Online Paid Tutoring Programs - A Must Have For Any Parent

Online Paid Tutoring Programs - A Must Have For Any ParentIf you have ever thought about taking advantage of an online paid tutoring program, I am going to tell you right now that it is an absolute necessity. Not only will you learn an enormous amount of information through these types of programs, but they will be flexible enough to fit your schedule as well. This makes them a much better option than going to one of the traditional school systems in which you have to travel to an online school or pay for private tuition.With traditional schooling system, you have to send your child to school and they have to go to school that is right down the street from where they live. This can be very inconvenient. The reason why they are so good is because the online schools are online, so there is no commuting involved and you can find the school that is closest to you.If you can send your child to a school that they have never been to before, that could make a good life. It could also make th em very depressed when they get to school because they haven't been here before. This is not the case with an online paid tutoring program. It gives them the chance to be exposed to an entirely new world because they don't have to travel to an unfamiliar location.The good news is that they can still go to their regular schools if they want to. The reason why this is so important is because it gives them the opportunity to see other cultures and people. It also gives them the opportunity to see a more diverse type of person who may not have taken notice of them in their entire lives.These good online programs are available all over the world. So, regardless of the particular country you reside in, you can choose to take advantage of the program. That way, your child will have a chance to learn in a whole new environment and that is going to open up many opportunities that they are never going to getat any other school.When you are trying to save money online, one of the things that y ou can do is to take advantage of these online paid tutoring programs. They allow your child to get a higher level of education at a fraction of the cost. And, of course, you get to see them improve their skills at the same time.Remember that it is always better to give your child the freedom to get the education that they need to be successful. You will be surprised by what they can do once they have taken a course that was put together just for them. Don't wait for them to realize what they have been missing out on because you can now get them started on the path to success.

How I Gained 260 Points on the GMAT

How I Gained 260 Points on the GMAT GMAT MBA Admissions Blog Five times.....yes.....five times......I took the GMAT five times for admission to business school. Was there something wrong with me? For a while, I thought there was but now that I look back....Absolutely not.Standardized exams are just one of those things that I've always had to work hard at to score decently. I should have taken a hint when I scored about average on the SATs in high school.My mind just works in mysterious ways and I'm sure that if the GMAT tested for emotionally charged responses, I'd score very well.Regardless, scoring high on the GMAT is definitely possible when you put in the effort to think like a standardized test taker. This involves various pieces of knowledge, logic, systematic thinking, and a lot of practice.So...how does one get there?For me, it was a long road. 2 years to be exact. But it was worth it.For starters, according to the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), better known as the guys who make the GMAT exam, about 10% of GMAT retakers obtain a significant gain of 100 points or more.That 10% takes a lot of hard work but with the right attitude, you can accomplish anything! What exactly was the end result for me?A 260 point gain! So yes, it's doable!When you think about it, you have a ton of options to increase your score: self-study, study groups, tutoring, prep courses, and online forums. Which one is thee right one for you is something only you can answer. It will definitely rely on how committed you are, too!I'll share my experience with you after taking the GMAT each time. 1st Attempt When I took the GMAT the first time around, I took it cold. No study guides, no prepping, and some knowledge on what the exam was about. If you had asked me what a data sufficiency question was, I might have given you a deer-in-headlights look! But I bit the bullet and took it. $250 later and a score of a 420, I was a bit short of breath. The feeling of disappointment lasted for a few days and it gave me the motivation I needed to sign up for a Kaplan prep course. I had to start somewhere. I didn't dwell on the score so much. I just got back up and knew what I had to do. Lesson learned? Take a free practice exam on mba.com. Some prep courses such as Manhattan GMAT give a free diagnostic exam. Go to the library, lock yourself up, and take the whole thing. Yes, that includes the writing section. From there, conduct an informal self-assessment and see what your weaknesses are just by looking at the answers you got wrong. Ask yourself whether it was time management, a lack of knowledge or approach that contributed to the questions you answered incorrectly. Although there are a variety of factors involved in answering questions incorrectly, this is a start. Make a plan, and follow it. Whatever you do, don't take the GMAT cold, go for lukewarm. 