The Harvard Language Exchange Program received a multi-thousand dollar grant from the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging to expand the reach of its language learning platform.

The Language Exchange Program, a platform connecting nearly 700 Harvard affiliates seeking conversational practice in various foreign languages, is based at the university’s Language Center.

Language center director Mary L. DiSalvo recalled that she struggled to find a native Italian speaker she could practice with while she was an Italian doctoral student at Harvard. program.

After taking up her post at the Language Center, DiSalvo said she realized a language exchange program could solve that problem by allowing Harvard affiliates to “enroll at their own pace, on their own terms.” to seek partners and meet them at their own convenience.

DiSalvo said the language exchange program encourages “cross-conversation” across a “pretty strong line” between members of different Harvard departments and schools.

“It seemed to fulfill not only the role of language practice for people who wanted to gain experience in a second, third or fourth language, but also to meet people at Harvard who they wouldn’t normally meet,” DiSalvo said. .

In testimonials, program users – who range from beginners to native speakers – have raved about the ability to connect with others who speak different languages ​​and come from different backgrounds.

Ariana Aram, a recent graduate of Harvard Dental School, wrote in a testimonial that she met two close friends through the program.

“It’s the thing I’ve been looking forward to every week (since summer 2020!) And it’s not only helped me improve Spanish and Italian, but also helped me better understand other cultures and perspectives through the lens of students from other Harvard schools,” Aram wrote.

Minami Kojima, who attended Harvard Extension School, stressed the importance of the program for non-native English speakers.

“As a non-native English speaker living outside the United States, this has been a great opportunity to improve my English skills in a more intimate, comfortable and relaxed environment, which prepares me to be more confident using the ‘English in the classroom,” Kojima wrote in a testimonial.

According to DiSalvo, the platform’s most popular languages ​​are Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, but the program has encountered difficulties in recruiting speakers of “less commonly spoken languages”, such as Romanian. .

To attract more users, the center has posted promotional newsletters and posters and is holding an open house in the spring.

“Hopefully as we move forward, we can host more events — in-person events — at the Language Center itself,” DiSalvo said. “We don’t have a lot of visibility – we’re in the basement of the Science Center – and I want people to know this resource exists.”

FAIRMONT– Melinda Stewart, a Spanish teacher and English instructional coach at Fairmont High School, has been named the 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year at Fairmont-area schools. Stewart has taught at Fairmont since beginning her teaching career in 1994.

His nomination letter cited Stewart’s love for students and his outstanding commitment to learning, equity and professional relevance. Stewart will receive a plaque celebrating his achievement at Fairmont’s Teacher of the Year celebration on Dec. 5.

Stewart grew up in Maple Grove and majored in Spanish and Latin American studies at the University of Minnesota-Morris. She got her study permit and went on to earn her master’s degree at St. Mary’s University. She later studied English language learning and reading instruction at Mankato State University and was certified to teach Spanish through the College in the Schools program at the University. University of Minnesota at Northwest Nazarene University.

When Stewart learned she was nominated, her first instinct was to turn down the nomination because she felt her success as a teacher was only made possible through a collaborative process with other instructors.

“At first it was a very uncomfortable feeling to be honored…because no one does this work alone,” said Stewart.

This reluctance was only overcome by the encouragement of her fellow teachers.

“A colleague of mine…said to accept it as the gift that it is, (to) allow others to give you gifts as you do them…and it changes me to talk about my students,” said Stewart.

Stewart said working with students was the main reason she chose to work as a teacher.

“It doesn’t matter who enters my class; I love the ability to teach each student not just as a class but as an individual,” said Stewart.

As a language teacher, Stewart said she’s been able to connect with students that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

“You can see them changing and growing. Since I have been teaching the language, the central element that students talk about is themselves. They talk about their dreams, they talk about their families, they talk about their friends, they talk about who they are and what matters to them, so it opens a door and gives me the opportunity to get to know them,” said Stewart.

Stewart thinks learning another language is difficult for many of her students and appreciates their willingness to make mistakes in her classroom.

