Readlang is a website created
by Steve Ridout that helps you learn foreign languages (35 languages possible!)
by reading and translating words you don't know.
There is also a video to see how it works.
It is said to be now out of date, but more information is on the website.
On the website, first you set your native
language, then set the language you’re learning. Then insert a text. A text can
be cut and pasted onto the website, or a link can be uploaded. You can even
upload an entire novel. I tried it with the first paragraph of an article I
used with my students this past semester (see my last blog post, Self-parking automobiles), marking
German as “my language” and English as the language I’m learning.
When the text is on Readlang, you can put
your cursor on a word, and it is translated into your own language. The only
problem I had with this is that you can only translate one word – not a lexical
chunk (like “according to”) or idiomatic phrases (“just around the corner”).
And, as we all know, one-to-one translation doesn’t always work very well. But
for a fast and easy vocabulary check, my students will probably like to use this.
A useful feature is that all the words that
you have chosen to translate are then stored in the area called “Learn”, where
you can test yourself (like using flash cards). There’s also an area called
“Words”, which gives more information about each of the words chosen. The text
itself is stored in “Library.”
The site also has a blog where Steve
Ridout gives more information about how to use the site, and gives further updates
on the site’s progress.
The blog: http://blog.readlang.com/
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