MOUNTAIN LIFE - Coast Mountains | Fall Winter 2019

29 words :: Carmen Kuntz Communication is complex. Travel, work, love—people begin learning a new language for various reasons. Communicating and navigating in a foreign country likely tops the list for many. As a unilingual Canadian who fell in love and moved to Slovenia, I stumble through everyday interactions, shy, stressed and embarrassed by my feeble attempts to communicate. Except when beer is involved. I can confidently order a beer, curse like a local, then order another one. A beer-loosened tongue is a great language learning tool, but completely useless at the grocery store, bank or post office. My Slovenian boyfriend speaks fluent English, but the language barrier is still a daily obstacle. Of course, there’s an app for that and my cell phone—packed with digital translation technologies—is never far from reach, but I seldom pull it out. Looking down at my phone kills the flow of any interaction (similar to leafing through the paperback language dictionaries of yore), and by the time I repeat the sentence appearing on screen, my counterpart has usually switched to English. For reading and writing however, the quality and speed of language technology has evolved so much, the apps can practically speak for us, pumping out accurate translations from photos, audio and text. While immensely helpful, such tools have also made me lazy. My food-related vocabulary is quite strong, UPFRONT TRANSLATION APP ATTACK For widely-spoken languages, there are heaps of instructional apps; from serious professional language courses with tutors, to apps that make a game out of learning. Digestible and simple enough to use while you wait in the lift line or coffee shop queue, these apps teach the basics in an engaging and entertaining way. Convenience is the name of the game. DUOLINGO Most popular mobile language app with 300 million users. Turns grammar and vocab into addictive games. Teaches reading, writing, listening and speaking—and it’s free. MEMRISE The street-worthy language learning app incorporates videos from native speakers. Swear words included. LINGUALIFT Comes with a tutor, so you can’t slack or skip lessons; for serious students of language. HELLOTALK A WhatsApp-like chat with native speakers; encourages real-life convos in real time speed. Slang accepted. TRIPLINGO For slackers who didn’t learn the basics before departing on a trip.Teaches essential phrases and a little cultural etiquette too. GOOGLE Webster’s Dictionary of online translation. 103 languages. TONGUE-TIED BY TECHNOLOGY Is technology a bridge or a barrier to language learning? A beer-loosened tongue is a great language learning tool, but completely useless at the grocery store, bank or post office. Food is a universal language barrier breaker. KC Deane eats without an app. GRANT GUNDERSON TRANSLATE