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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."
How lazy have we become that if it doesn't come from the TV or from a video game it just isn't worth doing?
I re-installed the original Sims probably 5 times before I realized that they were speaking their own language and not some german/spanish mix. I kept turning it up real loud trying to figure out what the fork they were saying.
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
Today's Sim gaming experience brought to you by the number ocho.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
I'll admit that I am intrigued. This problem does suffer the flaw that, if it is played like normal, the player doesn't really need to know what is said, and will therefore probably ignore it. I believe the whole point of immersion is to make the person *need* to know it, and to provide an environment in which they can do so. If they can make it work, I'll pay for it. I'm going to wait and see how this develops.
Have computers gotten better at analyzing grammar? I remember this being a bit of a sticking point, but that was ten years ago. If so, this sounds like an excellent idea.
One man's -1 Flamebait is another man's +5 Funny.
I unknowingly prepared myself to learn English by watching American cartoons.
When they started teaching us English as a second language in primary school, I was way ahead of every other kid, and the English teacher got me to help out the other kids.
This probably wouldn't work too well with languages with different character sets where you couldn't even begin to guess how to pronounce the words, but English -> Spanish worked quite well.
But they would have to change the content of the Sims to make it useful. There's only so much I can do in a foreign country when all I can say is "take out the garbage", "Go to work", and "Eat some food". The game play would have to be changed to allow me to actually do something aside from mundane chores over, and over and over again.
In theory, I think this could work. Remember the Speak and Spell from back in the 80's? I had one, and loved playing with it and making it say bad words (when my mom wasn't watching) while I was doing the exercises that came with the thing. Foreign language video games seems a logical progression from the days of old.
So were all of the people who downloaded early release copies of Halo 2 in French actually learning instead of just stealing? Sacre blu!!
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> How about foreign language sites on the Internet
m l
> as well? Any recommendations?
Another article in the same Journal deals with that:
http://llt.msu.edu/vol9num1/emerging/default.ht
In small European countries which don't benefit from having games translated into the local language, the children play them in English, and as a result, pick up quite a bit of written language. I've seen this in the Czech Republic, and found it amazing that a ten year old could understand so much. That said, it does little for spoken language.
Never pet a burning dog.
Here are some German Language sites from a site I set up for a German class at my university. Most of the sites have other languages also. (Would link to it, but don't want to get slashdotted, so I just copied the code over.)
German Language Web Sites
leo.org German-English dictionary. Just enter a German or English word in the Search Term box. Note the 3 symbols following the word entered:Press the1stfor grammar information, the 2nd for definition and sample uses, the 3rd for spoken pronunciation.
german.about.com Everything you ever wanted to know about the German language. Includes grammar and vocabulary guides.
travlang.com Click on the German Flag for German words for travel, shopping, dining, directions, etc. Click on a word for pronunciation.
webgerman.com A collection of links on the German language as well as comics, music, and games in German.
freetranslantion.com Type or paste a word or phrase into the box for a free translation between languages by a computer. The computer translations are somewhat crude, but you can also pay for a human translation.
Learn English from Beatles songs.
Learn French from Asterix comics.
Learn Italian from music scores.
Learn Japanese from Arcade games.
Learn German from pr0n videos.
I already know all the 'leet-speak I'm interested in.
I don't know the meaning of the word 'don't' - J
IMHO, currently people are relying on computer technology for their learnings and entertainment too much. As for learning a foreign language, isn't going to that country and talking to the 3-dimentional people the best way to learn? I know some people would maintain that not everyone has the opportunity to travel, but my point is that people shouldn't automatically resort to computers when it comes to learning and entertainment. There are other better options.
I don't think the Sims could provide a sufficient language portion that would allow anyone to get by. Most Sims events occur within the house, when any foreign language use would be required mostly outside of it in public places, which the Sims wouldn't cover.
In addition to that, the Sims would not really provide any kind of advancement since the progression in the storyline does not imply progression in the complexity of the language. As a result the gamer would dive right into the same language level as he will be playing from that point on. Language is difficult to learn when there is no sense of accomplishment and progression which can't exist in a paceless learning.
