Learning a Foreign Language with The Sims

JavaTHut writes "The Journal Language Learning and Technology has a new article describing how The Sims can be modified to teach a foreign language. With this and other efforts at U.S.C. and M.I.T., could simulated immersion within video games become an effective way of acquiring a foreign language? Also of interest in the article are suggestions for using spatialized translation layers in foreign language songs and a Firefox extension for learning foreign vocabulary words."

Comments

Audio narration availible

[JavaTHut]

For anyone who would prefer to listen to the article, there's an audio version availible at:

http://www.langwidge.com/llt/not_studying.mp3

Re:when I was a kid

[pe1rxq]

I learned a lot from subtitled TV....
Pretty much anything aimed not at children is subtitled in the Netherlands.
Its great to have the original audio together with the translation.

Another great way once you know the basics is watching the BBC with teletext page 888 on. (subtitles for the deaf) You also learn some spelling and sometimes its actually clearer than some guy talking with a terrible accent.

Although re-synched can also be great if it is not your own language... I learned to understand german pretty well by watching an our of StarTrek each day.

Jeroen

Re:for the new generation

[stupid_is]

The BBC are hosting a series of language courses that look quite good. French, Spanish, German and Italian feature, as well as some basics in other world languages