Archive for the ‘News:Learning language online’ Category

  • 17 Jan

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    Real English Conversations

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    Hi! Lori here, welcoming you to another episode of Real English Conversations from BetterAtEnglish.com. In today’s conversation, my friend Yvette returns to help me finish our earlier conversation about perfectionism and procrastination. This time we focus on the strategies that we’ve found helpful in our own battles with this debilitating problem. As always, you can find the vocabulary notes and full transcript of this podcast on our website, www.BetterAtEnglish.com.
    OK, here we go!
    English Class

    Lori: Actually, there was one thing that I think in our last conversation about perfectionism and procrastination that we didn’t really cover…
    Yvette: OK
    Lori: …and that’s what you do to get out of the procrastination habit once you’ve identified that you have a problem with it. Like if you have any methods that you’ve used to help you over the fear of starting or working on whatever it is you’re supposed to be working on.
    Yvette: [Laughs] You’re asking me?
    Lori: Yeah, yeah we didn’t talk about that.
    Yvette: How you actually get out of it? Wow…
    Lori: If there’s anything you do…
    Yvette: If you find out, let me know. I mean, that’s kind of tricky. Wow, that’s something to think about. Well, usually I start with a plan. You break it down and smaller bits…so… the way that I can do it sometimes is to just say, “There is…I need to do a task and let me just first open the file folder.” That’s my first step. Once I’ve got that opened up and I’ve got the file maybe even opened in my browser — whatever I needed to be in — then I can start working on it. But it really is just kicking my butt…giving myself a good kick and going, “Come on, you can do it today.” But I tend to just find 15 other things to do first, which is clear my desk…oh yeah, I need lunch…oh, I need to do to the — let me do the groceries right now instead of later, so I don’t get interrupted by that. Um, so I tried to get rid of things, but I don’t know, I try to plan it better, but that usually doesn’t work — for me anyway.
    Lori: Uh huh. Well, it sounds to me, when you mention that, for example, if it’s a writing project, that you start by just opening the file….
    Yvette: Yeah.
    Lori: …to me that sounds like you’re breaking it down to something you know you can do that really doesn’t require any performance. I mean it’s not difficult to just open the file and look at it, but then at least you make that first step.
    Yvette: Yeah, it’s…I do find though, that is the hardest step, that very first one. Once I’ve got that one, it pretty much moves on from there. Once I’ve got the file and I know what I’m looking at — and maybe part of that is that it’s a bit chaotic, especially as a writer I may have 15 drafts of a similar text, and I’m not even sure what the first one or the last one was that I used and which one I was in, and I try to make notes of this in a notebook that I keep specifically for that purpose, umm, but to know what part, what I should be working on, just that, identifying that helps. And then I can open that file in my word processor and start working, umm, and then it’s okay. And then it’s just a matter of not getting interrupted by anything or anybody.
    Lori: Yeah, that’s really hard.
    Yvette: Because once that interruption comes, then it’s very hard to go back to it.
    Lori: Yeah, it takes you a while to get back into the flow once you’ve been interrupted.
    Yvette: But it’s also kind of overcoming a sort of fear of not being able to do it. Umm, you know, when you want to start a task and you think, “Ah, I don’t know, it’s a big task; I’m not sure I can do it.” You know, to just get started and throw out the idea that it needs to be perfect, and that you know, any effort right now would be good. But by that time though, I’ve already procrastinated to a point of it almost not being possible anymore, or at least being way too late. You know what I mean? It’s like you’ve already kind of passed five deadlines at this point.
    Lori: Yeah, mmm. I guess were coming round again to that idea that just getting started is often the hardest part, and by that I don’t mean like actually “started at the beginning of a project,” but maybe even when you’re working on it, like, getting started with your work period for the day, or whatever, that’s really hard.
    Yvette: Yeah.
    Lori: And I found, for me, there was actually a site on the Internet that had what they called a “procrastination hack“…

  • 28 Dec

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    Learning Language Online Tips

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    Knowing more than one language in today’s world is not so unusual. With cultural barriers coming down, and many people living in and visiting non-native countries, it makes sense to have at least a basic knowledge of one or more languages other than your native tongue. It has never been easier than it is today to learn a foreign language. Taking a foreign language course online is a convenient and even speedy way to learn another tongue for work, for travel, or for your own personal enrichment. You can enroll in an online college or University language program, and earn your degree in the foreign language of your choosing. If time is a factor, you can choose from many accelerated language programs offered online. If you choose to receive a degree in a foreign language, you will come away not only with a college education, but you will more than likely come away being fluent in the language you studied, both written and conversationally. This has many advantages for you career-wise. An accelerated course will probably give you a good basic foundation of a foreign language, which will be helpful in business-related travels.

