language is spoken and how certain cultural aspects are practiced. The Merlot is an amalgam of fee-based and free resources.

Click here to access MERLOT.

Apps for iPads, iPods and iPhones

Reading Game Lite (English, Spanish, German)
This app allows users to move each picture to one of four word choices on a chalkboard. When a picture is matched correctly, the word is spoken aloud in the target language. If a picture is incorrectly matched, the player may try again. The total amounts of correct and incorrect words are always displayed at the top. The lite version includes 18 daily life pictures. The full version is available for $1.99 and includes 252 pictures. 

Learn Spanish with Spanish Smash (Personalized)
Learn Spanish numbers and animals without translating in this free game app. Each game increases in difficulty as the player taps the correct picture for each word spoken. The games are fast paced with audio and visual effects. Many other vocabulary options are available for a cost.

This issue of Newsworthy was compiled by Tammy Dann. Send any comments, questions or information for future issues to her at tdann@nnell.org

Thank you to Heather Hendry, Shanon Shreffler, and Andrea Suarez for providing the links and to Amy Murphy for providing the apps used in this issue.

Thank you to Amy Murphy, Kennedy Schultz, Sally Hood and Veronica Guevara for their work writing summaries.