You’ve done it (or you had no choice). You’ve decided to learn another language! But then, quickly, the frustration builds up. Reading and writing is going along ok, but the speaking … the pronunciation. The bane of many language learners: how to actually speak that language without making a complete fool of yourself. Two quite […]
Best Reads of 2017
After a pretty heavy semester, I finally have some time to follow up my 10 best reads of 2016, with my best reads of 2017. Having changed jobs to teach modern languages, I have been busy reading a lot of professional literature the last year or so, which has given me little free time for […]
Hardware and Software Tools of the Trade 2018
After several years, time has come for an update of my 2015 Tools of the trade post. This is the hardware and software I work with in 2018. Computers and other hardware I’m still a Mac person (an old 2009 IMac and a 2010 MacBook Pro 13 inches, still reliable, albeit a bit slowl). I […]
Listening to English over the Internet
One of the skills one needs to work on when learning a language is listening. It is important to listen to the language you are learning in real settings, not just in excerpts from media files found in language textbooks and manuals. There are many easy ways today to listen to English, even if you […]
Two Tips for a Better Use of YouTube in Language Learning
The use of YouTube in language education is pretty much a given today. Yet, speaking with colleagues and students, I realized that not all of them were aware that there are some features available that are really useful for language education. Here are two of them: Subtitles (or closed captions) and the speed at which […]
How To Pronounce the English “th”
“ze mozer of ziz boyz iz tirti-tree” A standard problem of English pronunciation: the English “th”. It involves sounds that many languages do not have. With a little help and practice, this is actually not very hard. (Since this is written mostly for my students or ESL students, this is written in a somewhat simpler […]
What’s the Problem With Trump’s Ban?
A former green card holder, I now live in “Hellhole”—aka Brussels–as President Trump once called it. In light of the terrorist attacks of Paris and Brussels, President Trump’s Ban (Executive Order 13769) aimed at “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States,” also finds supporters here. Like most people undoubtedly, I have […]
Is Trump Dangerous for the EU?
They will soon be calling me MR. BREXIT! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 18, 2016 According to Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, President Trump is a threat to the existence of the European Union. In a feat of hubris, Ted Malloch, Trump’s likely candidate for the post of E.U. ambassador, declared […]
My Ten Best Reads of 2016
If Emma Watson can do it, so can I. So after Emma’s year in books, here are my ten best reads of 2016. Be forewarned, these are not the best new books of 2016, but my favourite reads of the year, meaning some of these go back quite a while.
Setting up a Multilingual Drupal 8 Site
Many blogging and Content Management Systems have trouble handling bilingual content. Setting up a multlingual website usually requires a bunch of plug-ins, modules and often getting your hands dirty in the code. Such was the case with Drupal until version 7. Drupal 8 totally changed this. It is now really easy to set up a […]