“That has been the most fun part of working with the students for me. seeing them trust me enough to be vulnerable with me and believe that I will take care of them,” said Stewart.

At first glance, Stewart’s teaching helps students become fluent in another language, but she sees a deeper meaning in it.

“For me, having the ability to teach a language, whether I teach English or Spanish, is to provide students with a tool to access new learning”, said Stewart.

In addition to improving a student’s ability to communicate and understand the world, Stewart believes that learning a language also helps students understand different points of view and value diversity.

“We get to have conversations about (how) different means different, different isn’t good or bad, it’s just different; it’s a new way of looking at things. This has probably been the most amazing thing about working with learners; see their joy, see when that moment comes,” said Stewart.

Stewart continues to keep in touch with many of her former students, some of whom are now her colleagues from Fairmont area schools.

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According to a new report, China hacked Uyghur-language mobile apps and infected users’ devices to further monitor the persecuted predominantly Muslim group in its northwestern Xinjiang region and other countries.

Researchers from California-based computer and network security firm Lookout’s Threat Lab have discovered two new surveillance tools they call BadBazaar and MOONSHINE targeting Uyghurs in China and abroad.

Both tools can be used to track activities considered indicative of religious extremism or separatism by authorities if Uighurs use virtual private networks or VPNs, communicate with Muslims abroad, or use messaging apps such as than WhatsApp which are popular outside of China, according to the reportwhich was released on November 1.

BadBazaar is a new Android monitoring tool that shares infrastructure with other previously detected Uyghur targeted tools described in a white paper 2020 issued by the Lookout Threat Intelligence team.

It masquerades as a variety of Android apps, such as battery managers, video players, radio apps, messaging apps, Uyghur language dictionaries, and religious apps.

According to the report, they collect location information, lists of installed packages, call logs and their associated geocoded locations, phone calls and contacts, installed Android apps, SMS information, mobile device information and Wi-Fi connection data.

The command and control server gives orders

MOONSHINE uses updated variations of a previously leaked tool discovered by Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto and observed as targeting Tibetan activists in 2019.

It establishes a connection with a command and control server so that the malware can receive commands to perform different functions such as recording phone calls, collecting contact information, retrieving files, deleting SMS messages, capturing cameras and collecting data from social media apps. .

“BadBazaar and these new MOONSHINE variants add to the already extensive collection of unique surveillance software used in campaigns to monitor and subsequently detain individuals in China,” the report said.

“Their continued development and prevalence on Uyghur-language social media platforms indicate that these campaigns are ongoing and that threat actors have successfully infiltrated online Uyghur communities to distribute their malware,” he said. he declares.

Kristina Balaam, a Canadian-based security intelligence engineer and senior threat researcher at Lookout, told RFA that the first samples of use of the two surveillance tools date back to 2018.

“The malware samples we examine are becoming more and more sophisticated,” she told RFA. “They are introducing new features. They try to better hide where all the malicious features are in the source code. Hiding some of the malicious features has become more sophisticated in some of these latest variants. »

The researchers are confident that the malicious actors speak Chinese and appear to operate in accordance with the interests of the Chinese government, she said.

“So at least we suspect they are based in mainland China,” Balaam said.

Targeted Uyghur Diaspora

Abduweli Ayup, a Uyghur linguist who lives in Norway and runs a website documenting missing and imprisoned Uyghurs in Xinjiang, said Badam Uyghur Keyboard, an app he used for five years, triggered malware that allowed his mobile device from being hacked three times since 2017.

“China has apparently infected the apps that the Uyghur diaspora community uses the most, including Uyghur language learning apps, Uyghur keyboard apps, Arabic learning apps and [ones] for communications such as Skype [and] Telegram,” he told RFA. “This is a very serious situation. What is most alarming is the negligence of some Uyghurs [concerning] the problem of China infecting the apps they use with spyware. »

In response to the report’s findings, Uyghur cybersecurity expert Abdushukur Abdureshit told RFA that the apps include sophisticated data-stealing features that collect personal information, photos and phone numbers and send them to another server. .

