Mango Languages

Inspiration: It’s What Keeps Me Going

At the gym the other day, between the monotonous stomping of my feet on the treadmill, I overheard a woman speaking in heavily-accented English.  She was asking her workout partner to show her how to correctly do a push-up.  I listened to her for a few minutes, as she struggled to find the words to describe what she wanted to say.  It made me reflect upon my own experiences as a study abroad student in Munich.  I remember how frustrating it would be to run into situations where I couldn’t accurately express myself.

On one particular occasion, my inability to remember the verb “to pay” meant that I couldn’t tell the waiter that I had already paid my bill.  I recall repeating over and over again: “ich habe schon…ich habe schon…” (“I already…”)  But the word escaped me.  I tried to motion a “paying” action with my hands, but it just confused the waiter even more.  Finally, I remembered the verb and was able to complete my sentence, satisfying the waiter and setting him on his way.

Running into situations such as these occurred on almost a daily basis when I first moved to Munich.  Things that should take moments to complete, often became stressful, drawn-out processes simply due to my inability to correctly express what I wanted to say.  As a grown adult, it was extremely frustrating to have my vocabulary set back to the level of a child, particularly when I still needed to do “grown-up things” (like set up a cell phone or register with the city).

So suffice to say, I completely sympathized with the woman at my gym when I heard her struggling in broken English.  But when I turned around and saw who she had been speaking to all along, I felt an even higher level of respect.  The woman had been speaking with her husband.  It was obvious that they shared the same mother tongue, so it would have been much easier for her to carry on in their native language.  But the fact that she chose to instead practice her speaking skills and converse with him in English, made me beam with admiration.

I’m now married to German-American man, but I have to admit that our daily conversations in German are usually limited to short words and phrases.  Rarely do we commit to conversing fully in German, simply because English is the more natural medium for both of us.  My husband moved to the US when he was 10, so he speaks English as if it were his native tongue.  Plus, we met before I even started studying German, so it’s become what we’re used to.

But I have to admit that seeing this courageous couple made me realize that there’s no excuse not to try.  It also made me think of all the people living in the U.S. who struggle to learn English because they want to create a better life for themselves.  I’m lucky that learning a foreign language has never been imperative for me – it’s always been a choice.  A choice that nonetheless opens the door to many opportunities and experiences.  So what excuse do I have not to practice more often?  Better yet: why would I not want to?

What motivates you to study a foreign language?  When things get tough, what “keeps you going?”

To join Mango Languages’ Language Resolution campaign, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or use the hashtag #LanguageResolution to join the conversation.  Our goal is to make this the year that you commit to learning a foreign language by providing daily challenges, tips, and motivation.  Together, we can do this.

No Excuses: 20 Simple & Fun Ways to Practice a Foreign Language

“I can’t afford to buy study materials”

“Between work and responsibilities at home, I just don’t have the time to study.”

“I can’t find a partner for speaking practice.”

Excuses.  Trust us, we’ve heard them all.  And they just don’t work with us.  The truth is, if you really want to learn a language, you’ll find a way to do it.  There’s actually many easy, simple and fun ways to infuse language-learning into your everyday routine – most of which cost little or nothing at all.  To prove it, we put together a list of 20 suggestions to get you started.

1.  Read a news article in a foreign language.

2.  Write a status update or tweet in a foreign language.

3.  Listen to the live feed of an international radio station online.

4.  Sign up for an international pen pal and exchange emails on a regular basis.

5.  Cook from a recipe that is written entirely in a foreign language.

6.  Rent a foreign movie and watch it without the subtitles.  If that’s too difficult, try turning on the closed captions so that you can see the lines written in the original language, rather than the translated version.

7.  Download a trivia app for your smartphone that’s in the language you’d like to learn.  Still a beginner?  Try looking for a children’s version for simpler phrasing.

8.  Next time you go to the store, practice writing your shopping list entirely in the language you are studying.

9.  Visit a foreign restaurant and try ordering in the language.

10.  Have a partner to study with?  Try playing “I Spy,” “20 Questions,” or Scrabble in the language you’re studying.

11.  In a relationship?  Come up with some fun pet names for your significant other that are in a foreign language (like “Schatz” in German or “Chéri” in French).  Up for a challenge?  Practice writing an entire love letter.

12.  Check out the foreign music charts, pick a couple songs, and see if you can understand the lyrics.  Too difficult?  Look up the lyrics online and you’ve got a great translation challenge!

13.  Next time you need directions, look them up in a foreign language by going to an international version of the Google Maps site (for example: the German, French, or Spanish site).  It’s a great way to learn vocabulary!

14.  Join a foreign language Meetup in your area.

15.  Finding foreign or international clubs or associations in your area is probably easier than you think.  Think outside the box when you’re searching: schools, college campuses, and even churches or other religious organizations can be a great place to look for clubs.

