GoEnglishGo.com: Virtual English school
Real world English schools are great. You enter a new environment where the primary language is English. It's easy to forget that you're still in your native country. And you get to make new friends who also share your passion and interest in English.
But traveling to an English class is also very inconvenient. Depending on where you live and work, it probably takes considerable time to get there. And when you leave, the English lesson ends. You might have a homework assignment, but outside the magic of the classroom, it's less compelling.
With a virtual school, you lose the effect of the environment and much of the social interaction. But you are able to study at any time of the day or night. And you don't have to lose any time traveling there!
This article is about an online language school, GoEnglishGo.com, which is run by an American from Texas, who now lives in Kraków, Poland.
(Full disclosure: while the founder of this school is a personal friend of mine, I'm not receiving any monetary benefits or commissions for writing this review.)
Read more the full review!
Unique American Religions
A few interesting religions began in the United States, including Mormonism and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Amish religion did not originate in the United States, but this interesting cultural group is now only found in the U.S. (and a bit of Canada).
Though these three religions are very different, they are all based in the U.S., so I’ve received many questions about them from LinguaTrek readers. All three of these religions are based in Christianity.
Read more to learn about these interesting religious groups!
How to learn two languages at once
Can I learn two languages at once? Or should I only learn one at a time?
I see these questions often.
Many people have successfully learned more than one language at a time. But many, many more have failed.
Personally, I have experience both succeeding and failing!
Please read more for my advice!
Vlog: Nasze mieszkanie w USA
Dzisiaj razem z żoną pokazujemy nasze mieszkanie!
Przepraszam, że to zrobiliśmy tak w pośpiechu ale moja żona tylko miała 5 minut żeby mi pomóc z tym, musiała od razu wyjechać na spotkanie. I z tego powodu zrobiłem strasznie dużo błędów. :-) Ale wreszcie możecie widzieć nasze mieszkanie!
Czytaj transkrypcję poniżej
Translating or native dictionaries?
Which is better? A dictionary which translates into your native language or a dictionary which gives the definition in the native language itself?
This is an often discussed and frequently controversial topic. Both students and teachers have strong opinions on both sides of the issue. But I suspect it comes to more to personal preference than anything else.
In this article I'll tell you which I prefer and why, then open it up to your comments. Which do you prefer?
Read more to join the discussion!
How to practice speaking over the internet
Nothing can replace practicing your language with a native speaker. But what if no native speakers live in your city? Not everyone has the means to travel to another country.
But that doesn't mean you can't practice speaking!
I've written about language exchange in the past.
This is where you meet with someone who's native language is the language you are learning and your native language is the language they are learning. For the first half of the meeting you talk in one language and for the second half you talk in the other.
And the best part is that this is something you can do entirely over the internet, using voice chat software like Skype!
Read more to learn how!
Review: Polygloto Polish
This is the fifth installment in a series of reviews of products for learning Polish.
Polygloto Polish is an online Polish language course created by 6ka.pl, one of the largest online language learning portals for Poles.
Read more for the full review!
Vlog: Learning how to shoot (Broń w USA cz. 2)
(This is the second part to an earlier vlog in Polish: Broń w USA.)
Along with another couple my wife and I went to the shooting range to learn how to shoot pistols.
It isn't necessary to take a course in order to go out on the range and shoot for the first time, but we felt it was more responsible to learn how to use a gun safely.
Watch the video for clips from the course and on the shooting range!
Read more for a transcript (with Polish translations!)
Vlog: Broń w USA (cz. 1)
Dzisiaj mówię na temat broni w Stanach Zjednoczonych: zasady dotyczące jej kupowania i noszenia ze sobą w moim stanie, Wisconsin.
W sobotę opublikuję filmik, w którym z żoną i inną parą pojechaliśmy na strzelnicę, żeby uczyć się jak strzelać z pistoletu!
Proszę podaj mi poprawki do tego filmiku w serwisie Lang-8.
Czytaj transkrypcję poniżej!
English: Our borrowed language
This is a guest post written by Alice Cuninghame on behalf of St Georges International. For students keen to learn English, learn French or learn German London language school SGI provides a great mix of top-class teaching and facilities and a vibrant social programme.
English is often referred to as a ‘mongrel’ language. It borrows words from other languages shamelessly, sometimes keeping them as they are, sometimes adapting them to make truly English words.
English has its roots in the Germanic family of languages, which includes German, Dutch and most of the Scandinavian languages. Unlike those languages, it borrows heavily from others outside the ‘family’. For historical reasons, French and Latin have had a particularly strong influence on English over the years.
More surprising is that English borrows some words from distant Poland. Increasingly, Polish borrows from English too. That is less surprising, given the worldwide domination of the English language, and the large numbers of Polish migrants heading to the UK in recent years.
Read more for some examples of Polish words in English!
English
Polski
