Language Log: The Objectives

Hi everyone! In mid-February I began my language log for this year on Fluent in 3 Months (Fi3M). I have two language goals this time around, so I've decided to give myself plenty of time to work on them. This is partially because 1) learning two languages will make the process slower, and 2) I have work/life commitments as well. 

Here is the breakdown:

3 Amazing Instances of Cultural Exchange

An Arabic translation of a Greek text.

One of the most underrated joys, at least for me, is noticing the vast amount of cross-cultural sharing that exists in society. Modern views of "Globalism" that resound in the media tend to portray the topic as some mystical development springing from the advent of advanced communication. It's true that the internet has widened the scope of the world for the ordinary man, but cultural exchange has been around since the beginning of time.

Now, some may point out that cultural sharing can be the byproduct of violent colonialism. And that's true. But much of it also developed through other means, such as trade agreements or scholarship. Here are some of my favorite examples of successful cultural exchange.

Courseless: How To Master Grammar In Any Language

By Jazmin Quaynor on Unsplash.

In all of language learning, one word incites fear, disgust and exasperated sighs; one word that causes learners to steer clear of some languages; one word that dominates student study sessions: Grammar. Throughout my experience in the classroom, I've noticed that grammar is the greatest hurdle for students - regardless of language. It's what teachers spend the most time explaining, what self-learners put of learning. It's a stumbling block.

But it doesn't have to be.

NIE! "Nothing More To Lose" by Najwan Darwish

Title: Nothing More To Lose
Author: Najwan Darwish

Translator: Kareem James Abu-Zeid 

Web Dev: PHP Scraping & Quizes

In addition to taking a beginner-intermediate course on Udemy for PHP and MySQL, I've also been reviewing some projects I created in Rob Percival’s tutorial, The Complete Web Developer’s Course. My first run-through the PHP projects ended with quite a few errors, so I wanted to repeat the tutorials and create working demos. One of those projects I discussed last time –the PHP contact form.

Short-Form: Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore is far more well-known as a Bengali writer (among other things) than as a translator. And shouldn't he be? He was the first non-European to receive a Nobel Prize for Literature. In addition to literature, he was skilled and insanely influential to Bengali music and art. As an Indian nationalist, you'll find his compositions as national anthems.

But resources on his views of translation are fairly scarce. He did, however, write to the Spanish translator Joan Mascaró on his translation of the  Upanishads, a collection of Hindu philosophical texts.

Courseless: Getting the Most Out Of Your Dictionary

From Wörterbuch CH

It’s no surprise that the bilingual dictionary continues to be the cornerstone of language learning, in that appears to be an almost limitless resource for aspiring bilinguals and polyglots. Although a somewhat stale resource, a pocket dictionary may include 20,000 words – double the fluency word count. However, it’s often the case that the
student will learn and use the wrong word, despite using the dictionary.

Here are three tips to prevent making awkward mistakes: