Translate a Video Clip

Translation can be a very useful tool in helping you to learn a language. It can make you think much more closely about the relationship of your language to the language you are learning. Translating also makes you think very carefully about the meaning of the text you need to translate and how to express it in your own language. Translation is also a valuable skill and one that could help you to get work.


Today's activity uses a site called Social Translator where you can find lots of translated videos, and texts and some that are waiting to be translated.

Task:
  • You are going to start by listening to a short video clip and writing the text in English. You can watch the clip here:




  • Play the clip and pause it while you write down the text with a pencil and paper.
  • Once you have written down the complete text in English, check it against the English transcription on the site here by clicking on 'Play' next to English > English.


  • Correct any errors in your text. Then go to http://babelfish.yahoo.com/ here you can type in each sentence of your English text and click to translate it into your own language.



  • Computer translation is not very accurate, so you will need to think about the meaning and correct the translation.
  • Once you have the complete text translated, you can join the Social Translation site and add your translation to the video clip. Just click on 'Join' and create your account, then go back to the video and click on 'click here' underneath 'Translate This'.


This is a great way to practice your listening , grammar, vocabulary and translation skills.

If you want to request translations of words you don't know you can go to: http://socialtranslator.org/request and add a word or phrase.

If you enjoyed this activity you can find other videos to watch and translate here: http://socialtranslator.org/translations/videos These already have English transcription.

Here you can find more translation activities.

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Learn from English Song Lyrics

There are many great reasons to study song lyrics, not least because you enjoy listening to the song. You can learn new words from them, singing along helps with your pronunciation, reading as you listen helps with listening and reading skills.


So today's activity uses a site called Lyrics.com where you can find loads of song lyrics as well as music videos of people singing the songs.

Task:
  • Go to: http://www.lyrics.com/ think of a song in English that you like or a singer who sings in English.
  • Type their name or the song name into the search field and find the song or singer.


  • If you can't think of a song just select one of the popular ones from the home page


  • You will then see the lyrics and on most songs you can also find a video. Play the video, listen and follow the lyrics.


  • You can either just listen or you can try to sing along. Doing either one or both will help with your listening reading and pronunciation.
  • Try to listen to a new song each day, or select one song and try to memorise the lyrics by singing along a number of times.
I hope you enjoy this activity. Here you can find more music related activities.

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Find Idioms in Everyday Language

The English language has a huge number of idioms and this number seems to be constantly growing. You have to be careful how and when you use these idioms, as many are used in very specific contexts.


Today's activity will help you discover how and where new idioms are used.

Task:

  • Go to the IdiomSite at: http://www.idiomsite.com/. Here you will see an index of idioms. You can either scroll down the idioms or select a letter from the alphabet.


  • The idiom site tells you what each idiom means, but it is really useful to find out how these are used in context.
  • Go to: http://www.americancorpus.org/ and click enter. Type in your idiom to the 'Words' field then click on 'Search' You will then see the idiom appear on the right.


  • Click on the idiom and you will get a list of example sentences that use the idiom.


  • If you click on the source of the sentence, you will be able to see it in a complete paragraph.

  • This is a great way to find examples of idioms in use that you can copy and add to your vocabulary notes. Try to find 4 new idioms each day along with an example for each one.
I hope you enjoy this activity and it helps you to learn and remember new idioms. Here you can find more vocabulary activities.

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Find Words that Express Your Thoughts

There are times when you know what you want to say, but you just don't know the right word in English. This can be very frustrating, but it is good to practice explaining the words you want so that you can get the word you want.
Today's activity will look at a website called OneLook Reverse Dictionary which can help you with this. You can also practice using the site by doing an online crossword puzzle.

Task:
  • To try out the OneLook Reverse Dictionary got to: http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml
  • Type in the definition for a word (e.g. 'a bird tat can swim') and see if what the dictionary offers you. You will get a list of related words and the most likely matches will come first (my example got 'duck' at 3).

  • Click on the words and you will find definitions and examples of pronunciation.



  • Find a word that matches the number of letters for the clue and then type it in.


  • Soon you will be solving crossword puzzles, developing your vocabulary and developing your ability to explain words in English rather than relying on translation.
I hope you enjoy this activity. Here you can find more vocabulary building activities.

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Read a Film Script for Pronunciation Practice

Reading is a great way to improve your vocabulary, but it can also be a good way to improve your pronunciation, especially if you can hear what you have to read.

Today's activity uses the IMSDB (Internet Movie Script database) and explores how you can use film scripts as reading to improve your pronunciation.

Task:
  • Find a movie in English that you like and which has good dialogue. If you don't have any English movies you may be able to find some at: http://quicksilverscreen.com/
  • Then go to http://www.imsdb.com/ and try to find the script.
  • There are lots of scripts on the IMSDB, but also a lot of advertising so be careful where you click. You can either search for the movie you want or browse by alphabet or genre.
  • Once you find the page with your movie on look for 'Read [movie name] script' and click on it. This will show you the movie script.

  • Here's an example of the script for the first Shrek movie which many people may have.
  • Once you find the script you want print up a few pages from it. Now find the movie and watch it. Try to follow the script and listen to the intonation of the speakers.
  • Intonation is the change in pitch and it usually either falls or rises at the ends of sentences or at commas just like punctuation in writing.

  • Try to mark on the script where you here the intonation rise or fall. Then try reading the script and trying to imitate the actors. try to copy their emotions and accents.
  • Read along while watching the the movie. You don't have to do this for the whole film, but trying to imitate small chunks will help to develop your pronunciation and your ability to hear and understand the changes in emotion that it conveys.
I hope you enjoy watching and reading movie scripts. Here you can find more activities to improve your pronunciation.

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A Virtual Job Interview

Doing a job interview can be a very stressful experience, especially if you have to do it in another language. That's why it's good to get as much practice as possible and have a chance to try different answers to common interview questions.

Today's activity gives you the chance to be interviewed, try different answers and improve your listening and reading skills. You'll also get some good interview tips too.

Task:

  • In a moment you will be able to try the interview. Here is what you will need to do. Click and watch the video introduction.
  • Then click 'Start' and watch the video for the first question.
  • Select what you think is the best answers.

  • Once you have chosen your answer you will get a score.
  • You can also get advice on how to answer the question by clicking on 'See our advice on how best to answer this questions'

Okay you are ready now, so start by watching the video below. Good luck and make sure you answer all the questions.




I hope you enjoy this activity. Here you can find more Business English Activities.

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Revise your Vocabulary with Images

Sometimes you know the word you want to use, but you just can't say it when you are in a situation that is putting you under pressure. This can be very frustrating.

So today's activity is going to use a timed image game to put you under some pressure to recall your vocabulary.

Task:


  • You will be paired with another person to play the game. You will then see a series of images. When the images appear you have to type as many words as you can to describe the image.
  • For this image, you could type a variety of word like, bird, fly, sky, soar etc.
  • You will get point every time your word is the same as your partner. Try to score as many points as you can.
  • At the end of two minutes, you can see the images again and see the words your partner suggested.
  • This is a great way to revise your vocabulary and put yourself under pressure to remember words. You can easily play this for a few minutes every day to improve your ability to recall vocabulary.
I hope you enjoy it. Here you can find more vocabulary activities

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