Tag: languages

Parcels flying over from Germany - from Momox perhaps?

Meet Momox – German Language Materials on the Cheap

You might already know that I’m a language learning eBay bargain hunter. The site is a goldmine of course book treasures. But if you’re after German realia in particular for your teaching and learning, the Momox store could be even more of an Aladdin’s cave.

Momox is one of the big used media sellers on eBay. If you’ve bought popular items on eBay in the past, you may well already know them. They deal in all the usual mainstream books, CDs and DVDs.

But there’s one key difference: Momox is actually a German storefront. Being headquartered in Berlin, they have an immense catalogue of German-language materials. And better still, all that still qualifies for their standard free delivery charge, making it a really affordable way to buy your authentic materials auf Deutsch.

Momox Merch

One particularly rich seam of goodies available for a bargain on Momox is reality TV merch. In terms of language learning, you’ll know that I rate following a reality franchise as a super fun way to engage with your target language country.

Personally, Germany’s take on Pop Idol, Deutschland sucht den Superstar, has been a favourite of mine since I excitedly discovered it in the early noughties. Back then, I had to wait for a trip abroad to grab the CDs and DVDs. Now, there’s a raft of Deutschland sucht den Superstar memorabilia on Momox, all at super cheap used prices! For fans of the rival Voice of Germany, you can even pick up the console game from the series. Hours of fun.

And there are books, of course – loads of them. For easy target language reading, all the big kids’ series are all there, like Harry Potter – just search “Harry Potter und” for all the German ones. They’re a lot cheaper than buying them from a UK-based store.

It’s all the kind of thing that would have made me giddy in my early language learning years (and kept the postman busy). If you’re a German learner, then Momox might be just what you need to stay plugged into German pop culture – without breaking the bank.

A robot playwright - now even more up-to-date with SearchGPT.

Topical Dialogues with SearchGPT

As if recent voice improvements weren’t enough of a treat, OpenAI has just introduced another killer feature to ChatGPT, one that can likewise beef up your custom language learning resources. SearchGPT enhances the LLM’s ability to access and incorporate bang up-to-date information from the web.

It’s a development that is particularly beneficial for language learners seeking to create study materials that reflect current events and colloquial language use. With few exceptions until now, LLMs like ChatGPT have had a ‘data cutoff’, thanks to mass text training having an end-point (albeit a relatively recent one). Some LLMs, like Microsoft’s Copilot, have introduced search capabilities, but their ability to retrieve truly current data could be hit and miss.

With SearchGPT, OpenAI appear to have cracked search accuracy a level to rival AI search tool Perplexity – right in the ChatGPT app. And it’s as simple as highlighting the little world icon that you might already have noticed under the prompt field.

The new SearchGPT icon in the ChatGPT prompt bar.

The new SearchGPT icon in the ChatGPT prompt bar.

Infusing Prompts with SearchGPT

Switching this on alongside tried-and-tested language learning prompt techniques yields some fun – and pedagogically useful – results. For instance, you can prompt ChatGPT to generate dialogues or reading passages based on the latest news from your target language country/ies. Take this example:

A language learning dialogue on current affairs in German, beefed up by OpenAI's SearchGPT

A language learning dialogue on current affairs in German, beefed up by OpenAI’s SearchGPT

SearchGPT enables content that mirrors real-life discussion with contemporary vocabulary and expressions (already something it was great at). But it also incorporates accurate, up-to-the-minute, and even cross-referenced information. That’s a big up for transparency.

Unsure where that info came from? Just click the in-text links!

Enhancing Speaking Practice with Authentic Contexts

Beyond reading, these AI-generated dialogues serve as excellent scripts for speaking practice. Learners can role-play conversations, solo or group-wise, to improve pronunciation, intonation, and conversational flow. This method bridges the gap between passive understanding and active usage, a crucial step in achieving fluency.

Incorporating SearchGPT into your language learning content creation toolbox reconnects your fluency journey with the real, evolving world. Have you used it yet? 

A taxi driver keen to start a conversation!

Captive Conversation : Taxi Cabs and Language Learning

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If there’s one frustration for language learners visiting their target language countries, it’s the lack of opportunity for conversation practice beyond “please” and “thank you”.

It’s a product of the short trip that most interactions will be pretty short and prosaic. If you’re not travelling there to meet someone in particular, you’ll be limited to service environments.

