• Motivational Quotes

    Have you ever gotten really excited about a goal or project, such as speaking a new language, just to realize a few weeks or even only a few days later that your excitement and motivation have failed? I have. It’s always such a bummer…and it’s frustrating. We’re ambitious people! We want to be successful and progressive! We should be able to accomplish these extremely reachable goals! Well, one of the best ways I’ve found to overcome this tendency to burn out like a shooting star is to frequently read/say motivational quotes and then do something right away to implement those quotes. There are thousands of motivational quotes out there. My suggestion is to start with a simple search on Google. I have collected a few over the years, and here are some of my …

  • World News of the Weekend

    It’s Monday, and that means we need to take a look back and try to get a grasp of what happened over the weekend. We do our best to stay updated with what’s going on around the world, and here is some of the notable world news of this past weekend. The World’s oldest survivor of Auschwitz death camp dies at the age of 108, via Fox News. Antoni Dobrowolski died Sunday in the northwestern Polish town of Debno, according to Jaroslaw Mensfelt, a spokesman at the Auschwitz-Birkenau state museum. UCI agrees to strip Armstrong of his 7 Tour titles, via Fox News. As far as cycling’s governing body is concerned, Lance Armstrong is out of the record books. Once considered the greatest rider in tour history, the American was …

  • Learning a Language : Our Mission

    Every organization needs to have a mission.  This is the purpose, the overriding goal behind everything that we do.  We here at LearnALanguage.com had a very long, intense discussion over what our mission would be.  We think that you’ll be excited about this: Our Mission: To make language-learning a convenient and social habit through modern technology.  Pretty simple, right?  Let’s break it down together, just to see exactly why we’re here and what we’re doing. Language-learning: We operate based on the assumption that everyone is interested in learning a second, third or fourth language (or ought to be so).  The benefits are enormous and let’s face it – no one will ever regret learning another language.  We all have our own reasons, and that’s good enough for us. Convenient: We know that …

  • Red Bull Stratos – World Record Jump

    This past weekend, some of you were able to witness a historic moment as Felix Baumgartner leaped more than 120,000 feet above Roswell, New Mexico. He broke the free-fall record set by Air Force test pilot Joe Kittinger in 1960. I think it’s great that it was sponsored by Red Bull and a few other companies. I have a slight obsession/addiction to Red Bull, and it’s great to see that some of the money I spend to keep me caffeinated has been going to science and education. This jump was seen live via webcast by millions across the world in a few different languages. So, my props go to the fine folks at Red Bull for making that happen. Enjoy this short video of the live jump:

  • Flash Card Apps

    When I first began learning Spanish, it was important for me to consistently review and reinforce what I was learning. In fact, that is still very important today and will be forever. I reviewed reading, computer and audio materials and would take notes of a few concepts I was learning and  glance at them throughout the day. Before smartphones, I used index cards for review. Now I do virtually everything on my PC or my iPhone. I recently had a need for a flash cards app and away I went to the app store. In my research, one particular website about flashcards apps was very useful. I suggest you visit flashcardapps.info to view information about 167 flashcard apps for the iPhone and iPad. That website owner gives a few features …

  • Funny Communication Fails

    FAIL The word “fail” is one of the most popular search words in Google and YouTube.  For some reason, human beings find enjoyment in watching the slip-ups and trip-ups of their fellow earth-dwellers.  America’s Funniest Home Videos, a TV show based solely on people falling over, is one of the most popular, family-centered TV shows of all time.  There’s nothing wrong with that (mostly), but here is the question: How do you make sure that you are the one watching these ‘fails’, not the one performing? I can’t tell you how to ride a bike properly, or how NOT to jump into a swimming pool, but I can give you some help with the language blunders that happen so often.  We’ve all heard the horror stories, and some of us …

  • Happy Birthday Multi-Language

    Are you tired of saying happy birthday in just one language? Add a little spice to the birthday party by being able to say happy birthday in multiple languages. You could even have a happy birthday multi-language party! Here is a video to help you: I hope your birthday party is awesome!

  • Reasons to Learn a Foreign Language

    What does Friday mean to me?  It means that the weekend is only a few hours away and that it’s time to give my brain a well-deserved break.  Learning a language is important, and we’ve all been working hard.  We deserve a break – check out this video from Mr Jake Beus of LearnALanguage.com and have yourself a good laugh to start off the weekend: Jake Beus on Learning – Click Here We’ll see you on Monday!    

  • How to Turn Motivation into Celebration

    What gets you motivated? What gets you super-pumped and excited? What events cause celebration in your life? Take a moment and really think about those questions. It may even be helpful to write down your answers. I’d like to take a moment and answer those question for myself, and together I hope we can learn how to turn motivation into celebration. What gets you motivated? For me, the answer to that question depends on what the goal is. In my life, I usually see or experience something that motivates me and gives me the desire to set a goal and achieve it. For example, I have seen a healthy transformation in my father. For years, he could not sleep in a bed because he would get heartburn every night due …

  • Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award Winners

    One great way to immerse yourself in a new language is by watching TV or movies in that language. If movies are your choice, you should consider picking from the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners. Every year since 1956 non-English films that are made outside the United States are nominated for the award. These nominations and awards make a great resource when looking for the best foreign language films. The winner at the 2012 Academy Awards was “A Separation” directed by Asghar Farhadi. The film is in Persian and marks Iran’s first win since the award began. Some other notable nominees from this year included “Bullhead” in Dutch, French and Limburgish; “Footnote” in Hebrew; “In Darkness” in Polish, German, Yiddish and Ukrainian; and “Monsieur Lazhar”  in French. Yes, speaking is …