Learing

 While my first post about Japanese words with no English translation was centered around words that have to do with work, this second part takes a look at another pivotal part of Japanese culture: the connection between humans, nature and the universe. Although working hard is highly valued, having a balance within yourself, with nature and with the universe is considered equally important; something we should all aspire to have.   1. Yugen “A profound, mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe…and the sad beauty of human suffering.” It’s this awareness of the universe that triggers emotional responses that are too mysterious and deep for words – when you realize how long it took for the universe to create the world we live in, when you think of how many cells make up your body and so on. 2. Shouganai “It cannot be helped.” This is connected to the idea of fate and encourages us to accept the things that are out of our control. Worrying won’t stop t...

 Few experiences offer as many learning opportunities as spending time abroad. However, close your eyes, and you’ll find those weeks and months disappear like sand through a sieve. A much better plan? Dig in and rule your time overseas with these ten ways to get the most out of your study abroad trip.   1. Get organized before leaving Leaving paperwork to the last minute equals major headaches! Before you go, quiz your study advisor, professors, or former study abroad students on what is required of you in the preparation stage. Important things to consider include health insurance, budget planning, homestay arrangements, weather, and airport pickup. 2. Set goals for yourself Whether you want to master a foreign language, dive into a new major, or work toward your dream degree, don’t take the “study” out of “study abroad.” This isn’t to say you can’t have fun while overseas – no doubt, there will be loads of it – but remember that your program is, above all, a ch...

 English words that sound different around the world (2) We’re back with another comparison of English words from around the globe. In case you missed our last edition of the megabattle, here’s how it works: We take a word and find out how you say it English dialects from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Let the battle continue! First, let’s welcome back our contenders: From the UK: Tom From the USA: Martinique From Australia: Erin From New Zealand: Fiona From South Africa: Christine   1. A party Tom: Everyone I know calls a party a do . So, you could say a birthday do , a wedding do, an anniversary do, and so on. A do usually implies the party is formal to some degree, which makes sense because British people are totally classy all the time. Martinique: We just say party , which you can hear in all the most popular songs ranging from Miley Cyrus to Kendrick Lamar. If a party is insane, you call it a rager . Or, if you ...

 Having a tandem partner is the best. And no, by “tandem partner” I’m not talking about two people who share a bike. I mean tandem language learning – when two people get together to practice languages: Person A practices language B with person B for 30 minutes, and person B practices language A with person A for the remainder of the hour. (I guess, they could technically do this on a bike, but let’s just focus on the languages for now.) Tandem works best if you take language classes at the same time  – that way, you can use the time together to practice conversational skills and really put all of the theoretical knowledge to the test. Without wanting to rain on your parade: It’s probably not possible to learn a language only with tandeming, as you will usually only meet and talk for about an hour each week. But it’s a great way to complement language classes or to help retain your language skills after a study abroad trip.   Benefit 1: Boost your langua...

 It’s time for another vocabulary update – the Oxford Dictionary leads the way and we happily follow along with all kinds of new words that can perfectly prepare you for your next mic drop moment. So, ignore all those butthurt, manspreading randos who look like they hangrily just rage-quit their video games and focus on all the awesomsauce words in this snackable post – use them when butt-dialing your friend Mx. Smith, MacGyvering your broken bike or inviting your friends to join beer o’clock.   1. Awesomesauce (adjective) Sauces are the new thumbs: When something is extremely good, feel free to call it awesomesauce. The opposite, something extremely bad or disappointing, would be weak sauce. Don’t ask me why strong sauce hasn’t made the cut. “My new bike is awesomesauce!” “His latest movie is total weak sauce.” 2. Manspreading (noun) If you use public transportation, you’ve probably been exposed to or even engaged in manspreading: Male commuters whose legs commit the...

 For decades, the hustle and bustle of New York City has been providing the perfect backdrop for movies, no matter the topic or the budget. We selected a few gems that make the city look like a true silver-screen superstar: some of them want to make you book a ticket immediately, others inspire you to follow your passion no matter where you are or gently remind you to not mess with ghosts and monsters. All of them will give you a glimpse into the hopes, dreams and fears of New York’s inhabitants (and help you improve your English skills in the process!).   1. Do the Right Thing It’s the hottest day of summer in Brooklyn, and an argument in a pizza parlor ends with racial tensions and tragedy. Do the Right Thing is continuously ranked among the best movies, and it has all kinds of awards to prove it. The film definitely hasn’t lost its power: sadly, racial tension and police brutality continue to be a relevant topic – in New York City and beyond. 2. Manhattan Every ...