Not exactly scintillating conversation.

That is, except for one, quite particular scenario: the taxi cab.

Captive Conversation

Perhaps it’s the captive environment. Perhaps it’s just the fact that taxi drivers tend to be chatty folks anyway, happy to alleviate the day’s grind with some interesting convo. But I’ve had some of the best speaking practice ever when taking cabs abroad.

There’s such an easy structure to the start of a typical taxi cab chat. “Are you very busy today?” or “how’s the traffic been?” is the cabbie equivalent of asking about the weather, and it’s always worked as a nice way in for me. More often than not, you’ll get some kind of surprise response – wow, you speak Greek? – and then you can get in all of your language chat about why and how you learn.

The Art of Cab-versation

Most of the time, taxi folk are completely warm and lovely about chatting with you as a learner. And if they’re not in the mood for deep chats, you’ll soon know (and can try again next time). Most recently, I had a good natter with a couple of Greek cabbies in Athens and Crete (I’ve never had a Greek cabbie not want to chat). Somehow, both managed to turn the conversation to complaints about the government (probably a universal thing rather than a Greek, or even a cabbie thing!).

But one of my dearest cabbie convo memories is getting a guided tour of the area around Cape Town by a Xhosa speaker, back in 2007. I don’t speak Xhosa – I wish I did – but as well as telling us about the history of the area, he took us through some Xhosa words and phrases, and, of course, its click sounds. I have a video of it somewhere, which I promise I’ll share on here at some point!

Cabs can be a slightly pricier way to travel on holiday, for sure. But if you get 30 minutes (or more) of friendly – often very impressed – cab driver convo, just think of it as paying for a mobile iTalki lesson!

A robot dressed for a true crime podcast!

True Crime Podcasts – Suspenseful Language Learning

Looking for language listening practice with a thrilling – and sometimes macabre – twist? Then true crime is where it’s at.

I’ve fallen down a bit of a foreign language true crime rabbit hole of late. It’s a surprise, to be honest, since it was never really a thing for me in my native English. The same could be said for Scandi noir, though, which – inexplicably – I seem to love in Norwegian and Swedish, but never touch in English. Maybe we do have different personalities in different languages, after all.

Anyway, it turns out that true crime podcasts have everything you might want from target language listening practice. They have a predictable, narrative structure. They’re quite compelling, encouraging you to keep listening as the plot unfolds. And stylistically, they’re often delivered in a dramatically slowed-down, crystal-clear ‘acting’ voice.

The downside? The language probably differs quite a bit from ‘on-the-street’ language. Incidentally, that’s the same criticism often levelled at reading children’s books in your target language, which is still a great way to increase your exposure despite the naysayers. And narrative language is far from useless – it’s what I use weekly with my Greek teacher when talking about what’s been going on in my life, for example. A bit of Greek true crime has done wonders for my simple past.

Not that I’ve been involved in any crimes, I hasten to add.

True Crime and the Urge to Understand

As they’re resources intended for native speakers, true crime podcasts are something you’ll probably want to work in once you have a solid A2-ish level at least. I’m still working on my natural-speed Greek listening at these levels (B2+), and it’s far from perfect yet. Often, I’ll understand a key plot element in an episode of Αληθινά εγκλήματα, then half-understand the next (he did what with the frying pan?).

But there’s something about the suspense of a true crime story, told well, that makes you desperate to get that detail. I tell you, I’m 10-second back-skipping more often than I do with current affairs podcasts!

If you’re looking to work some of this suspense in your own language learning routine, true crime podcasts are not hard to come across. The word for ‘crime’ in your target language will probably yield quite a few in your podcast app of choice. That said, they’re vastly more popular in some languages than others. German, for some reason, is absolutely spoilt for true crime podcasts. A Teutonic slant for intrigue, perhaps? In any case, here are a few of my favourites in some of my target languages!

🇦🇹 delikt – Wahre Verbrechen aus Österreichs Süden
🇩🇪 Wahre Verbrechen
🇫🇷 L’heure du crime
🇬🇷 Αληθινά εγκλήματα
🇬🇷 Μέχρι Θανάτου
🇸🇪 Svenska brott

 

ChatGPT takes conversation to the next level with Advanced Voice Mode

ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode is Finally Here (For Most of Us!)