    Being fluent in a language like French, Spanish, or German will allow you to communicate with your peers and associates abroad, eliminating the need for a translator. Also, if your job demands that you be relocated abroad, learning the native tongue of the country to which you are transferring will ease your transition there. You will find the cultural differences far less stressful if you are able to understand what people around you are saying!Learning Language Online In addition, learning a foreign language opens up whole new career paths for you. If you become fluent in one or more languages, you have the opportunity to be certified as a foreign language translator. This challenging career opportunity requires you to be fluent in one or more language, and to be knowledgeable in another industry, such as law, healthcare professions, or business.

    Working as a translator, you would be bridging the gap between English and non-English speaking associates by converting documents of all types so that each party is able to understand them. In this position, you can work full-time for a larger firm, or you can strike out on your own as a freelance translator, and make your own work schedule and workload. There are many advantages to learning a foreign language online. Whether you decide to enroll in a degree program or simply take a few accelerated courses, you will find that doing so online is very convenient. Often, courses are completed at your own pace, with no set class times. All work is submitted online, and you will find many opportunities to interact with instructors and peers. Additionally, if you are learning a foreign language for your job, many employers are willing to pay the tuition and fees for courses taken in relation to work.

    If you are interested in learning language online to a conversational level, here are some tips which will get you on the right track fast. Follow these tips and you discover the best way to learn Korean in less than two months! Most learning language online approaches fail, because they do not focus enough on all of these aspects of learning the language. In particular, the areas of sentence structure and reinforcement are neglected. This fact applies to Korean courses online, tutors, and Korean classes equally. The other important point about focusing on sentences instead of words is that you will be searching for vocabulary naturally. I don’t know the neurological reasons for it, but if your brain seeks out information it will retain the information much better than if you try to cram information into memory.

  • 24 Nov

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    Easily Learn Spanish Online

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    Globalization has made it crucial to learn languages other than English. Spanish is becoming an important language in Europe and is often a preferred language choice after English. It is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world. Spanish is phonetically perfect and is very easy to learn.  If you learn Spanish, you can easily learn other Latin based languages like French and Italian. Learning Spanish can give you practical knowledge in personal as well as in professional life. You can now learn this language effortlessly online, no matter what reason you want to learn it.


    You can find a number of Spanish courses online, which claim to help you to learn Spanish. Most of them are not at all worthy for the price. They may help you to learn some basic words, numbers etc. If you want to learn the language to communicate with a native Spanish speaker, these courses may not help you.  Taking traditional classes to learn this language has many disadvantages. Traditional courses cost you more. As the class is scheduled within a designated time and place, you need to take effort to go to the location at the scheduled times. Moreover, you need to incur some extra cost on transportation. The instructor may also use traditional lecture methods to teach Spanish, which may feel boring.


    The best way to learn Spanish is to find out a great online course. You can find some of the best Spanish courses on the Internet, which cost only a fraction of the price of enrolling in a traditional school. Online courses like Rocket Spanish and Learning Spanish Like Crazy help you learn to speak Spanish quickly and easily. You can achieve conversational fluency in Spanish within a short period of time by simply following the instructions provided in these courses.


    Choosing a great online Spanish course designed with a native English speaker in mind can help to keep things more comfortable. The course consists of audio tracks that enhance your learning experience. It comes with some exciting games, which help you learn Spanish in an enjoyable manner. The games keep you to stay focused and help you enjoy great fun while learning. The games have various difficulty levels, which help beginner to advanced level learners develop, maintain and expand your Spanish learning abilities. You can take online tests and quizzes, which help track your progress. You can contact the knowledgeable, friendly team members in the course providing website and get your queries solved.


    You can get a great amount of course materials from the best online Spanish course. The lessons are designed by professionals to make your learning process as simple as possible. The course is free from any boring, outdated learning methods. Moreover, it allows you to learn Spanish at your own pace. You need not rush through anything for any reason. You can access to the online forums, meet other members and share questions and answers with them. You can download these great courses easily and can transfer the course lessons to your iPod or MP3, so that you can learn the language on the go.