2nd Attempt Two months later........a 460. A 460?! Blargh! A 40 point increase even after taking a prep course?! Two weeks prior, I had a completed a 6-week Kaplan course at $1,500! I had taken a few of their practice exams and scored okay on some of the exams, definitely nowhere near a 460 though. I was confused. I was also spending over 30 hours working on practice problems. I really wasn't sure what I was doing wrong. But alas, I moved forward. At this point, I knew I was in for a challenge and I was determined to do well on the GMAT. Lesson learned? Now that I look back, the Kaplan prep course was definitely not for me. If you're going to take a live class, make sure it goes at a pace that's suitable for you. Also, try and take a glance at some of the resource materials and get a sense of what you're looking at. I know there are a ton of prep courses out there, but if you've made your mind up, ask around and do some research before you spend that type of money. In my case, I really put in the time and energy but I was missing something and I wasn't sure what that was quite yet. 3rd Attempt Bam! A 530. Okay, I broke the 500 mark but seriously, I was aiming for a top business school and I had my eyes set on MIT Sloan whose average GMAT score was well over 700. At some points, I think I wanted to break down but I kept strong. I spent almost five months studying by myself and using my old Kaplan materials to practice, practice, practice. I was spending 3-4 hours a day during the week and 6-8 hours during the weekends studying. It was pretty intense. I also became aware of other resources such as Beat the GMAT, GMAT Club, and some other websites to read success stories and see where I could improve. Lesson learned? Email other GMAT takers and see what's working for them. Don't spend TOO much time reading and writing on the forums as this can become a full-time job in itself. Reach out to a few folks who are studying and have done well on the GMAT and see what are some of their methods. I definitely learned a few tips that worked for me. At this point, I started to see what I needed to improve my score and I figured I needed another prep course. A good one that would work for me. And that's exactly what I did. 4th Attempt A 580! Woohoo! Okay. I was getting closer. Although it was only a 50 point increase from my previous score, it was a 160 point increase from my 420. I didn't want to spend time really thinking about getting a higher score. I knew I needed one but I just went back to the drawing board and picked up where I left off. Before my fourth attempt, I took an 8-week Manhattan GMAT self-study prep course. I spent less time studying but followed their regimented syllabus which is awesome. Aside using their materials, I was also participating in the forums a little more but I was only interacting with students who were solving questions. I also created my own support group on the Manhattan GMAT website and even set up a study group in my hometown. Here is where I started to really learn a lot. While studying with my study group, I began to realize that I learned best when someone taught me the right way to answer a question. A lot times, things had to be explained to me in various ways before I could understand some of those moderately difficult math and verbal questions. I also became aware that the students in my group were using tutors. Neither of the tutors were affiliated with any major test prep companies, they were general tutors who understood standardized exams. I was a bit hesitant to hire a tutor since I had spent quite a bit of money already. At this point, I was running on fumes since I really had devoted a lot of time and energy to the GMAT. But after seeing positive results come out of other students, I decided to invest one more time. Lesson learned? As you move forward, understand your strengths and weaknesses. How do you learn best? It's more than just going over answers over, and over, and over again. I can't tell you how often I went over incorrect answers over and over again only to get them wrong again later. I wasn't truly understanding how to solve the questions. It's all about your gaining various approaches to answering questions that are commonly asked on the GMAT. Once you know this, you'll start to see a difference. 5th Attempt And the fat lady sang! A 680!By this point, I had decreased the number of study hours studying to 15 a week and had hired a tutor with whom I was meeting once a week. It definitely paid off as I started to see a huge difference in my study habits and diagnostic scores on certain online exams. All along, what I really needed was someone to guide me through various questions in a way that was easy for me to understand. Right from the get go, the tutor understood where I faltered and made sure that I COMPLETELY understood WHY I was getting certain answers wrong. We focused on questions that I guessed on and answers that I answered incorrectly. I was able to see, for instance, that I was spending way too much time trying to answer difficult questions, when in reality, I should have been trying to answer the question and then making an educated guess if I could not answer it in time. I also learned various patterns in questions that were frequently asked - both the verbal and quant sections. My tutor also showed me various techniques and strategies for answering questions quickly when I was on a time crunch. I learned new concepts that I had not picked up in prior prep courses. There are so many ways to solve those math questions, and they're endless ways to interpret a passage; my tutor made sure I understood what the question was really asking. I was also staying away from those emotionally charged answers that got me every time. Lesson learned? The details go beyond this. What I learned most about my tutoring experience was that she understood my way of thinking. We went over my exam history and how my weaknesses lied in the verbal section. Although we spent time on the quant section, we spent more time looking at critical reasoning and reading comprehension. Together, we built strategies and tactics for