“It is clear that the Chinese government is trying to control Uyghurs in exile by infecting the apps we frequently use with much more sophistication and less likelihood of discovering the spyware they contain,” he told FRG. “If our photos are stolen and where we go and sleep are monitored, and our phone logs and information are harvested, that means they know everything about us.”

He suggested that Uyghurs only download apps from credible sources, such as Google App Store, as Google ensures that all mobile apps it offers pass a security check and remove questionable ones.

Ubiquitous surveillance system

Uyghurs and other Turkish minorities living in Xinjiang have for years been subjected to a pervasive surveillance system that monitors their movements through the use of drones, facial recognition cameras and cell phone scans as part of the effort. of China to control the population.

A report on mass arbitrary detentions and invasive surveillance of Uyghurs in Xinjiang released in late August by the United Nations human rights chief has drawn more international attention to human rights abuses in Xinjiang. He said China may have committed crimes against humanity in its treatment of Uyghurs there.

On October 31, 50 countries, including the United States, submitted a statement to the United Nations General Assembly expressing concern over the “continued human rights violations of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities”. in China.

Translated by Mamatjan Juma for RFA Uyghur. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Satish Gupta currently works as Director of AI and Analytics at Cognizant. He provides global support for all R&D, discovery and analysis for the company’s pharmaceutical, life sciences and healthcare customers.

He supported the clinical and agronomic applications of the Bayer Crop Sciences account as a consultant in the field of life sciences at TCS, Delhi. Additionally, he was a member of the team that validated the NGS panels used in oncology to meet the compliance requirements of CAP/CLIA/NABL auditing bodies.

INDIAai interviewed Satish Gupta to get his perspective on AI.

It’s great to see someone with a bioscience degree employed in data science. How it all began ?

Science is an evolving subject that is constantly improving thanks to the implementation of new methods and technologies resulting from research. Bioinformatics is a subject that gives life science students exposure to algorithms, databases, statistics, and programming. All the aspiration to learn new topics and the demand for applying bioinformatics in current scientific research has gradually pushed many of us towards data science. There are many quality universities and institutes offering bioinformatics courses and meeting the demand of the scientific and pharmaceutical sector. The application of third/fourth generation technologies to scientific research has dumped vast amounts of data into our bucket to inspire us to know more and make meaningful interpretation of it. This is called the age of data and life sciences, the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry has exploited it very well.

Who motivated you to pursue a career in AI? What was the driving force?

I would say it was a progressive movement, and “Bioinformatics” was a buzzword during our master’s, and it affected us. I was interested in starting my career in the industry after my master’s degree in biotechnology, but I was not satisfied for several reasons. The hunt to join the industry has made us aware of the upcoming demand for bioinformatics. Bioinformatics course at JNU, New Delhi gave me good exposure to databases, statistics and programming which motivated me to pursue my work later in research institutes and further my career in the industry in different roles. There is a massive demand for resources in the modern way of looking at data. This is called “Explainable AI”, where these mixtures of expertise are well adjusted. As soon as big data is part of its journey, AI must accompany it.

What were the first obstacles you encountered? How did you conquer them?

As mentioned, my current goal was to pursue a career in industry, but I needed help taking a break even after graduation in bioinformatics. So I started working in major research institutes in India to gain experience and break into the industry as they always prefer an experienced candidate over a fresher one. I have also connected with people working in academia and industry through various conferences, workshops and meetings. Proactive networking always works best for me. It also allows you to learn and become aware of new aspects in the scientific field. After a few years of working in a research institute, I broke into the industry, but soon realized the need for higher education for personal growth.

What are your responsibilities as Director of AI and Analytics for Bioinformatics and Life Sciences at Cognizant?

It is quite a challenging role where I have to keep abreast of recent trends in the life sciences, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Cognizant is a service provider and as a business unit we are focused on engaging AI and analytics for our business partners based on the required objectives. Therefore, I need to understand the exact requirements from an R&D, discovery and analysis perspective and provide a solution strategy. At the same time, I’m also trying to understand their broader theme of work and collaborations to bring together pain points where we can support, provide a solution, and have a lasting business relationship.

