MacMembraneThere are peels everywhere…

Currently I’m putting a bit of effort into learning Korean. I’ve lived in the country for over two years now and I feel some regret that I haven’t taken full advantage of the learning opportunity whilst I’ve been here. But I get it now. Better late than never…

Besides my (very patient!) Korean friends, by far the greatest aide I’ve had for studying has been Google. Here are some of the free tools Google provides and how I’ve been using them.

Google Translate Bookmarklet

Google Translate is essential for the independent language learner. No automated translation service will be perfect, but after showing a representative sample of translations to bilingual friends, I’m confident that Google Translate does an adequate job for simple vocabulary and well formed sentences.

A really quick way to translate a web page, though, is to install Google’s translation bookmarklet. Head over to Google’s Translation Tools page and find your destination language in the list. Simply drag the link into your bookmarks bar and click it whenever you’re on a foreign language page. Boom! Instant translation. But it gets better. If you only want a portion of page text translated rather than the whole page, select the text before clicking. Google’s translation page opens with your source text pre-populated and translated. No matter how many times I use this bookmarklet, I always feel a sense of satisfaction.

Check out Google Translate and the Google Translate Bookmarklet.

Google Spreadsheets and the Translation Gadget

In my experience, there’s no better way to review vocabulary lists than with a simple spreadsheet. Numbers is excellent, but I like to have my vocab lists handy when I’m without my own computer, so Google is my personal preference here.

Much cooler for language learners on Google Spreadsheets is a gadget that will automatically translate your spreadsheet into a foreign language. Take a look at the screenshot to the right.

The best way to utilize the translation gadget is to first write a column of vocabulary you want to memorize and select everything by clicking on the column header. To translate your list, go to Insert >> Gadget and find English Translation from the popup window (it’s near the bottom of the main list, but select the ‘Web’ category if you can’t find it). Hit ‘Add to spreadsheet’ to install the gadget, set your destination language and your off. Once installed, the gadget will update in real time whenever your source language is updated. Powerful indeed.

A few caveats about the translation gadget. First, it currently only works with the source language set to English. Secondly, there’s no way to automatically embed the translations into the spreadsheet – you’ll have to do that by hand (although you can copy and paste). This second drawback is especially disappointing, since the chances of making a typing mistake are greatly increased when you’re working in a foreign language. On the other hand, it’s good practice, so the sword is double edged here.

Check out Google Docs.

Discover for iPhone and iPod Touch

Want to get those carefully made vocabulary sheets on your iPhone? Try Discover for iPhone and iPod Touch (iTunes link).

Discover is much like other applications which let you use your iPhone or iTouch as an external, wifi connected storage device, with one important difference: Discover is completely free. Moreover, both the application and the web browser interface is beautiful and solid. The app does show one small advert on the home screen, but it’s difficult to grudge the developer this given that he’s created such an excellent application and released it free of charge. Definitely an ‘impress your friends’ app.

In Discover you can upload and view any file that is supported by the iPhone OS itself. First, export your vocabulary spreadsheet from Google Docs as a .xls file. To get your vocab onto your iPhone/iTouch, install Discover and enter the local address that the app gives you into Safari. Here you’re presented with an easily navigable file system wherein you can manipulate the contents of your device. Click ‘Add Files’ and then ‘Upload All Files’ and you’re set for some studying on the go.

Check out Discover on iTunes. It’s free.

gFlash+ for iPhone and iPod Touch

But how about some real studying? Here we come to the heart of my system: an (unbelievably!) free app for your iPhone and iTouch called gFlash+ (iTunes link). gFlash is an amazing little study assistant. Log into your Google Docs account and download your vocabulary lists to your iPhone and gFlash will automatically generate flash cards for you to study with.

You can customize your flash card quizzes in gFlash to suit the needs of your present knowledge state and streamline the learning process. When I first attempt a new vocab list on gFlash, I set the app to show me only one piece of vocab at a time, virtually flipping the card over a few times to familiarize myself with the words. Next, a few rounds of multiple choice. gFlash automatically generates multiple choice quizzes by populating the wrong answers with vocabulary from your spread sheet. You can tell gFlash to display either your questions or answers as source cards, so I alternate between the two to ensure that my learning is bidirectional. Lastly, it’s back to single card studying. Using this study pattern, I can easily memorize about 80% of the vocabulary from any single list in half an hour.

There are some negative comments about gFlash+ on iTunes, but I personally fail to see where these commentators are coming from. The UI of the app does display a text add at the top of the pane, but for me this has never distracted from my studies. Secondly, gFlash has been largely stable, and the few times it has gone down, it managed to remember exactly my place in the quiz I was taking. Perhaps the best thing about gFlash, though, is it’s integration with Google Docs. Unlike other flash card apps on the App Store, your data is entirely portable and available for use in any way you see fit. There is no lock in for gFlash. And, to say it again, this app is free. I can’t thank the developer enough.

Check out gFlash+ on iTunes. It’s free.

There’s my list of free Google and Google related software to help you master a new language. It’s incredibly liberating being able to communicate with the natives in their own tongue and I hope that these apps will help you out should you ever have the opportunity. Peacefully stay – annyongi keseyo!