Lastly, the Sims is quite an addictive game (speaking from experience) and encouraging that from an educational standpoint is kind of like encouraging smoking because its cool while disregarding its health implications (a slight exageration but you get the point).
I've always wanted to learn a second language and I've tried when I was younger. However, growing up in a small town in the mid-west, I'd have to travel hundreds of miles to find someone who spoke the language natively. So sure, I could memorize words, syntax, etc., but, without the ability to use that knowledge on a regular basis, the memory fades.
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To me, this sounds like a way to make it possible for people that don't have regular opportunities to use the language they are trying to learn a new way to get there from here.
The only caveat I can think of is that relative anonymity seems to bring out the a-hole in a lot of us. That is to say, there might be a lot of jerks entering the sim that would try to ruin it for the rest of us just for the amusement of doing so. I guess the sim-world will probably need a cover charge to keep out the riff-raff.
A goal is a dream with a deadline
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
-- Intelligence is soluble in alcohol
I'm trying to learn Japanese, and I'm doing something similar to what this guy describes in the second half of the article. After learning the kana (Japan's phonetic "alphabets"), I switched my iPod into Japanese.
:) Unfortunately it doesn't give me much more than phonetic reading practice, since most of the words used on the iPod are actually on loan from English. Example: "purei-risuto" (Japanese fudges out the U's, making it sort of "pray-rist"). HMM, I wonder what that could possibly be....
Of course I can get around most menus without reading at all, since I knew where everything was by heart. However if I go into Browse or Settings, I have to translate.
Setting my computer's main language to Japanese could be next... but I think that will be a way bigger challenge.
Indicentally, I am also using the Pimsleur course this guy recommends. I'm on level 1 lesson 21, and so far it has been great. My friends' eyes bug out when I start speaking Japanese to them. Now if only I had some Japanese friends to practice on...:P
Justin
"Why would God give us a waist if we wasn't supposed to rest our pants on it?" - Rev. Roy McDaniels
While this "concept" might be new to alot of Americans, alot of Europeans, Asians and whoever have used this to aqcuire English and maybe another language.
For instance, every child in Belgium is accostumed to read subtitles with some cartoons. (lately it seems they started dubbing cartoons for the younger children though. I remember being 8 watching He-man or Ji-Joe with subs.) Cause we don't "dub" (I personally find it really annoying in German dubbed movies, it just doesn't feel right.) And think about all the "imported" series, games, movies, and what not. They are all subtitled or even aren't (games and such). So teens overhere have a very good understanding about English (unless they are just into RAP and R&B music :P) cause they pick it up while being entertained.
My German knowledge mostly came from watching German childrens programs, and later German books or even comics as well.
I think it's super to be educated while playing, without ruining the fun of the game; Pick something up while you're entertaining yourself, it's not like you were going to pick up a book and study a language instead. But it seems supercool to go into a foreign country, and notice you actually understand some things and eventually will be able to communicate in a language not your own, as a result of playing a game you like which was going to be "dead time" anyhow.
They could expand this further, beyond just "language".
I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1
I told a colleague at work that I was planning on learning French. He ERUPTED at me and told me how useless anything French was...
While the number of people speaking French as a primary language aren't really all that huge, I understand that the number of people speaking French as a second language is second only to those speaking English as a second language. If this is true (I've had it quoted at me a few times, but I've never found a cite), I suspect it's a lingering effect from the days when French was the language for the royal and the intellectual elite in Europe. From my experience travelling through Russia, almost everyone I met either spoke English or French, so I was able to get by without an extensive Russian vocabulary.
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I can't recommend enough the http://www.bbc.co.uk/learnwelsh/ Learn Welsh section on the BBC site. They have whole radios series of structured lessons at different levels available for download, online forums with proper Welsh tutors, games for kids, loads of stuff and all for free. The Vocab feature gives a gloassary of Welsh vocab on other sections of the BBC website like the Newyddion (News) section, so you can look up the words you don't know just by moving your cursor over them. The Scots Gaelic and Irish sites are similar but from what I've gathered aren't quite as extensive.