Tell me about your doctoral research. What have been your research contributions?

Research has focused on studying genetic and environmental modifiers of cancer risk. I have been mainly involved in the analysis of the modifying effects of selenium in blood plasma/serum and polymorphism of selenium (Se) metabolizing genes on cancer risk in CHEK2 and patients with lung, laryngeal cancer and colorectal not selected. I also explored the role of methylation in cancer-related genes and of selenoprotein in breast carcinoma. Some of the findings were:

• A higher Se concentration is significantly associated with a lower probability of cancer incidence.
• The Se concentration can be a valuable marker for the early detection of cancers in the group studied.
• The effect of blood serum selenium level on cancer incidence may depend on genotypes in selenoprotein genes.
• BRCA1 promoter methylation in peripheral blood is associated with breast cancer risk in patients with negative germline BRCA1 mutations.

I also collaborated with several research groups and published >10 publications during my PhD.

Is programming expertise essential for bioscience graduates who want to work in artificial intelligence?

I highly recommend exposure to the language of the program if opting for a career in data science. This again depends on the demand for the role and responsibilities. For example, data scientist would need more statistical knowledge with good understanding and experience in programming, and data engineer, additionally, would also need an advanced level of experience in algorithm development, in experimental design and programming. Understanding cloud technologies is essential because everything is deployed in the cloud. One can learn and hone their skills through many online learning platforms.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to work in artificial intelligence research? What do they need to focus on to move forward?

AI is an application that we can implement in different fields, from health, banking, finance, market research, agriculture, climatology, etc. Understanding any area of ​​interest and determining the challenges in that particular area can be tapped using AI. The next approach would be to research the available data and define a problem statement to be solved using data science methods. Here I assume prior experience with programming. Beginners can start by learning the basics of Python or R and data science modules. The flow that I consider appropriate is a good understanding of the area of ​​interest, knowledge of at least one programming language, knowledge of statistics and cloud-based approaches, a good grasp of data and the implementation of data science on problem statement. There are many materials and courses on the web to get you certified.

What scientific articles and publications have had the most impact on your life?

I have always worked on genetics, genomics and bioinformatics throughout my career. I admire articles, blogs, and research papers on implementing AI/ML-based approaches to problem solving in drug discovery and precision medicine. It is interesting to read about the multi-omics process for analyzing and interpreting OMICS data, the integration of data from disparate sources and how we can implement the FAIR guidelines. The post-COVID era has increased the application of AI/ML approaches in clinical sciences. It is interesting to learn more about decentralized trials and the extensive efforts to use real-world data (RWD) for decision-making in patient recruitment, patient stratification, and adverse drug reactions. AI plays an important role in the pharmaceutical industry, and FDA and EMEA regulations on AI would be interesting to watch in the development of medical devices, thus shortening the duration of drug development.

Veteran teacher honored for 28 years of dedication and teaching excellence

Joseph Walter, a third-grade teacher at McCormick Elementary, has been named the 2022 Farmington Municipal Schools Teacher of the Year.

Walter was selected from 60 applicants by a committee of four former teachers of the year, according to public information officer Roberto Taboada.

“We all think he’s a wonderful, wonderful teacher and what he does for our schools and for the district is truly amazing,” Taboada said.

“It was a surprise and an honor,” Walter said.

In September, Farmington Municipal Schools Superintendent Cody Diehl visited Walter’s class and announced to his class that Walter had won the honor.

“And I said ‘thank you’ to the one above,” Walter said with a laugh.

Born in Peru, Walter spent his early childhood in South America, where his parents were missionaries for evangelical churches. His first seven years were in Peru, followed by five in Colombia. Whenever his family returned to the United States, they went to Kansas, where Walter has family.

As the youngest of five children, he said, all but one were born in South America. His adolescence was spent in the now famous Medellin, Colombia. His family left in the 1970s, before the city became a drug cartel mecca.