dealing with the harder questions. I could not have done any of this without a tutor. And had I known this would have been the result when I first started studying for the GMAT, I would have gladly reallocated my funds to hiring a tutor. So before you invest, think about your study habits and learning style. This will help you out tremendously as you venture on a quest to get a high GMAT score. Believe me, a higher GMAT score is definitely possible. A 260 point gain doesn't come out of thin air. It happens when you put in the hard work. It will also depend on how much time you spend doing high-quality studying. There's definitely a psychology to this whole process but if you have dreams, don't let the GMAT get in the way. Knock it down. What about you? Do you have any successes? Have you used a tutor? Your comments are welcome! Please visit our GMAT tutoring page to learn more about how MyGuru and our highly qualified tutors can help you get your best possible score in the most efficient way possible! This was a Guest Post byOscar Pedroso, Founder of MBA Writers Block Here's a bit about Oscar and MBA Writers Block: In October 2011, MBAwritersblock.com was born as a way for me to share my experience of applying to business school. I spentthree yearsand almost$11,000applying to seven top MBA programs. I believe no one should ever have to spend that much money to pursue an education in business. So my first goal is to show you, that with hard work and perseverance, you can tackle the business school writing process by learning how to write powerful essays. My second goal is to turn MBAwritersblock.com into a powerful resource for young professionals applying to business school, online and off, so they can apply intelligently and inexpensively.

Irvine Physics Tutor Tip What is a Newton Weight vs Mass

Irvine Physics Tutor Tip What is a Newton Weight vs Mass Irvine Physics Tutor Tip: What is a Newton? Weight vs. Mass Irvine Physics Tutor Tip: What is a Newton? Weight vs. Mass A common problem for physics students is conceptualizing new types of measures and what they represent.   It’s easy enough to understand meters an,d seconds; we’re used to these concepts of distance (even if it isn’t usually in meters) and time.   Other units, however, aren’t as commonplace in our everyday lives and are harder to understand.   As a tutor and physics teacher, I’ve found that students having a strong understanding of units and being able to trace and connect different units helps them dramatically in both their physics understanding and their physics grades (book your private Irvine physics tutor today). Here, we will be discussing one of the main culprits in physics confusion that is introduced very early in an introductory physics class: the Newton. You are likely familiar with the concept of weight in everyday life. Things have different weights, and we measure them in pounds, ounces, and sometimes tons.   You’ve likely also heard metric system units of weight: notably grams, milligrams, and kilograms. But in physics, this gets more confusing.   Pounds are rarely or never used. Kilograms are still used, but they are a unit for “mass” rather than weight.   Instead, the “newton” is introduced as the new unit of weight.   So, in real life, we use kilograms to describe weight, but really, they’re for mass?   What is a newton and how is it different? Our answer is in a fundamental physics equation that you will need to quickly commit to memory to succeed in physics: F=ma. This is called Newton’s second law. Knowing the equations is the key to understanding new units and what they measure.   This equation is defining “force.”   Force is the measure that is describing what we call weight in physics.   Mass is an intrinsic quality of matter.   If we multiply that mass by an acceleration, we get the force. The reason we often equate these two in everyday life is that the acceleration of gravity is always the same for us on Earth.   Specifically, the acceleration is around 9.8 meters per seconds, squared (m/s2).   So, if we know the mass of an object, we can always multiply by 9.8 to get force it exerts downward or its “weight.”   Because of this, mass and weight have become synonymous when talking about the force that objects exert downward since we are almost always talking about objects on Earth and at a typical altitude. A way to understand this new unit of force is to break it up into its fundamental components.   We can do this by replacing our equation for force above with the units for each variable: force is measured with Newtons, mass with kilograms, and acceleration in meters per second2. Using this unit definition can help you check answers during a test.   If your final answer is a force, then the units you end with should be: Similarly, if you get an answer with those units but didn’t know what is, now you know that it is representing force. Knowing your units is an important tool in physics to check answers and aid in understanding new concepts and new measures.   Every time you learn a new unit, you should be asking yourself what it is measuring and how it is defined with the more fundamental units. Our experienced Irvine physics tutors are here to help you succeed in your physics class. Call us today to book your tutor! Michael C. is currently a private math, science, and standardized test tutor with TutorNerds in Irvine and Anaheim. All blog entries, except for guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

Adam Jackson, Silicon Valley entrepreneur, joins italki as Advisor

