Folium: Duolingo, Translate the Internet!
Folium: Duolingo, Translate the Internet!
Folium: Duolingo, Translate the Internet!
Most students and teachers would never dream of saying that learning a language is simple. In fact, many will tell you that the process can be arduous and intimidating at times. Though the outcome is greatly beneficial, the lectures, the homework, and the speaking tasks have all been known to torture students with nightmares of calamitous errors and uncomfortable misunderstandings during language development.
But what if learning a language could be easy? What do you think would happen if it was possible to learn different languages quickly and at little to no cost? Personally, I think the entire human population would be bilingual, if only they were given the opportunity.
Fortunately, technology has once again brought an incredible dream to reality. Duolingo is a website that offers free language lessons in exchange for translation of websites and articles from all over the internet. Registration is free, there are no ads on the webpage, and you can harness the intellect of thousands of people on one single website. Lessons are tailored to fit your learning level and discussions can be found at the end of each lesson. A running vocabulary list keeps track of new words you have learned and even gauges your strength with each new word. Basic lessons will get you started and steadily increase in difficulty as you complete challenges and earn skill points. When you’re ready, click on the “Immersion” tab to help translate articles from around the web!
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Because this is a project based on user accuracy, the more people participating, the more precise the translations are. With Duolingo’s connection to Facebook and Twitter, it is even possible to update and compete with your friends through social media! The site is still in beta testing, but already offers Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian and French. Watch the video, create a free account, and join me in the journey of becoming bilingual!
Alyssa Davis, LEAF Intern
Resources:
The LEAF Project
www.leaflanguages.org
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0