Walter attended a private Christian college before earning his teaching certificate from the University of Minnesota. It was there, at a job fair, that he visited a booth manned by representatives from New Mexico.

“They happened to be from Farmington, and that led to a phone interview and then a job offer,” he said.

His fluency in Spanish landed him a job in a bilingual classroom, and he now makes weekly robocalls in English and Spanish.

He taught fourth grade for his first 11 years and third grade for the rest of his 28 years, all at McCormick Elementary.

“One of the highlights is probably…you know, you end up teaching children of former students,” he said. “It’s nice because in that moment you kind of know the family. You feel like you connect,” Walter said.

His teaching style and philosophy are based on trust.

“It was a real honor to gain the confidence of the little children. You know if they feel comfortable coming to talk to you, and you can tell they respect you, that’s a real plus,” he said. “You know, the only things that have worked for me are calm and respect.”

“When I try to be fancy, or flashy, or mean or really take care of the kids, it just doesn’t work,” he said. “This year, I’m really trying to focus on loving children.”

He recalled how his mother advised him to “pray for them, love them…so a lot of things are taken care of,” he said.

Technology has changed both the teaching and learning process.

“I think they’re more driven by technology, so it might be hard to get into reading the book,” Walter said.

He saw children focusing on games and spending a lot of time in front of a screen rather than outdoor activities. He called it a “complete cultural shift in their home business.” Their focus on technology should be reflected in the classroom.

“I think the biggest challenge for me is catching up. It’s not that bad, we now have a very good program that combines the two,” he said. It combines reading with videos that “really grab their attention”.

Each child is assigned a laptop, which remains in the classroom now that the pandemic has subsided.

“They’re definitely tech-savvy, and I can just give a mission, say open up your computers, go to a website, and start working,” he said.

He said instruction comes with both a book and an online platform. For example, he can start the day with a textbook and then assign a follow-up activity online.

McCormick has bilingual learning, which means students in kindergarten through fifth grade have a classroom taught in both English and Spanish.

“Spanish children are learning and improving their English skills, and English-speaking (speaking) children are being exposed to Spanish,” he said.

Walter and his colleagues are learning a new program – Core Knowledge Language Arts – which is provided by Amplify Education Inc.. and is known as the “science of reading,” Walter said.

Walter received praise from his manager and his peers.

“Mr. Walter took the opportunity to grow professionally and learn new ways to provide excellent teaching in our school,” Principal Lyn White said. great comments regarding his patience and ability to break down teaching into small pieces for his students.We are fortunate to be able to consider Mr. Walter one of the best at McCormick and Farmington Municipal Schools.

To relax, Walter visits friends on weekends and enjoys time in the countryside and hiking. He also likes to share meals with friends and watch the Kansas City Chiefs.

But he also finds joy in the work.

“It’s a little weird, but sometimes with the kids at recess, they’re having fun running around and playing, and you think, ‘That’s really nice.’ I mean, it’s not getting much better.

According to district documents, the average elementary school student in Spokane Public Schools is not progressing fast enough in math.

However, those same students are close to achieving goals in language arts, the district said before a presentation“District Academic Performance Results,” Wednesday night at the Board of Trustees.

And in both subjects, the district said it is closely monitoring the progress of all students.

The district uses two online tools – Dreambox for math and Lexia for language arts – to measure individual progress.

According to the documents, the typical primary school student gained 6.4 months of performance. The district’s goal is 10 months, roughly the length of the school year.

In language arts, the typical student gained 10.9 months; the goal is 12 months.

“We’re better off there, for sure,” said Scott Kerwien, district student success director.

Kerwien said the district is taking a proactive approach, with many teachers dividing their classes into groups, with one receiving more “direct support” from the instructor.

Additionally, Kerwien said the DreamBox and Lexia tools offer detailed information on each student’s progress.

The presentation will also cover kindergarten readiness, which in Spokane stands at 29% — well below the statewide average of 50.4%.

This discrepancy has been attributed in part to the lack of affordable, quality child care in Spokane. However, the district has expanded its preschool offerings, as well as a full-day pre-K program at 11 elementary schools.