Adam Jackson, Silicon Valley entrepreneur, joins italki as Advisor Were excited to announce that italki has a new advisor serial entrepreneur Adam Jackson (blog, twitter:@adamjacksonsf).   Jackson is the founder of venture-backed DriverSide.com, as well as MarketSquare, which was eventually acquired by Intuit. Adam also invests in and advises other Silicon Valley startups.   Helping us will be his first overseas advisory role. About Adam Jackson: Adam specializes in consumer internet companies, and has founded three companies. Founder of venture-backed DriverSide.com. Driverside helps people make better decisions about owning and maintaining their car. Founder of MarketSquare, a company to help consumers find locally produced products. Acquired by StepUp Commerce, which in turn was acquired by Intuit (INTU) in 2006. Advises Incentalign, Inc., a company which supports sales team optimization. Adam graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Computer Science and Economics. Were excited to have Adam on our board of advisors, along with Porter Erisman and Tom Soohoo. We are a young company, and we really value the advice and help we get from these experienced entrepreneurs. The italki Team Adam Jackson, Silicon Valley entrepreneur, joins italki as Advisor Were excited to announce that italki has a new advisor serial entrepreneur Adam Jackson (blog, twitter:@adamjacksonsf).   Jackson is the founder of venture-backed DriverSide.com, as well as MarketSquare, which was eventually acquired by Intuit. Adam also invests in and advises other Silicon Valley startups.   Helping us will be his first overseas advisory role. About Adam Jackson: Adam specializes in consumer internet companies, and has founded three companies. Founder of venture-backed DriverSide.com. Driverside helps people make better decisions about owning and maintaining their car. Founder of MarketSquare, a company to help consumers find locally produced products. Acquired by StepUp Commerce, which in turn was acquired by Intuit (INTU) in 2006. Advises Incentalign, Inc., a company which supports sales team optimization. Adam graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Computer Science and Economics. Were excited to have Adam on our board of advisors, along with Porter Erisman and Tom Soohoo. We are a young company, and we really value the advice and help we get from these experienced entrepreneurs. The italki Team

Traveling 101 Surviving long haul flights

Traveling 101 Surviving long haul flights If someone told you that they enjoyed long haul flights, you’d probably do a double-take. That’s because there’s nothing much to enjoy about being on a plane for 10+ hours. It’s tough to stretch out your legs and get comfortable enough to sleep, the food isn’t anything to write home about, and you can’t account for who you’ll be sitting next to. But for teachers heading to teach overseas this New Year, we’ve compiled a list of ways to make long haul flights a little more bearable. A good seat should be your top priority. If you’re on a 10+ hour flight, it’s likely that you’re going to need to use the washroom at least once, so a good seat means an aisle seat. Believe us, the novelty of looking out the window and seeing the ocean will wear off just as soon as you have to ask your neighbor to move for a second time. Even better than just an average aisle seat, though, is an aisle seat with no one beside you. If you’re traveling alone, pick a seat in the window row if there’s a three-seat configuration. Make sure to pick a row where the window seat is already booked. Being crammed between two strangers is no one’s cup of tea. These middle seats are likely to be the last booked, so you might be lucky enough to get an empty seat between you and the person sitting in the window seat. Watch what you eat. A couple of days before you leave, try to make sure you’re eating healthy. You’ll feel pretty uncomfortable sitting on a long flight if you’ve stuffed yourself with junk food. Our bodies don’t digest fatty foods and foods filled with sodium very well on a good day, so trying to digest these kinds of food at 30,000 ft in the air is even tougher. But beyond digestion, we also have to worry about blood circulation while flying. Sitting with very little movement for many hours can affect blood flow which can cause swollen feet -- another uncomfortable in-flight experience. Lean toward healthier choices: packages of nuts, water instead of carbonated drinks or alcohol, and vegetables. Make a move. Sitting for a long time isn’t good for your body. Make sure you take regular breaks to get up and walk around or do some exercise in-flight. CNN even put out an in-flight yoga guide. Give yourself the best chance at some sleep. First and foremost: avoid alcohol. Some travelers make the mistake of using alcohol as a sleep aid, but it’s actually a depressant and can also really dehydrate you. If you’re looking for something to help you sleep, try a more natural alternative like melatonin tablets or valerian tea. If there’s an in-flight comfort package available, invest in it. Otherwise, make your own! Pack a sleep mask, some ear plugs, and even a small blanket if possible. These small things can go a long way when it comes to trying to get some sleep. Pack your own entertainment. This is especially crucial when in-flight movies are pre-picked and shown to all passengers. It’s good to have some distractions that will keep you happy. Bring your favourite book or magazine, stock your iTunes library with a couple of movies or a TV series you’ve been meaning to watch, bring a journal and list all the places you’d like to visit once you arrive -- just think ahead about what you’ll do if the in-flight movies are a drag. We know that long flights are no one’s favorite, but if you follow these tips, you can minimize some of the travel stress you’ll experience. Especially if you’re heading to work within the first few days of landing, you’ll want to make sure your flight is the best that it can be. What have you done in the past to make long haul flights more bearable? Share with us below in the comments!

