multi-lingual

I wanted to throw up a quick link to the free language software download section of Byki.

Byki.com gives away free software for learning 42 languages. This is a gold mine for folks interested in learning the basics of many languages - on no budget!

They also offer a commercial upgrade for $49 USD, reasonable, and you get lots of extras with the upgrade.

Have a look!

Overview

Word2Word.com has loads of resources for learning tons of languages. The only reason there isn't a proper write-up of the site yet on Free Language is that there is so much there that we really need to publish many articles to encompass the full spectrum offered!

So this is just a blog entry to bring attention to the overall site, which will be followed by proper articles outlining each of the languages and their resource sections on the site.

I recommend jumping to the section on Free Online Language Courses.

From Website

This site is dedicated to breaking down of language barriers and assisting the users who have the desire to learn a language, a need to communicate between languages, and for those who work with languages as a profession. Language students should only be using online resources in accordance with the rules and regulations set down by their schools, teachers and parents.

Link

Visit Word2Word.com

Started using a tool with Firefox this morning that I came across yesterday: the WordChamp Firefox Toolbar for instant translation of words while browsing any web page.

It is a really cool tool! You not only get to hover over any text word and get a translation into the language of your choice, often there is an audio recording of the word that you can listen to! Here's a screenshot of it in action - click to see a larger version:

To get the extension, visit WordChamp and look on the left side almost on the bottom where it says: "WordChamp Language Toolbar for Firefox". Click that while browsing the site with Firefox and you'll install the extension and can start using it once you restart Firefox.

A proper article on WordChamp will be out soon on the front page.

Just came across a really cool linguistic thing on the Newseum website: a section with images of today's front page articles from around the globe in multiple languages.

Nice one!

From Website

The Newseum — a 250,000-square-foot museum of news — will offer visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits.

The Newseum will be located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., on America’s Main Street between the White House and the U.S. Capitol and adjacent to the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall. The exterior’s unique architectural features include a 74-foot-high marble engraving of the First Amendment and an immense front wall of glass through which passers-by will be able to watch the museum fulfilling its mission of providing a forum where the media and the public can gain a better understanding of each other.

The Newseum will feature seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces and visitor services. It will offer a unique environment that takes museumgoers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made.

"The visitor will come away with a better understanding of news and the important role it plays in all of our lives," said Newseum Executive Director and Senior Vice President Joe Urschel. "The new Newseum will be educational, inspirational and a whole lot of fun."

Just came across a blog post considering six widespread world languages to learn.

From Blog Post

There is debate about which languages to learn, these six would be a good start of the 6812 or so languages out there to be annoyed you cannot understand.

I really need to stop reading the Wikipedia.org online Encyclopedia as it is amazing how little I know about the plant earth. Yesterday, I was all excited browsing around on the Francophone page and thinking about Anglophone and Anglosphere and all sorts of fun maps and things, when I ran across what the United Nations considers the Six Official Languages

Read more at HoboTraveler.com