Wednesday night’s report will cover much more than elementary school scholars. The presentation covers all grades from K-12, with details of how different groups are doing in the classroom and in the larger context of the school community.

The surveys included questions about school climate and life skills. Also on the agenda is a discussion on student engagement, that is, participation in extracurricular activities.

Kerwien said student achievement can sometimes be boosted by participation in sports, clubs or other activities.

“We hope to identify how many students are involved in at least one area,” Kerwien said.

The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, or HSK, a Chinese language proficiency test, will officially hold its first test for high-level non-native speakers on Nov. 26, said the Center for Language Education and Cooperation, the test’s developer.

The new test criteria, based on the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Teaching adopted last year, ranks advanced candidates into three levels, from seven to nine.

The new test includes 98 questions assessing students’ language skills in the categories of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating.

It is designed for international students pursuing postgraduate studies, students majoring in Chinese language studies outside China, and non-native speakers using Chinese for academic research and economic, cultural, and scientific communication.

To achieve HSK Level 7, candidates must have good Chinese listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and preliminary skills in specialized interpretation and translation, and be able to communicate adequately on relatively broad topics and high level.

The highest HSK level, Level Nine, requires excellent listening, speaking, reading, writing, and specialized Chinese interpretation and translation skills, and candidates must be able to use a variety of skills comprehensively to communicate in Chinese in a standard, fluent and appropriate manner on a wide range of topics in a variety of contexts.

The center said HSK levels one through six would not change at this time, and that the validity, content, vocabulary and form of the test’s six levels would remain the same.

A total of 240,000 students from more than 140 countries took part in the HSK tests in the first half of this year, up nearly 10% from the same period last year.

There are 1,302 HSK test centers in 161 countries and over 70% of the centers also offer online testing.

The Ministry of Education said the Chinese language has been integrated into the national education systems of more than 76 countries, and more than 25 million people are learning Chinese outside China.

Lee Jae-young, a South Korean graduate student at Peking University’s Yenching Academy, said he started taking the HSK test in middle school and his Chinese language proficiency improved. over the years.

Lee passed the HSK level six test before coming to China for his undergraduate studies in 2016, and he will consider taking the new high-level test to prove his language proficiency, he said, adding that the HSK is the most authoritative Chinese. language proficiency test.

20ves Pennbloodh aswonnvos an yeth Kernewek

(20th anniversary of the recognition of the Cornish language)

Children from Trewirgie Infants and Nursery School in Redruth will gather and sing at Kernewek (Cornish) in Kresen Kernow on November 4, joined by pupils from 8 other primary schools as part of the ‘Go Cornish’ scheme. This celebration marks the eve of the 20th anniversary of the official recognition of the Cornish language by the British government under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

Thousands of languages ​​around the world are in danger of disappearing, but some are resurgence and Cornish is internationally recognized for its successful revival.

Currently 23 schools, with over 4,000 pupils, are having fun with the Cornish language through the free Go Cornish for Primary Schools scheme, commissioned by Cornwall Council.

Will Coleman of Golden Tree Productions, the brains behind the Go Cornish programme, said: “We are delighted that so many primary schools have signed up for the ‘Go Cornish’ programme. The awards program is only in its second year and nearly 5,000 students have already taken part. More and more schools are getting on board and having fun with the Cornish language.

There are now Cornish language books, films and an album sung almost entirely in Kernewek (Tresor de Gwenno) has been nominated for this year’s Mercury [Music] Price. Many businesses use Cornish words in their marketing and branding, such as St Austell’s Brewery’s Korev – the Cornish word for ‘beer’ – and more than 3,000 bilingual road signs are now in place across the Duchy.

Cornwall Council Leader Linda Taylor said: “We are committed to encouraging the use of the Cornish language as a unique cultural asset which underpins Cornwall’s distinctive character and has an important role to play in our cultural, economic and social life.