  • 13 Oct

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    Walk-to-School Month has Blackwell students hoofing

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    　　The first steady rain of the season didn’t deter hoards of Blackwell Elementary School students and their parents from donning the galoshes and umbrella and hoofing it to school Oct. 5.

    　　Students, some likely driven by the incentive of cool prizes, and some possibly just desiring to get some exercise, filtered into the school’s parking lot from surrounding neighborhoods in northern Sammamish as part of International Walk-to-School Day. It officially kicks off a month of schools around the world focusing on the benefits of walking to school.

    　　Douglas Cherry, a second grader at Blackwell Elementary School, writes his name in chalk on the sidewalk as he arrives to school in the rain Oct. 5. Photo by Christopher Huber“It’s nice we can all live so close to the school,” said Karen Santini, a Blackwell parent and walk-to-school organizer.

    　　Not only did large groups walk to school together in the rain, many of the students paused to scrawl their names on the “walk of fame” sidewalk, umbrella in one hand, sidewalk chalk in the other. Most students live within one mile of the school, said past Walk-to-School-Month organizers. So, although plenty of parents drove their student to school this day, still more, it seems, chose to make walking or riding their bike a habit.

    　　Santini said the youth began the month of walking Oct. 3 and many will keep track of total days walked or ridden to reach milestones for prizes. Each student received a calendar and serious participants mark off each day they follow through. After walking 15 days, a student receives a water bottle. They can subsequently earn a bike helmet, a pedometer, or even $50 to REI or Pacific Bicycle, Santini said. To make the month a little more interactive in 2011, each student wrote, “I like walking to school because …” on a paper foot cutout. PTA helpers then posted them on the walls throughout the school for others to peruse. Office staff also reads a few during morning announcements, Santini said.

    　　She said she most appreciates neighbors simply being together each morning, especially when they coordinate the “walking school bus” a group that roams the sidewalks, picking up walkers as it goes.

    　　“You really are out there and chatting, and the kids are together. You feel like you’re all together,” Santini said. “We forget how nice you feel when take a walk before you start your day.”

    　　This was Blackwell’s fourth year participating in the international month of walking. But in 2010, millions of students in more than 40 countries participated in International Walk-to-School Month, according to International Walk to School.

    　　The basic ideas driving Walk-to-School Month are to encourage physical activity, raise awareness of how walkable a community really is, raise concern for the environment, reduce traffic congestion, pollution and speed and to promote families spending quality time together, the organization said.

  • 12 Oct

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    Skyline students push for Chinese classes in state

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    　　As leaders of the Chinese Cultural Club at Skyline High School, Kevin Li and Andrea Liu networked and lobbied school district leaders for two years trying to get a Chinese course offered at school.

    　　“It wasn’t as successful as we had hoped,” Kevin said.

    　　So, before their senior year started, they jumped off and formed the Washington Association for Chinese Education, an organization dedicated to promoting Chinese-language initiatives in schools around Washington. And having already partnered with more than a dozen China-relations organizations, the students launched one of their first initiatives. The “Why Learn Chinese” contest runs Oct. 1-31 and is open to Washington students who already take Chinese or want to learn the language.

    　　“We thought asking the community why it’s important would be a good start,” Kevin said.

    　　The association and its initiative to bring Washington students to the competitive edge of China-U.S. relations has received support from many local leaders, including Gov. Chris Gregoire. The group’s website displays an official letter from the governor’s office, too.

    　　“China’s growing influence in the global economy makes fluency in Chinese of particular interest to businesses here in Washington … To underscore this point, China was our number one export market last year. This relationship is strengthened when we make language and cultural exchange a priority,” the Governor’s letter said, “and I applaud WACE for its commitment to educating students about the benefits of learning Chinese. For young people to recognize the importance of language capacity, but also to exercise leadership in promoting it is truly inspiring.”

    　　Despite the workload of running the organization, studying and applying to colleges, Andrea and Kevin seem the most enthusiastic about the contest and the group’s drive to promote Chinese culture among fellow youth.

    　　“I’ve seen the competitive Chinese culture and can see the enormous benefit and opportunities there,” Andrea said. “In the future, we’re going to be the ones doing business with China.”