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Finally – and it has taken SO much longer to get it this side of the Pond – Advanced Voice Mode has popped up in my ChatGPT. And it’s a bit of a mind-blower to say the least.

Multilingually speaking, it’s a huge step up for the platform. For a start, its non-English accents are hugely improved – no longer French or German with an American twang. Furthermore, user language detection seems more reliable, too. Open it up, initiate a conversation in your target language, and it’s ready to go without further fiddling.

But it’s the flexibility and emotiveness of those voices which is the real game-changer. There’s real humanity in those voices, now, reminiscent of Hume’s emotionally aware AI voices. As well as emotion, there’s variation in timbre and speed. What that means for learners is that it’s now possible to get it to mimic slow, deliberate speech when you ask that language learning staple “can you repeat that more slowly, please?”. It makes for a much more adaptive digital conversation partner.

Likewise – and rather incredibly – it’s possible to simulate a whole range of regional accents. I asked for Austrian German, and believe me, it is UNCANNILY good. Granted, it did occasionally verge on parody, but as a general impression, it’s shocking how close it gets. It’s a great way to prepare for speaking your target language with real people, who use real, regionally marked speech.

Advanced Voice Mode, together with its recently added ability to remember details from past conversations (previously achievable only via a hack), is turning ChatGPT into a much cannier language learning assistant. It was certainly worth the wait. And for linguaphiles, it’ll be fascinating to see how it continues to develop as an intelligent conversationalist from here.

Mapping out conversational probabilities - it's much easier with flowcharts.

Vocabulary Flowcharts : Preparing for Probabilities with ChatGPT

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The challenge in preparing for a speaking task in the wild is that you’re dealing with multiple permutations. You ask your carefully prepared question, and you get any one of a number of likely responses back. That, in turn, informs your next question or reply, and another one-of-many comebacks follows.

It’s probability roulette.

What if you could map all of these conversational pathways out, though? Flowcharts have long been the logician’s tool of choice for visualising processes that involve forking choices. Combined with generative AI’s penchant for assembling real-world language, we have a recipe for much more dynamic language prep resources than a traditional vocab list.

And, thanks to a ready-made flowchart plugin for ChatGPT – courtesy of the charting folks at Whimsical.com – it’s really easy to knock one together.

Vocabulary Flowcharts in Minutes

In your ChatGPT account, you’ll need to locate the Whimsical GPT. Then, it’s just a case of detailing the conversational scenario you want to map out. Here’s an example for ‘opening a bank account in Germany’:

Create a flowchart detailing different conversational choices and paths in German for the scenario “Opening a bank account as a non-resident of Germany planning to work there for six months.” Include pathways for any problems that might occur in the process. Ensure all the text reflects formal, conversational German.

The result should be a fairly detailed ‘probability map’ of conversational turns:

A 'vocabulary flowchart' in German, created by the Whimsical.com GPT on ChatGPT.

A ‘vocabulary flowchart’ in German, created by the Whimsical.com GPT on ChatGPT.

Vocabulary flowcharts are another tool in your AI arsenal for speaking prep. Have you given them a whirl yet? Tell us about your own prep in the comments!

A panda catching letters and words from a magical social media stream (bookmarks are handy!)

Bookmarks SOS – Save Our (Language Learning) Stories!

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There’s been a truly creative explosion of language learning accounts on social media in the past couple of years. Every week I notice more and more content creators popping up, eager to share tips and tricks for learners of their language.

I’ve spotted some gems on Instagram lately, for instance. In Greek alone, I’m getting a lot from the regular postings of greeklearninghub, glossonauts, onlinegreek and greekwithdimitris (amongst many others).

But how best to engage with these feeds systematically as learning resources?

The problem is that they’re embedded in feeds that are meant to be fleeting. Watch, scroll, never see again. But when you spot a good one you’d like to spend more time with, there’s a feature that I only noticed recently – a little life-saver under my nose all along, that grabs them from the stream before they float away.

Story bookmarks!

Bookmarks SOS – Save Our Stories

In fact, it’s not just the bookmarks feature of social media apps that helps rescue these learning nuggets. Many platforms also have bookmark folders (TikTok calls them Collections), which means they can be organised by language, topic, or whatever else you like. 

Bookmarks organised into folders on Instagram

Bookmarks organised into folders on Instagram

Once saved, you can set a time to go back over them – ideally scheduling it as a weekly tactic. Write down useful phrases, add them to Anki, or whatever else you find useful in your own learning.