16.  What’s your favorite TV show?  Chances are it either has a counterpart (like American Idol or Survivor) or a dubbed version in a foreign language.  Try downloading episodes or look for clips online to watch.  Alternatively, you could purchase a DVD set online – just be aware that you may need an international DVD player in order to watch it.

17.  “Like” or “follow” a foreign company on Facebook or Twitter.  This will infuse your newsfeed with foreign language content.

18.  Looking for a fun way to practice vocabulary?  Each day, pick a different topic to focus on (e.g. animals, food & drink, or family members) and see how many words you can list for that topic.  Each time you make a list, try to list more words than the day before.  If you want to take this challenge to the next level, see if you can come up with a word beginning with each letter of the alphabet.

19.  Did you know that official Wikipedias have been created in 285 languages?  So if you’re looking for seemingly endless content and articles to browse (on almost any topic), then look no further.

20.  Turn your down-time into language-learning time.  Practice vocab while getting ready in the morning, have a conversation with yourself in the shower (nobody will know – we promise!), or doodle conjugation charts on your lunch break.  Sitting in traffic?  Listen to foreign music and practice singing along.  See?  Almost any situation can be turned into a language-learning opportunity.  There’s simply no excuse not to try.

Remember everyone – let’s make this the year that you commit to learning a foreign language!  Join us on Facebook and Twitter.  #LanguageResolution.  Together, we can do it.

Learn Latin, Koine Greek, Ancient Greek and Biblical Hebrew with Mango Languages

We are thrilled to announce the release of Mango Languages’ Religious and Scholarly Language Collection.

This means you can now learn Latin, Koine Greek, Ancient Greek and Biblical Hebrew for free through your library and Mango Languages, the only language learning company offering a Religious and Scholarly Language Collection.

These specialized courses focus on passages from historical books, poems and religious documents, providing insight into the cultures in which the languages were spoken.

Learn Latin 
While Latin may be considered a dead language by some, it is still alive in so many ways! Due to the expanse and longevity of the Roman Empire, Latin influenced both English itself as well as many of the other languages that influenced English years later. So, by choosing to study Latin, you’re not only connecting with texts that were written thousands of years ago, you’re also connecting with many of the modern languages we know and love today!

Learn Biblical Hebrew
Travel back thousands of years to the time of the Old Testament to learn the language in which Genesis was actually written: Biblical Hebrew! Although these stories and scriptures might be familiar to you, approaching them from the viewpoint of a new language will give you a whole new perspective – you may feel closer than ever to words you’ve known for years.

Learn Koine Greek
Koine Greek was the universal Greek dialect spoken from about 300 BCE to 300 CE.  Spread in part by the conquests of Alexander the Great, Koine Greek sprung up as a common language among troops of the prolific conqueror and was spoken in the many countries they conquered, all the way from Egypt to India.  It is the language in which the Septuagint and the Christian New Testament were originally written as well as the language in which Christianity was spread during its early years. Koine Greek was also spoken in the Roman Empire but was later replaced by Latin in the West, while it survived in the East.

Learn Ancient Greek
Since the Renaissance’s revival of Ancient Greek philosophy and literature, the works of Homer, Plato and Aristotle have established themselves as Western canon that is still taught today. Prevalent in more than just the arts, Ancient Greek – which was spoken primarily from the 9th century to the 4th century BCE – was also the language from which revolutionary breakthroughs in science, math and architecture were first developed. An impressive culture indeed!

Already use Mango Languages through your library? Check out the course list to see these new additions.

Want to see if your library offers Mango? Visit findmango.com to find out and start learning!

Share Your Story!

One of the best parts of working at Mango Languages is seeing the product in action. Our company’s core purpose is to enrich lives with language and culture, so we love to hear from people who have used Mango Languages to do just that!

Last month, Mango traveled to Philadelphia for the Public Library Association 2012 conference. We had the chance to talk to many librarians who shared success stories of those who had used Mango to learn a language. Check out the video below to see some of our favorites!

Do you have a story to share? How has Mango enriched YOUR life?

LOLcats and Linguistics

Let’s have a little fun and check out the linguistics behind our favorite interweb felines! While cats might not really be able to learn a foreign language, LOLcats have won our hearts with their endearing language.

Check out this fascinating video by Lauren Gawne: “I can has language play: Construction of Language and Identity in LOLspeak.”

Once you’ve watched the video, try out this fun LOLspeak translator and leave us a comment in LOLspeak!

You’re never too old.

The  Mango marketing team was recently in Dallas where we met Lewisville Public Library patron Raleigh who told us his Dad’s story using Mango:

“I want to tell you about my Father. He is 88 years old and he decided he wanted to learn Spanish. We went to the Lewisville Public Library and registered him. He had to learn the Internet but once he did, he completed the Mango Basic course as well as the Mango Complete course. Each course was very understandable, great layout, great way to learn a foreign language. It’s all thumbs up for Mango from us!”

