Dutch subtitles

In Belgium, you have the opportunity to watch the "Travel Channel" in American English. If you choose the Dutch package, Belgacom TV offers you Dutch subtitles (given the price charged, the word "offer" is quite misleading ;=)). 
This way, I listen to magazines spoken in English while reading the translation in Dutch. It's a perilous exercise very demanding in terms of concentration but it's quite efficient. I watched "Bizarre Foods America" several times for fun... Thankfully, this magazine about junk food is broadcast just before dinner time (Belgium). After seeing the most unbelievable street foods in America you are not hungry anymore. However, there is more good news: for the same price you can learn two languages at once while dieting!

Become the language learner you want to be

The future of English : Go English N°58 January-February 2013 

An article published in the latest issue of “Go English” explore for us the realm of language-learning strategies, from using innovative technologies to writing a language learning plan.

The first advice given by the author is to personalize your learning strategies, whether your motivations are career or leisure-related, they are closely linked to your aspirations and that’s what makes your apprenticeship unique.

They suggest that by taking time out to get to know ourselves better,we should be able to build up a learning strategy that suit best our ways of learning. Knowing better how we function as a learner will enable us to play to our strenghts.

Here are some examples of steps you can take towards getting better acquainted with your learning style through the use of new technologies.

For those who learn best by engaging in real-life conversations, there are versatile online websites offering tuition as well as online chatting. For example, have you ever considered how you could use Twitter or Facebook choosing the English version on a day-to-day basis and encourage your friend to respond in English too. Little things like this, done on a regular basis, can add significantly to your language practice time.

A handy way of squeezing some language practice into a small time window can lie on the use of language-learning apps such as crosswords or games like “Word Carrot” to commit more new vocabulary words to memory.

In a more collaborative approach, you can share video on Youtube and try to post the transcript you’ve produced. You could also use a bookmarking sites to collate useful language resources and share them with others.

You can also choose to start off a blog and share resources that can be used time and again by people following you. Putting yourself out there in the blogosphere helps also to generate enthusiasts and could even open doors that you least expect.

Writing a learning plan can help you to think through your learning objectives. You can list your areas of strength, weakness, the time frame to realize your objectives and you can record your progress against your objectives.

You can indulge in more relaxing activities by watching a film with English subtitles.

To put in a nutshell, technology has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past decades, opening up doors for creative and exciting ways to learn a language than ever before, so by taking time to get to know what works for you, you are setting off on an exhilarating journey. The world is your oyster!

Vocabulary

realm : domaine
by taking time out to get to know oneself : en prenant le temps de se connaître
to play to our strengths : exploiter ses points forts
getting better acquainted with: se familiariser avec
to squeeze sth into: caser quelque chose dans
to commit to memory: graver en mémoire
to collate : rassembler
time and again : maintes et maintes fois
Putting yourself out there : se faire connaître
to think through : bien réfléchir à quelque chose
record your progress against : évaluer ses progres par rapport
indulge in : s’offrir
to put in a nutshell: en résumé
by taking time to get to know what : en prenant le temps de connaître
setting off on : se lancer dans
exhilarating : exitant
The world is your oyster! : le monde vous appartient

Dreams 'can help with learning'

Napping after learning something new could help you commit it to memory - as long as you dream, scientists say. Dreaming may be a sign our brain is working hard in our sleep. They found people who dream about a new task perform it better on waking than those who do not sleep or do not dream. 

Study tips
Co-author Dr Erin Wamsley said the study suggests our non-conscious brain works on the things that it deems are most important. 

"Every day we are gathering and encountering tremendous amounts of information and new experiences," she said. "It would seem that our dreams are asking the question, 'How do I use this information to inform my life?"

The research, published in the academic journal Cell Biology, could have practical implications.The scientists say there may be ways to take advantage of this phenomenon for improving learning and memory. 

For example, students might be better studying hard before bedtime, or taking a nap after a period of afternoon study. 

More about this subject at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8638551.stm

Take advantage of subtitles

• Listen to the BBC and display the teletext on screen so as to pinpoint the words you don't understand the meaning or the pronunciation