It’s a tiny little hack, and one so obvious – it was under my nose the whole time – that it took me an age to start using it. But it’s a great way to catch those potted lessons before the social media deluge carries them away!

French Coffee Breaks

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If you know me, you’ll know that French was long my ‘also ran’ language – solid but under-used and under-practised. But that’s been changing more and more in recent years, as the language has been unexpectedly useful for a whole range of reasons. So this week, here’s a wee heads-up from me about a book I’ve been finding super useful for brushing up my French: 50 French Coffee Breaks.

I’ve been aware of the Coffee Breaks Languages brand for a while, thanks to their series of podcasts. They’re not actually a resource I’d used much in the past, as I had the impression the level was a bit basic. Wrong false impressions – I was pepped up by their Swedish ‘holiday soap opera’ lately, which was far from beginners-only, and really helped prepare for a trip to Malmö.

Anyway, roll on to now, and me, searching for something to improve my French. I’m a repeat false beginner – I did French at school, but ditched it for German and Spanish early on. Since then, though, it’s become incredibly useful (and attractive) as the language of a wonderful country that is very close to my own, and so very easy to visit! Cue lots of ‘improve my French’ blitz sessions over the years.

The cover of the book 50 French Coffee Breaks
50 French Coffee Breaks

French Coffee Breaks

For that French blitz, there are a couple of good, systematic improve-your-French books about, including the excellent Teach Yourself French Tutor, which I’ve used for grammar training. And it’s Teach Yourself that are behind the 50 Coffee Break books too, so there’s heritage and form backing the format.

The approach couldn’t be better for a busy linguist fitting in an extra maintenance language amidst everything else. The chapters offer 5, 10 and 15-minute practice sessions, across a range of useful (very travel-friendly) topics. In fact, they generally took me less time, depending on the level, but in every case they either strengthened something I’d half-forgotten, or taught me something new.

It’s definitely the kind of book you’ll want to write on and deface with a pen – anathema I know (books are my temple too!) but I made an exception with this one. There’s something very satisfying about filling it with scribble, and the pocket paperback format is perfect for it (I’d never sully my Teach Yourself Tutor books this way, mind!).

Overall, a fab purchase that has confirmed how useful the Coffee Break Languages materials are after all. I was thrilled to see that a Swedish version was released only last year too, something that had escaped my attention. Needless to say, I’ve got that one on my shelf now too…

Edinburgh Castle, looking down on the Edinburgh Fringe fun!

Edinburgh Fringe for Language Learners : 2024 Edition

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The Edinburgh Fringe Festival – that month when entertainment engulfs the Scottish capital – is round the corner.

And I can’t let a year go by without my regular audit of shows for linguists. As ever, there’s a raft of exciting shows both in our target languages and in English, connected to our target language countries. These are artists travelling from all over the world that can’t wait for our enthusiastic support.

Buckle up – it’s another good one for language learners.

French

  • F*** Me I’m French! by Paul Taylor (The Stand Comedy Club) : A bit of a cult icon, is Paul Taylor. You might have seen him on YouTube, and enjoyed his unique brand of franglais comedy. Laughs guaranteed.
  • No Regrets (Pleasance at EICC) : Where would an #EdFringe be without a Piaf show? This year it’s singer Christine Bovill who keeps the flag flying.
  • Yazmina Reza’s Art (C Arts) : For French drama in English translation, look no further than Clarendon Productions’ reimagining of this deeply explorative piece.
  • More Than Nude (C Arts) : This bilingual French-English production by the Group Performatif Famapoil deconstructs beauty standards in another C Arts presentation – long a familiar, trusty name in our non-anglophone show lists!

German

Spanish

  • Don Quixote Rides Again (Scottish Storytelling Centre) : The venue couldn’t be more apt for this retelling of the classic adventures, with Spanish guitar and flamenco.
  • Flamenco Fiesta (Alba Flamenca) : With flamenco as much of a stalwart at Edinburgh Fringe festivals as Piaf and Brecht, this represents this year! It’s a bit of a theme, as…
  • Flamenco Guitar Odyssey (Alba Flamenca) : …fans of Spanish guitar will delight at this solo show, whose artist has garnered fabulous reviews.
  • Flamenco Jazz Sketches (Alba Flamenca) : Another offering at Edinburgh’s Alba Flamenca, this fusion presentation features two equally fêted artists.
  • Flamencodanza (C Arts) : Showstopping dance from this internationally proven dance duo. And great to see C Arts leading the way with overseas productions again!
  • Found Our Funny – Barcelona Comedy Tapas and Barce-laughter (Greenside) : Two revues of Barcelona’s burgeoning comedy scene.