We love hearing stories about the young, old and everyone in between learning with Mango! Do you have any stories about learning a language very early or very late in life?

World Wednesday: Chong Yang Festival

The Chong Yang Festival, otherwise known as the Double Ninth Festival, is observed on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese Lunar calendar. In 2011, that’s today (Oct. 5).

The name “Chong Yang” in Chinese actually means “double Yang,” and while that might be reminiscent of Chris Farley’s explanation of El Nino, the Yang in this case actually comes from the Chinese concept Yin and Yang. In a nutshell, Yin and Yang represent the positive and negative sides of everything. Yin is considered to be the negative side, while Yang was dubbed positive. This concept was applied to numbers: even numbers belong Yin, and odd ones to Yang. Since nine is an odd number, it belongs to Yang, and since this is a double nine: Double Yang. Also noteworthy, since nine is the largest odd number, putting two nines together symbolizes longevity. Often, there is a focus on the elderly during this celebration.

So how is Chong Yang celebrated? Well, legend has it that a man named Huan Jing was told about a terrible event that would happen on the ninth day of the ninth month, and that he had to rush home and take his family to the top of a mountain, spray dogwood on his bags, and drink chrysanthemum wine to escape their plight. Long story short, they climbed the mountain, sprayed their bags, and drank the wine. This is the tradition that continues today, and the fall weather is perfect for doing this. Many people head outdoors and either hike or climb in the country, and this is generally the last time in the year that people have a chance to do this before winter.

World Wednesday: The Knight of the Andes

Today, in South America, is Día del Libertador José de San Martín, or Anniversary of the death of José de San Martín, liberator of Argentina, Chile, and Peru.

Born in 1778 in Yapeyú, Corrientes (current day Argentina), Don José de San Martín was a man who seemed destined to carve a military career for himself. He left his homeland at the age of just seven to study in Málaga, Spain, and fought in the Spanish army until around 1812. It was then that he began working with the United Provinces of South America (what is also present day Argentina).

I’ll save you the rundown of military accomplishments and battles, but along the way, he earned himself more titles than I have pairs of shoes- Protector of Peru, Knight of the Andes, and a number of political and military titles, including Governor and General, were among his accomplishments. He played an instrumental role in the liberation of the three countries from the Spanish, and was even a statesman along the way.

I have four pairs of shoes, by the way.

Today in South America, there are statues, streets, schools and all kinds of other things dedicated to José de San Martín. I think the only thing he’s missing is an action figure.

Being from Michigan, I’ve honestly never really heard of José de San Martín before doing some digging, and there are certainly other figures, events, and whole chunks of history that I would have had no idea about until I would have searched. So enrich me, and everyone reading this blog: comment with a historical figure or event that you think is underrepresented by the history books.

Marines and Happy Mondays

Happy… Wednesday, everyone!

July 18th of this year in Japan is Umi no Hi (海の日), which translates roughly in English to “Marine Day” or “Ocean Day.” Being Japan’s newest holiday, only adopted in 1996, this holiday is still finding its sea legs (bad joke) among people in Japan. They generally spend the holiday, coincidentally, at the beach.

Although the holiday is fairly new on a national scale, it actually dates back pretty far. Marine Memorial Day, Umi no Kinen Bi (海の記念日) was originally designated in 1942 to commemorate the Meiji Emperor’s 1876 voyage in a steam ship around the country. It took until 1995 for the holiday to be declared national, and in 1996, it was first celebrated as part of the Happy Monday System (ハッピーマンデー制度) and renamed Marine Day.

What’s the Happy Monday System, you ask? Aside from finding its initial support with Garfield the Cat–that’s a lie–the system, which moved a number of national holidays to Mondays, was enacted by the Japanese government to give workers who normally work five day workweeks a three day weekend.

Do you know of any beach or water related holidays in other countries? Tell us about it!

Singin’ in Singapore

If you’re into some far out art from the far east, make sure to look into the Singapore Arts Festival from May 13th to June 5th. This festival originated in 1977 as a highlight of local communities’ artwork and continues every year in May.

Currently, the festival is a mixture of both Western and Eastern art, both traditional and modern.  For the most part, traditional artists have been given the most exposure, but there is a definite uptick in the attention given to up and coming artists.

Partly because of this festival, Singapore has become a major cultural center in East Asia and has seen growing public interest in and demand for the arts. Other events and festivals have also aided to foster the lively cultural scene found in this community.

Although there is an online presence all year long beyond the actual performances, there will be 75 stage shows from numerous countries throughout the whole festival. Awesome!

Share some eastern music, art, or even a story with us!