Not Sure Which Foreign Language to Learn Let Us Help You Decide!

Not Sure Which Foreign Language to Learn Let Us Help You Decide! Which Foreign Language to Learn We all have a different reason to learn a foreign language.Maybe its for love.Perhaps youre moving to a new country.It could be that you just really need to study for that test.If any of these are the case, you probably know which language you want to learn. But what if youre just infected with the bug? You want to learn  something, but you dont know what!Here are some ideas to get those linguistic juices flowing. Which Foreign Language to LearnMany of the languages below are available on FluentU, which is great for picky learners as you can easily switch between languages with no fuss (and have your progress saved for each language).FluentU makes it possible to learn languages from music videos, commercials, news, inspiring talks and more.With FluentU, you hear languages in real-world contextsâ€"the way that native speakers actually use them. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:FluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning langua ges, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It’s already hand-picked the best videos for you and organized them by level and topic. All you have to do is choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started!Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.You can use FluentU’s unique adaptive quizzes to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions and exercises. Just swipe left or right to see more examples of the word youre studying.The program even keeps track of what you’re learning and tells you exactly when it’s time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes store or Google Play store .If you want something easy for English speakers.Okay, this is somewhat flippantâ€"we all know that no foreign language is  easy to learn. However, it can be extra motivating if you can see quick progress, especially if this is your first time learning a foreign language.The key point is to pick something thats not too dissimilar from your native language. Here are a couple of examples if your native language is English.SpanishThe language of Cervantes is an extremely popular one. If you went to school in the U.S., you probably sat through years of lessons on thisâ€"although perhaps you dont remember a word!This popularity is one of the reasons why Spanish is such a great choice for a language which isnt too impossible to pick up. Even if you didnt take Spanish lessons in school, it isnt hard to find someone nearby who speaks the second most spoken tongue on the planet. This will make it a whole lot easier to practice.Aside from access to a huge pool of  hispanohablantes  (Spanish s peakers), the language itself lends itself to fast learning. Unlike the irregularity of English phonology and orthography, Spanish has a very straightforward pronunciation system. Depending on your accent, English has between 14 and 21 vowel sounds, yet Spanish has only five. Consonants are usually pronounced the same in every word, and when theres a change, theres always a logical rule to help you know how to say it.Stress patterns are consistent, and whenever theyre changed theres a written accent mark to show you the way. This means when you see a word written in Spanishâ€"no matter how complexâ€"you can always work out how to say it by breaking it down into its constituent parts.Meanwhile, thanks to the Latin roots of Spanish, theres a wealth of vocabulary you already have at your fingertips. Nation =  nación, music =  música, flower =  flor, and so onâ€"not to mention the numerous English loan words in Spanish (email, catering, fútbol).Thats not to say that Spanish is withou t its challenges. A lot of the grammar is very different from Englishâ€"it took me a long time to get the hang of putting object pronouns before the verb!â€"and Spanish learners have to deal with the infamous subjunctive. However, these challenges can be overcome in a very satisfying way, and once youve gotten there, youll be ordering  tapas like a pro.If you fancy a language thats related to Spanish, have a go at Italian, Portuguese or French. All are linguistically very similar and have numerous speakers around the world.GermanIf youre looking to move away from the Romance languages, German should be your first stop. Despite having a huge amount of Latin influence, English is actually a Germanic language. The vocabulary is therefore quite similar and there are a number of cognates. Pronunciation  is also quite straightforward.Consider these sentences:Das ist gut. Ich kann tanzen.Even if you cant guess straight away, it wont surprise you to learn that these sentences mean That is g ood and I can dance. This is just the beginning.Due to the history of English, which involved Germanic Anglo-Saxons working the land while being mostly separated from the French-speaking aristocrats, lots of simple language has kept its Germanic roots.This includes religious terminology (God =  Gott, church =  Kirche), language for animals  (cow =  Kuh, cat =  Katze) and words for family