The Best of the Rest!

  • Who Owns Languages? (The Stand Comedy Club) : A thoughtful exploration of languages by Edinburgh University’s own Dr Thomas Bak.
  • The Secret Life of the Scots Language (St Columba’s by the Castle) : Dr Clive Young introduces a language finally moving towards official recognition.
  • 100% C*ntinental (Laughing Horse) : Hot takes on European life galore in this stand-up revue show, which promises to be a fun one.
  • Hygge (Just the Tonic at the Caves) : Humorous Scandi takes by a group of Norwegian comedians. Maybe together, we’ll pin down this mysterious hygge…

So there you go – a wee selection of affordable (sometimes free!) shows covering all manner of languages. They take in the whole track of the emotional rollercoaster, too, from high drama to belly laughs. It must be said, when it comes to international artists, the Edinburgh Fringe never disappoints.

I’ve focused on the big ‘mainstream’ languages for the most part here, but this little lot should whet the appetite. Do comment if I’ve missed any goodies, though!

And above all: have a great laugh.

Lots of Swedish flags!

Malmö Calling! Language Learning Meets Eurovision 2024

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It’s been quite the experience, Sverige!

If you’ve kept up with my copious social postings, you’ll know that I’ve spent the last week in beautiful Malmö, following my Eurovision language dreams. Perhaps not the calmest of years to choose – the contest itself was mired in controversies that just seemed to be compounded by poor decision after poor decision. At times, the atmosphere felt incredibly on edge. Needless to say, the joy that was Switzerland’s Nemo winning was the tonic we all needed.

As for my language goals, though, it’s been a blast.

Since the moment Loreen snagged the prize in Liverpool, I’ve been seriously cramming Swedish. My chief strategy was to use my B2-ish Norwegian to leap-frog to its close cousin language, using my understanding as a scaffold to access more interesting, higher-level content, while focusing on similarities and differences between the two languages.

I put all that to the test this week. And I think I can finally say, without piquing my impostor syndrome to breaking point, that I speak Swedish. Ja, äntligen pratar jag svenska! Granted, coffee shop counters have been the main playground for my newfound skills, but with each interaction I’ve felt more and more confident using it.

Avoiding (Un)Helpful hands

One obstacle I was very wary of at first was the helpful English-speaker. You know the type if you’ve been to a country with really strong, widespread anglophone knowledge. You try out your target language, only to get English back at you by default. It’s often enough to scare you back into your shy language learner box and accept defeat.

In Malmö, however, it didn’t happen once. That’s perhaps more to do with my obsessive fascination with mimicry, rather than Malmoans’ inherent desire to help learners of Swedish. I’ve spent a lot of time listening to Swedish podcasts and watching Swedish series to train my ear. Then, in my spare time, I’ve rehearsed speaking phrases out loud, laying it on thick with the accent and paying particular attention to the Swedish tones. I’d clown around with it, role-playing an authentic Swede. Melodifestivalen introductions were particularly fruitful ground for this – låt nummer ett : Carola! I’d pronounce in the shower, in my finest continuity announcer svenska.

It may all sound completely bonkers, but it worked a treat. I ended up sounding decent enough for Swedes to assume I had a better grip of the language than I probably (certainly) do, but it stopped the dreaded automatic-switch-to-English, and gave me more precious time practising with real people. Once my level became apparent and the deception was revealed, I could hop in with a jag lär mig svenska (I’m learning Swedish), which resulted in some nice compliments and occasionally, a new word or two explained by the other party. My favourite was vispgrädde, whipped cream, explained by a very patient and lovely Espresso House barista!

So, I’ve come out of my Swedish adventure with a refreshed appreciation of accent-training as an indispensable part of any language learning regime. Podcast-shadowing, talking to yourself, singing in the shower – however daft it feels, it just works. Give it a go if you’re sceptical – I bet you’ll be surprised.

The only thing I have to do now is relearn how to speak Norwegian again without sounding Swedish…