I recently had the opportunity of meeting the co-founder of a new language-learning website called "Busuu". Busuu is a language on the verge of extinction; apparently today it's spoken by only 8 people in Cameroon. Other than that cool snippet of information, I didn't pay ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Foreign Language
Learn a new language, and the Silbo Gomero
I recently had the opportunity of meeting the co-founder of a new language-learning website called "Busuu". Busuu is a language on the verge of extinction; apparently today it's spoken by only 8 people in Cameroon. Other than that cool snippet of information, I didn't pay ...Making the most of your 'staycation': Learn a foreign language
With high gas prices and a low dollar the idea of "staycations" is all over the place. Go over to Urban Dictionary and there's even an official definition of the term that has come to define Americans' 2008 summer travel season: "A vacation that is spent at one's home ...The many languages of Suriname
If you've been following any of the recent language controversy in Philadelphia, you begin to see that a country's language is a constantly evolving mix of the cultures, customs and the people who use it. Here at home, this interplay is at often work between our country's de ...Fte de la Francophonie: Celebrating the francophone world
French is the native tongue of over 80 million people. But many more people interact with it on a daily basis, be it through culture, as a second language or even as a subject being learned in school. The francophone world stretches from Hanoi to Abidjan, bringing together ...The pocket translator goes mobile
One of the more difficult parts of my trip to Russia last year was the language barrier. Aside from having to navigate a whole new alphabet, it was difficult at times to find anyone that understood English. I frequently found myself pointing and gesturing or making use of a ..."Le" or "la"? Even the French can't decide
If you've ever dabbled in the French language, you know the difficulty of memorizing which gender goes with which noun. Why is a beard -- la barbe -- feminine? Why is a bicycle -- le vélo -- masculine? Well you shouldn't have to feel bad about your French language ...Straight-up Scandinavia: Understanding the smrgsbord
Smorgasbord is a word commonly used in the English language. The Merriam Webster Dictionary describes it as "a luncheon or supper buffet offering a variety of foods and dishes (as hors d'oeuvres, hot and cold meats, smoked and pickled fish, cheeses, salads, and relishes)." ...Straight-up Scandinavia: Learning the language of IKEA
I find that either you love IKEA or you hate it; you can probably ascertain my own leanings by the fact that I am writing this article. Coming from a Scandinavian family, we have friends who used to have stuff shipped from Sweden to the US before the store made its American ...Straight-up Scandinavia: Fika, the quintessential Swedish word
Any trip to Sweden, be it for business, personal reasons or just because you want to stay in the Ice Hotel, is going to necessitate knowing the word fika.
In a grammatical sense it is a verb meaning "to take a coffee break." But fika is so much more than a word; it is a ...Sarkozy asks news channel for 100% French broadcasts
Browsing through a past edition of the Economist, I came across this article about a French news channel that broadcasts in English and Arabic. The channel was recently shocked when President Nicolas Sarkozy stated that he thought it should only broadcast in French.
France ...Learning Spanish abroad: rewarding and inexpensive
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There is no better way to learn a foreign language than to throw yourself into a foreign culture and completely immerse yourself--unless it happens to be the Czech language you're trying to learn. And then no amount of immersion will ever make you fluent in this crazy, ...Speaking in tongues; dubbing the Simpsons around the globe
One of the more enjoyable aspects of travel is coming across a version of the Simpsons dubbed in the local language. Most of you reading this website are probably accustomed to the original American English voices of Homer, Bart, and the rest of the crew. Others around the ...Learn a Foreign Language Online with a Real Native Speaker
One of the very best ways to learn a foreign language is by conversing with a native speaker. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to find a native speaker when you are still at home getting ready for your trip abroad. Sure, you can pay a fortune and visit your local Berlitz, ...A Canadian in Beijing: Reverse Culture Shock
(This will be my last blog for this travel series. See the end of this blog for where to read my blogs in the future.) I have been back in Canada for just a few days and the music touring has launched in full force. Only two full days at home after three months away is ...A Canadian in Beijing: Vegan Mandarin Language Survival Guide
When I first arrived in China, I wrote a post entitled: "Vegan in China, Part 1." It was pretty negative all around. Why? Because I was hungry! About half-way through my trip, I followed that post up with a piece about the presence of an active vegetarian and vegan ...A Canadian in Beijing: Lost in the Market and Laughing
With a rickety gate marking one of the main entrances, the market spills out on both sides. There are stalls of all shapes and sizes featuring all kinds of items whose colours cascade down tiered bins and flowing displays. All of the visual action splashes into my senses. ...A Canadian in Beijing: Shannon's Wings
Today is the one-year anniversary of my friend's death. One year ago today my friend committed suicide and I had never before lost a loved one to the concept of choice. It was shocking, to say the least, and I struggled hard to work through the meanings, the messages, the ...A Canadian in Beijing: "No Clamber Over"
I'm from Ontario. It's a relatively flat province in Canada with lots of rolling hills and some small mountains that most of my west-coast friends won't even call mountains. That's fair enough, considering they're looking at the Rockies all the time. The first time I saw ...A Canadian in Beijing: Dealing Inspiration
One of my many aims of coming to Beijing was to embark on some music research (as described in my first blog). I spent the first six weeks gathering names and ideas and talking to people about my intentions to see what they thought of my research plans. I think taking ...A Canadian in Beijing: First Official Concert in China
I am happy to reprt that my first official concert here in Beijing was a complete success. By "first official concert," I mean the first "Ember Swift" show in Beijing and not a show that is part of another event or a performance that is supporting another artist or band. ...