 Part of every student’s TOEFL preparation is taking practice tests. TOEFL practice tests familiarize you with the types of questions you’ll see on the TOEFL, as well as the response rules and time constraints for each question type. There are five ways to get TOEFL test practice:     Official test bundles: ETS, the company that makes the TOEFL, sells bundles of practice tests with same-day correction included. Those are the closest you can get to the real thing without signing up to take the TOEFL. If you can only afford to buy an official practice test bundle once, do it at the end of your test preparation period, just before signing up to take the real TOEFL. That way, you’ll get a nearly authentic TOEFL experience right before the truly authentic one, as well as an accurate score that tells you what you can expect to get on the real test. If your score on this official practice test isn’t high enough, there’s no point signing up to take the TOEFL. Y...

 Learning a new language takes motivation, determination and time. It can be confusing and intimidating. Sometimes, it’s also very boring because verbs don’t conjugate themselves. But you know, sometimes verbs don’t have to be conjugated at all. But we’ll get to that in a minute.   Learning a language is like skating Languages are considered difficult when they are particularly complex and are not closely related to your native language. It’s like skating: If you know how to roller-skate, ice-skating will be easy. Considering how ‘removed’ from western languages and how complex they are, mastering Chinese, Japanese, Korean or Arabic is like getting a perfect score in an Olympic skating event. Well, not quite. It really only has to do with how many hours you spend learning the language, the resources you have available and how motivated you are. Any of these difficult languages can be learned. They just take a little more time and effort. But nothing is impossi...

 If you want to do something good for yourself, learn another language. I admit, posting this here might come across as biased, but scientists are on my side: Speaking more than one language doesn’t just give you more choices when applying for jobs or when diving into the dating pool, it can actually alter your brain structure and even increase your brain size: It’s almost as if your brain suddenly had a sixpack and killer biceps! These pumped up mental muscles help you focus, make you more creative and a better analytical thinker who has exceptional memory and excels at planning and reasoning. In short: language learning can turn you and your brain from average Joe’s to superstars! Here are four impressive facts about your brain when it learns a new language:   Multitasking becomes easy as pie Being able to speak two languages can help you focus and filter out information that is irrelevant. Switching between languages makes your brain more flexible and it can...

 Football is a national obsession in Britain and it’s full of weird and wonderful phrases. From screamers, walls and buses – here are the most common football expressions explained to help you understand the local lingo when watching a match in the UK. And whatever you do, don’t call it soccer!   What a howler! If you find yourself watching the English national team play- this phrase will likely come in handy. This expression is used after someone has made a comical mistake. It is usually attributed to red-faced goalkeepers after failing to stop a shot and sullen-looking players who’ve scored an own goal. Ref!!! Who’d be a referee?! Almost every decision is met with unrelenting cries of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing,’ and ‘get your eyes tested.’ Disagreeing with the officials is constant in most sports across the world and simply shouting ‘ref’ in disbelief at a dubious decision is commonplace in football. What a screamer! Usually reserved for the likes of Me...

 What’s more exciting than stepping into the airport, luggage in hand, ready to catch a flight? For many travelers, foreign exchange students, and language learners, nothing is! With so many people coming and going around the world, airports make for very busy places. Whether taking a domestic or international flight, there’s a lot of vocabulary to process at the airport. Here are ten words and phrases you’ll need.   1. To check in (v) When you arrive at the airport, look for the big screen that lists the desk numbers where different airlines (companies) check in passengers. At the appropriate desk, an airline staff member will ask you for identification and register you as a traveler for that flight. These days, it’s often possible to check in online before arriving at the airport, which saves loads of time. Remember:  “Check in” is an inseparable phrasal verb, meaning you can’t separate “check” from “in.” (For example, the sentence “I checked in online” is ...