“More and more people, including children in our schools, are learning Cornish. Musicians such as Mercury Prize-nominated artist Gwenno compose and sing in Cornish, and local hero and filmmaker Ed Rowe has just released a short film in Cornish. It was also a proud moment when the proclamation of the accession of King Charles III was first read by the High Sheriff of Cornwall and then in Cornish by the High Bard of Cornish Gorsedh.

It’s not just the kids who are emstrengthen Kernewek as more and more adults also learn the language through lessons. New technologies are making it easier to learn online, with over 2 million searches in the online Cornish dictionary and over 1,500 people using the Memrise app to learn Cornish.

More than 20 years ago, the people of Cornwall began campaigning for the Cornish language to be officially recognised. The then Secretary of State announced on 5 November 2002 that after careful consideration and using the results of an independent academic study on language commissioned by the government, it had been decided to recognize Cornish falls under Part II of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages ​​of the Council of Europe.

This means that Cornish has joined Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Scots and Ulster-Scots as protected and promoted languages ​​under the Charter, which commits the government to recognize and respect these languages.

If you want to learn Cornish, you can find out more about the tools, resources and courses available on the Go to the Cornish website. If you would like your local elementary school to enroll in the program, find out about the Go to the Cornish website.

Press release of November 1, 2022

It’s fair to assume that people who watch anime have at least a passing interest in Japan, and by extension, the Japanese language. However, learning a new language is a difficult undertaking. One of the biggest tips given to any new language learner is to make the learning process fun. The more enjoyable the process, the easier it is to improve. Luckily, anime fans have plenty of fun resources to make learning Japanese fun, even for beginners.

The difficult part of this process is knowing where to start. After all, there are so many anime to choose from that it is difficult to determine which are the best to study, especially for new learners. Note that we can learn useful vocabulary and grammar of any animebut some shows are definitely easier than others.

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Anime slice of life and learning Japanese

A fantastic anime to start learning Japanese is Sweetness and Lightning. Released in 2016, the show follows a single father who learns to cook for his daughter. Slice of life anime are pretty good generally for learning Japanese, as the topics are grounded and much of the vocabulary is encountered in everyday conversation.

Which makes Sweetness and Lightning a particularly good show for beginners is the character of Tsumugi, the protagonist’s kindergarten daughter. Her limited vocabulary makes her easy to understand, and other characters simplify the way they speak to her so she can easily understand them. The simple, recurring vocabulary makes most scenes easy to follow, even if you come across a word you’ve never seen before. Another benefit of this show is that it also teaches the viewer food vocabulary – a very handy skill to have.

Another food-focused show great for learning Japanese is also a 2016 series, Dagashi Kashi. This series is about a young man whose family runs a candy store in the countryside. Each episode covers a real-world Japanese candy, so the show has both cultural and linguistic uses. Whereas Dagashi Kashi has an incredibly specific topic, it’s an easy-to-understand topic, which makes it useful for those new to Japanese. The series has no continuous plot, making it simple to follow from episode to episode, and since the core concepts are the same throughout the series, the viewer is consistently exposed to vocabulary. recurrent.

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While both of these shows are an incredibly useful resource for those just starting to learn Japanese, some might find them a bit dry. For something a little funnier, we could take a look at the 2010 series Work!!, a workplace romantic comedy. The show takes place in a family restaurant and features a wide variety of colorful and charming characters. Comic Anime Can Be Tough to learn, even when it comes to a slice of life. Many shows have reference humor or weird gags that rely on puns or jokes about Japanese culture that can go over the viewer’s head. However, Work!! doesn’t have that kind of humor too much – as a result, it’s both fun and relatively easy to understand.

Anime can be a fantastic resource for learning Japanese, and the key to using it successfully is choosing the shows you want to watch. While some shows are certainly hard to study, that shouldn’t put people off trying to learn Japanese with their favorite anime. The great thing is that once one gets good enough, all anime becomes a resource for improving the language. After all, the key to getting better at any language is to set goals and work with enjoyable content.