members (father, mother, brother and sister are  Vater, Mutter, Bruder und Schwester).Again, German also has its challenges. Due to the German way of creating compound words, much of its vocabulary can be intimidating. It also results in some curiosities, such as the triple F in  Schifffahrt. (This means boat travel and is a compound of the words  Schiff and  Fahrtâ€"ship and journey.)Another challenge is that German, like Latin, has numerous grammatical cases to get your head around, as well as three genders to learn. Not to mention the fact that many Germans speak fantastic English, and it can be hard to persuade them to let you practice!Similar languages include Dutch and Afrikaans.If you want to travel.One popular reason for learning foreign languages is to enable us to travel. But what if you dont have a specific location in mind?English and Spanish remain the best languages for travel due to their near-ubiquity. Nevertheless, there are a few others we can usefully add to the armory.Mandarin ChineseThe language with the biggest proportion of native speakers in the world, Mandarin Chinese is notorious in the anglophone world for its complexity and difficulty.Dont let that put you off! Mandarin opens up China and the rest of Asia as a travel destination, and is spoken by one in six people in the world. Whats more, its not as difficult as people would have you believe.Okay, the writing system is tough; instead of having an alphabet, there are approximately 50,000 different characters to deal with. But in fact, an educated Chinese person will only know around 8,000, and you p robably only need 2,000 to be able to read well. Moreover, the grammar of Mandarin is pleasingly straightforward.Take this example:???????(Hao canting zài nali?) â€"  Where is a good restaurant?Break this down and its fascinating to see how it comes together.? (hao) â€"  good? (can) â€"  meal?  (ting) â€"  hall??? (zài nali)  â€" where is it?The focal noun of the sentence (in this case, the restaurant or good meal hall) comes first, with the modifiers coming afterwards. Each character has a sound and a different meaning, and they combine beautifully.The phonology is trickyâ€"not only do you have to get your head around all the different vowel and consonant sounds, but you also need to get the infamous tones correct. There are four different ones to masterâ€"although this is fewer than in Cantonese!Cantonese is similar, however, and uses the same scriptâ€"well, sort of. To make things a bit more interesting, there are traditional and simplified characters, and Cantonese is written in traditional characters in Hong Kong, whereas mainland China uses simplified characters.Meanwhile, various Chinese characters found their way into Japanese as  kanji, so learning Mandarin is a great jumping-off point for other Asian languages.RussianLearning Russian means another new alphabet to pick up, but its still a very useful tongue. Even if Russia isnt your desired destination, much of ex-Soviet Eastern Europe still teaches Russian as a second language in schools, so mastering the language will open up a new part of the world.Again, the main challenge is obvious: you have to learn the Cyrillic alphabet. The good news is that, unlike Chinese languages, there are only 33 characters to learn rather than thousands. Once youve got them, youve got them.Russian is the most widely spoken of the Slavic language family. Once you master Russian, you have access to Ukrainian, Polish and a variety of other eastern European languages.If you want to workA foreign language or two looks gre at on your resume, and its no wonder that many language learners are seeking to enhance their employment prospects. Employers prize both the hard work and intellect required to learn a language, and value the opportunity to make the most of those skills to further their business.Here are a couple of languages you might want to consider if this is your motivation.FrenchIn both Europe and North America, French is a powerful languageâ€"think Quebec and the EUâ€"and a staple of language education. And lets not forget all of the Francophone areas in Africa and elsewhere in the world.Its also fair to say that, unlike native speakers of other Romance languages, French speakers are often reluctant to engage in English (or at least they have that reputation, although thats disputed). This makes a mastery of the language of Proust a valuable assetâ€"and also means its very easy to find people to practice with!Like Spanish, as mentioned above, French is part of the family that includes a host of other European languages, and those high school Spanish lessons will come in handy when it comes to grammar and vocab! Chances are youve heard French out and about as well, not to mention the loanwords and phrases we have taken (vis-a-vis,  déjà vu,  voilà). Enjoy being able to tell all your friends the meanings of all those fancy words on the menu!The biggest challenge, for me, is pronunciation. While French phonology is fairly regular, there are numerous vowel combinations, often involving silent consonants. This can make it very difficult to differentiate between