 Whether it’s seeing majestic Mount Fuji from your window on a bullet train, eating your weight in Katsudon (a breaded and fried pork cutlet with egg over rice), or watching some cosplayers roam the streets of Tokyo’s Akihabara district: Japan is breathtaking, impressive, and unique. There’s nothing quite like it, and I mean this in the best way possible. Naturally, when you come back from the Land of the Rising Sun and want to tell everyone about what it was like, it’s often hard to find the right words. I can’t guarantee it, but maybe one or all of these 13 Japanese words without an English translation can help you make your travel adventures come to life.   1. Tsundoku “Leaving a new book unread after buying it and just letting it pile up with the other unread lonely books in your house.” I know, all book lovers out there probably squirmed reading this, but we know it happens: You get excited about that new book you just bought, only to come home to 34252522 other respon...

 This time of year soaks us with new beginnings, bird songs and chocolate bunnies. The Germans have named it “Frühlingsgefühle” (Spring fever), the Italians talk of Spring as the season of love and the English announce feeling “full of the joys of Spring”. In this season’s spirit of growth and joyous feeling, here are 12 idioms, adages and proverbs from around the world to develop your springtime language skills and celebrate the season.   1. English –  “April showers bring May flowers.” In England, this phrase is spouted to encourage positive spirits despite the sometimes cumbersome British weather. The rain may pour now, but it will make everything look even more beautiful later. 2. German – “April, April, der macht was er will” “April, April, der macht was er will” meaning “April, April, it does whatever it wants”. This lament on the unpredictable April weather tells us all we can do is accept its volatile attitude until the month is over. Be prepared fo...

 Parles-tu Français? Non? Soon, we’ll have you saying, ‘Oui! Oui! Oui!’ If you’ve decided to join almost 300 million French speakers and learn the world’s fifth most widely spoken language, there’s no time to waste. Not quite sure how to get started? Here’s our list of ten handy tips to help you learn French quickly.     1. Prioritize Start by thinking about the vocabulary that you will need the most. Identify the situations you are most likely to experience — like speaking to friends about your weekend plans. It can help to role play and practice them. This way, you’ll be better prepared when they happen in real life, giving you more confidence to enjoy the conversation and go beyond the basics. 2. Read, read, read Local news, social media posts, the back of your cereal box — read anything and everything! If it’s available in French, we say: devour it. Children’s books and young adult fiction are a fantastic place to get to grips with grammar and spelling, and y...

  Study abroad trips offer you a chance to fully immerse yourself in a new culture, often for the first time. Being exposed to a rich, deep culture that influences music, food, drink, family, holidays, dress, and beliefs can be captivating, and completely transformative. While you may be focused on learning a new language , what you’ll gain goes way beyond language skills. You’ll develop a holistic understanding of another culture and push yourself out of your comfort zone. You might even pick up some awesome new hobbies, learn some local recipes, or discover a favorite sport.  Are you ready for your very own cultural immersion journey? Find out what exactly it is and why it is so transformative.   Improve your empathy and cultural sensitivity Immersing yourself in another culture allows you to see the world from another perspective. We all grow up with a certain belief system, so seeing the world through another lens gives you a greater appreciation and empath...

 You have devoted hours, days and weeks to participating in classes and soaking up every word of wisdom your teachers and professors have shared in class. The only thing left before your well-earned summer break are your final exams, and despite all the hard work you put into your assignments and group projects during the year, final exams often decide whether you’ll spend your summer sunbathing or cramming for exams you flunked and need to retake. But don’t despair. We’ve put together a short list of tips and tricks that will help you survive your final exams and spend the summer enjoying poolside drinks instead of dusty books.   1. Plan Planning is everything! In order to keep track of all your exams and all the different topics you have to study for, make sure to schedule your studies carefully. Take some time to make your own personalized schedule with a clear outline of what you’re going to study when. Allocate more time to classes you find particularly chal...

 Learning a new language is hard, but who says that it can’t be enjoyable, too? Mastering a new language requires effort, of course, but there’s no better feeling than that first conversation with a native speaker that goes really well. To get you well on your way, here are ten great ways to quickly master German.   1. Read everything From German magazines and newspapers, to blogs, books and comics, making time to read lots of different styles of writing will help you master the language. Even if you’re just reading a few pages or articles every day, you’ll gain a much deeper understanding of common sentence structures as well as grammar and spelling. The different types of content you read can strengthen your knowledge of formal or informal German, as well as help you keep up to date with news and culture. 2. Follow new influencers Whether you’re using TikTok, Instagram or Twitter, find some German-speaking content creators to follow. This way every time you ope...