“The pronunciation,” says my teacher. She makes me “point” to the word I’m having trouble with. Taking a long bamboo stick, I point to the different colors on a board. Each color represents a different sound. I articulate each sound that makes up the correct pronunciation of the word. Slowing things down like this means I make sure I move my mouth and tongue to the right place to form each sound.

My teacher often corrects me on a pronunciation like this. She says it takes time to build muscle and that’s exactly what we do. There are sounds in French that we don’t have in English, or the way a consonant is pronounced may be different. Learning to speak another language is the slow work of building new habits. I often remember the story of the tortoise and the hare – slowly and steadily winning the race. Learning to communicate in another culture and another language is a slow perseverance.

I have been in France for over ten months now as a new missionary and much of my time has been spent in language classes. The teaching method at my language school is interactive and focuses a lot on pronunciation and speaking. It is also a Christian language school where many of my classmates prepare to work in ministry in the French-speaking world. One of the benefits of this is that we learn and practice how to communicate in a way that is relevant to what we will do in the future. For example, once a week, someone from my middle school class will prepare a Bible study that we will do together – all in French, of course.

Today my class is spending time in prayer. It’s the last day of the session and the last day for one of our classmates. She goes to West Africa to work as a missionary. While what we address to God lasts only a few sentences each, our prayer time takes up the whole morning. First, we share prayer points aloud and there are any corrections to be made by our teacher or vocabulary to polish. Someone volunteered to be a scribe and write summaries of each prayer point on the whiteboard, so sometimes we stop to check the spelling and grammar of what she wrote is correct. We are dividing the prayer points between us and now it is time to pray. Our teacher records us as we hesitantly say our short prayers.

My prayers may not always be grammatically correct, but that does not stop my mighty God from understanding or acting.

Our teacher replays to us what we have prayed. It interrupts the recording in the event of a problem. Sometimes she raises her hands, each finger representing a word we have said, and makes us repeat a sentence. She will wave a finger to show where the problem is so we can try to fix it ourselves. Then she will have us repeat the phrase again at a natural pace. We often end up saying a phrase multiple times. This is another muscle being built – the muscles of how a Frenchman would express an idea with the correct preposition or word order.

Doing this every week in language class slowly built my confidence in my ability to pray in French. During the summer, I participated in a camp for students organized by the University Bible Groups (GBU), the student ministry with which I will work long term. It was my first taste of university ministry in French and each time we broke into small groups to pray during the week, I felt anxious about participating. Still, the experience of prayer in class reassured me that I had the basics to pray, even if it was just a sentence or two. Then there are the reminders I give myself of whom I pray to. My prayers may not always be grammatically correct, but that does not stop my mighty God from understanding or acting.

In slow learning, you can’t always see the progress you’ve already made.

Our teacher brought the game Taboo for us to play this afternoon. In the game, you take turns describing words written on cards without saying any of the listed “taboo” words, and everyone tries to guess the answer correctly. One of my classmates is nervous – she’s afraid she doesn’t know enough vocabulary to play well. Our teacher reassures her that she can skip all the words she doesn’t know and can even use the words that are on the taboo list.

It can be easy to get discouraged when you feel so far off the level of proficiency you’re used to in your native language. When I’m with French people at church or at a GBU Bible study, I often feel awkward in conversation or have trouble following what someone is saying when they speak fast. I can start doubting myself and have days where I just want to give up. There is a level of perseverance required in acquiring language and culture that is often tiring. And often, in the slowness of learning, we do not always see the progress already made.

after playing Taboo, my classmate exclaims how encouraging she found the game. She was surprised how many words she knew and could even describe in French. Which does not mean that we understand everything. We all laugh when our teacher explains that “switch” doesn’t mean someone interrupting you (as it’s described) but is actually the French word for a switch.

Language learning is slow but essential for the reason I came to France – to share the gospel with the people here. It’s easy to feel weak and overwhelmed as an outsider. I continually remind myself to trust in the sovereignty of God. 2 Cor 12:9 has been a favorite verse for me lately: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness. In all the learning I have done this year, the best thing God has taught me is that the good news of the gospel is a message I always need to hear too.