For the last year-and-a-half I’ve been learning Spanish. I grew up around Spanish speakers and took the subject in high school. But you know what has really helped with my Spanish language skills? Movies. More »
The best way to learn a new language fast is to start applying it right away, but a big barrier for new learners is not having anyone to practise with. Verbling solves that problem by connecting you in timed video chats with other language learners. More »
iOS: The iPhone has had a mobile-formatted Google Translate webapp for a while, but as of today they have a new native app with even more features, including speak-to-translate, offline storage, and the ability to hear your translations pronounced out loud. More »
Searching on Google always prioritises results in your own language, but for some topics a broader selection of sources can be useful. 2lingual lets you use Google’s search index to find results in two languages simultaneously, and displays the results in real time using the Google Instant engine. More »
There are many ways to learn a foreign language, but there’s no replacement for hearing it from a native speaker. With free web service RhinoSpike, you can submit text in any language and hear a native speaker say it back to you. More »
Windows: Big boxes of Rosetta Stone CDs and language dictionaries sit untouched more often than not due to their imposing heft. EasyWords just asks you a multiple choice or write-in question every so often, helping you learn or hone a language. More »
Android: Google’s Goggles app for Android can now translate foreign text that you capture (and crop) with your phone’s camera, potentially helping with signage, papers and other text found while travelling. In a quick test, it fared, well, interesting. More »
Using its vast compendium of voice and translation data, Google appears to be working toward a semi-real-time, or “speech-to-speech”, translation technology for future phone models, according to The Times UK. More »
Need a quick MP3 file of a certain saying to goof on a co-worker? Whatever your needs, Google Translate can be used as an impromptu text-to-speech converter, providing a handy MP3 file of your chosen words. More »