words. Take for example these five homophones:Vers  (towards)Vers  (verse)Ver  (worm)Verre  (glass)Vert  (green)As an English speaker, its not my place to criticize difficult pronunciation. Nevertheless, this is tough!ArabicGo to Morocco and alongside French you will hear Arabic, this most fascinating of languages. Of course, its not limited to Marrakeshâ€"in fact, Arabic is an official language in 27 countries. Wi th the Middle East becoming an increasingly important region due to politics and commerce, a mastery of Arabic will definitely score you points with potential employers.Arabic is certainly not without its challenges, not least its vastly different vocabulary from European languages and its beautiful but alien script which is written from right to left. However, perhaps the biggest challenge is the range of dialects. When a language covers such a huge area, its only to be expected that there will be a huge variation in the way its spoken!There are three main varieties:Levantine Arabic. This is spoken around Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine, and it boasts 20 million speakers worldwide. Although it has no official status, its the national working language in Lebanon and is used at home and among friendsâ€"as well as in written communication, the media and government. Levantine Arabic has influence from Hebrew, Greek, French and other foreign languages.Egyptian Arabic. This is, as t he name suggests, the dialect from Egypt and is spoken there by 52.5 million people. This form is understood in many parts of the Arab world due to Egypts cultural influence.Gulf Arabic. Speakers in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE are the main users of this dialect, which has 10 personal pronouns. Gulf Arabic maintains gender differentiation, whereas others have done away with it.All of these are in addition to Modern Standard Arabic, which is the official language in most of these countries!Which to learn to begin with? London Arabic Tuition recommends learning Levantine Arabic firstâ€"the others will be easy to pick up afterwards.If you want to learn a new script.Bored with the Latin alphabet? Many of the languages already mentioned use other scripts, but if you really want to throw yourself into a beautiful, challenging, unique new writing system, why not try one of these?HindiI love, love,  love the look of Hindi.The curling characters hang from a bar, each representing a consonant so und.Then, diacriticsâ€"the little extra marks that modify characters, like an umlaut (the two dots over the u of  Brüder)  in German or a cedilla (the wiggle under the c of  façade)  in Frenchâ€"alter the vowel that follows. If theres no diacritic, the vowel is -a.Take as an example one of the best known Hindi wordsâ€"namaste, meaning hello. In Hindiâ€"or, strictly speaking, in the Devanagari  alphabetâ€"that is written as ??????.If that looks unintelligible, lets break it down character by character:? (na, no diacritic)? (ma,  no diacritic)? (sa,  combined with ? [ta] +  ? [-e  diacritic] =  ste)It may look alien to those of us brought up on the Latin alphabet, but once you crack the logic, it makes perfect senseâ€"and is stunning on a page.It could be a useful language too: Although India has many tongues, Hindi is the fourth-most-spoken first language in the world.JapaneseJapanese has not just one, not two, but  three new alphabets to get your head around.Kanji are Chinese char acters, and therefore the most numerous and complex of the three alphabets. Most words in Japanese use kanji, and there is no ruleâ€"they just have to be learned. For example:? (koi)  â€"  love? (neko) â€"  cat?? (nippon)  â€"  JapanLike the characters needed for Mandarin, there are upwards of 50,000 in total, although approximately only 3,000 are in common use in Japan.The other alphabetsâ€"the  kana  alphabetsâ€"are simpler. There are two of these, each with around 50 characters. Each character represents a sound or mora, either a vowel, consonant with vowel or a nasal  n sound.Hiragana is used primarily for grammatical purposes, such as adding suffixes to indicate tenseâ€"compare ??? (taberu, eat) and ??? (tabeta, ate). It can also be used to spell out complex or obscure kanji phonetically.Katakana is most often seen representing loan words from other languages. For example, I once wrote about a scene in Haruki Murakamis  Kafka on the Shore which featured Colonel Sanders, of KFC fame. In the katakana, this was rendered as  ???? ·????? (kaneru sandasu). Try saying it out loud, and youll hear how it sounds like a Japanese version of the English name!Japanese is fascinating with a challenging grammar, although a relatively simple phonology. However, its spoken only in Japan and its only relatives are endangered members of the Japonic family, so this might be one you dont get to break out too often if you dont live in Japan or already have regular contact with Japanese speakers.Still, its very interesting and its definitely a good one to consider.If you want to be uniqueThis section might be for the more experienced polyglots among you.Fed up with your everyday languages, perhaps you want