    　　In addition to the contest, the students’ organization tutors students in Chinese and SAT prep after school and runs the Skyline cultural fair in the spring.

    　　The two leaders said they encourage middle and high school students who are studying or want to learn it to participate in the contest. They can submit one of two types of entries: a written essay, poem or song of 300 to 500 words; or a video of a song, poem, speech or other creative format no longer than five minutes.

    　　The organization will accept only online submissions and each entry must be original, in English and address the question, “why should we learn Chinese?” Each participant may only submit one entry.

    　　“It really is a cross-cultural, cross-border collaboration,” Andrea said.

    　　According to the organization’s website, a judging panel composed of certified teachers and professionals with Chinese culture and language experience will review all entries. Rather than critique writing and performing skills, the judges will mainly consider aspects like superior ideas, message and overall content of each entry. In the end, they will pick one grand-prize winner, two runners-up and three honorable mentions.

    　　The grand prize is an iPad 2 or the cash equivalent. Each runner-up will receive $250 and each honorable mention participant will get $100. Those top six winners also will receive an honorary plaque and an invitation to the contest’s awards ceremony at the Seattle Chinese Garden. There they will have an opportunity to meet top business leaders and officials from Washington.

  • 02 Oct

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    Student loans not likely to vanish anytime soon

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    　　According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Education, default rates on federal loans are now at their highest level since 1997. More than 320,000 borrowers fell behind on payments for the period that ended last Sept. 30, the government reported earlier this month. That translated into $2.4 billion in loans in default.

    　　And unless the economy starts showing a stronger pulse, the debt situation is likely to get worse.

    　　The Education Department report prompted a proposed resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives that calls for forgiving student loan debt for all college grads, including those who are also throwing every spare nickel every month into paying off loans like clockwork.

    　　The thinking: Forgiving the debt would free up more money for people, especially low-and middle-income borrowers, to spend and stimulate the economy.

    　　As stated in the proposal, “instead of saddling entire generations with debt from which there is no escape, let’s empower the American people to grow this economy on their own!”

    　　Don’t expect this political side show to get very far. True, wiping debt off the family ledger will put more money back in your pocket and it could even encourage more spending that will move the needle. But it wouldn’t make for sound economic policy, and might hurt the banks that hold student loans and the federal government, which guarantees them. Bankruptcy laws also could be problematic.

    　　Still, mounting student loan debt is very real. Borrowers can be financially handcuffed to loan payments for years to come. For those with default checkmarks on their credit reports, the outlook can be particularly bleak.

    　　No doubt, borrowers are feeling strained. They’ve fallen behind on their payments either because they’re unemployed or earning little. For many, there’s simply too much debt and too little income.

    　　But in some cases, grads have also managed their finances poorly.

    　　While 8.8 percent of borrowers overall defaulted on federal student loans as of last September compared with 7 percent the previous year, the default rate actually peaked at 20 percent in 1990.

    　　Digging deeper into the numbers, the highest default rates came from students at for-profit colleges and universities. These borrowers defaulted at a rate of 15 percent in their first two years of repayment through September 2010. That was up from 11.6 percent in the previous year.

    　　This was more than twice the default rate for students who attended public colleges and universities and about three times higher than the rate among students at private schools.

    　　The total amount of student loan debt now exceeds what’s owed on credit cards.

    　　It doesn’t take much imagination to see this scenario continue to spiral downward as jobs and salaries for new graduates become harder to come by.

    　　For many students, loans are the only option for being able to attend college. Luckily, the federal government provides a number of options for paying the money back. Borrowers need to understand their choices, then figure out the best way to make the loan payments manageable.

    　　Otherwise, the best way to deal with the federal loan program is to try to avoid it as much as possible. Some suggestions:

    　　-Readjust your mind-set: Many parents and students think highly selective schools with outrageous price tags mean status, identity and guaranteed employment after graduation. The reality: There are many good schools that may offer what you’re looking for at an affordable price.

    　　-Go with the free money: Looking for merit-based aid, which doesn’t require repayment and rewards students with good grades and test scores? Then apply to schools that offer generous scholarship packages.

    　　-Tap Grandma: If the grandparents want to help out with tuition and can afford to do so, take advantage of their generosity.

    　　-Graduate early: Earn college credit through advanced placement classes in high school. Also, test out of entry level classes in college.

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