to find something to really break out as a party trick.If thats the case, check out these foreign languages, which are sure to mark you as the linguistic hipster you are.NorwegianScandinavians are renowned for their fantastic English, and perhaps this is part of the reason why so few people take the time to learn the languages spoken there.However, theres a hidden bonusâ€"learning Norwegian essentially gives you three languages for the price of one! Its extremely similar to Swedish and Danish, and the three are often considered mutually comprehensible. Hit Scandi noir shows like The Bridge, featuring detectives from Denmark and Sweden, make jokes about this with Danish usually the butt of themâ€"as does this hilarious video.Why learn Norwegian? The distinctive and wonderful sound of the language is a reason in itself. Whats more, despite its hipster credentials, its not so distinct from English as to be a complete departure. There are numerous cognatesâ€"Im sure you wouldnt need me to tell you that  gress,  katt and  vinter mean grass, cat and winter respectivelyâ€"and the accent isnt too unusual sounding. Furthermore, Norwegians will love you for having the desire to learn their language!Swedish and Danish could be just as good to learn, but Norwegian i s less commonly taught and therefore that little extra special.QuechuaQuechua is the only minority language on this list, so its fitting that it should be in this section. Quechua is, however, the most popular second language across Peru and Bolivia, where theres an enormous drive to maintain the indigenous tongue. This could be a great one to pick up to deepen your understanding of Spanish, or if youre looking to travel to that part of the world.Whats more, it shouldnt be too hard! It  includes benefits such as:No irregular verbs, nouns or adjectivesNo grammatical genderNo articlesRegular casesObviously the vocabulary and grammar are bound to be unlike anything youve ever experienced, but you didnt want this to be  too easy, right?No self-respecting language nerd can do without speaking a minority language, so give it a go! Other options along this theme include Irish, Catalan, Khoekhoe or the dialects of Italy.I think thats enough languages to get you started, dont you?Remember to check out  FluentUs  language learning blogs and resources to help you along the way.Happy learning!

Learning English Magazine - Articles to Read in the Magazine

Learning English Magazine - Articles to Read in the MagazineLearning English magazine is one of the most widespread and popular types of magazines. This magazine is mostly aimed at providing the audience with the latest information on subjects related to the language. The aim of the magazine is to enhance their language skills and they provide free interactive video tutorials for the learners. In this article, we will discuss some of the most interesting articles that you can read in the magazine.The first article in the magazine is a discussion on spelling. This article describes the basics of using English spellings. Also it offers tips on how to manage your time when making spellings in the language. You will also learn how to avoid misspellings so that you do not look stupid when you are speaking the language. Moreover, you will learn how to prevent your coworkers from making mistakes when you are talking in the language.The second article is a mini-course that is all about vocab ulary with a lot of English words. You will learn how to use some of the most important words in the language.The third article is all about verbs and their use in the language. It is a very useful article because you will learn how to use a lot of verbs that are commonly used in the English language. This article is mainly aimed at beginner learners but also some advanced learners will find it useful. As you will learn more verbs, you will be able to make correct inflection when you speak the language.Lastly, we will discuss about verbs of translation. This article will provide you with the knowledge on different verbs in the language. You will learn how to spell these verbs correctly, what the different meaning of the verb is and many other useful things. This article is the best for people who want to get the most out of the language and would like to learn some verbs as well.This article in the magazine is a very useful one, because it provides you with an introduction on some u seful strategies to improve your English level. This article is all about confidence in the language and how you can develop a good and confident English speaking attitude. The article provides helpful tips and tricks to help you develop a good attitude. It even includes some suggested reading materials so that you can strengthen your language skills.Furthermore, if you would like to become a native speaker of the language, this article will teach you how to have the right attitude to speak the language. This article also contains strategies to improve your speaking ability so that you would be able to develop your confidence in the language. There are many more great articles in the magazine that you can read from time to time.