Language Hacking Resources
For Premade Phrases in your language: fi3m.com/phrases
This is where you should start. Go here, click your language, and see a big list of phrases already translated for you – start pronouncing them right away!
Pro Tip: if you click on the foreign phrase, an audio file will pop up so you can hear how it sounds!
For You-Specific (Tarzan) vocabulary: https://fi3mplus.com/dictionaries/
Once you have practiced a few basic phrases, start looking up new words relevant to you. Use these to form Tarzan sentences. Don’t try to form perfect sentences. “I to like Japanese” or “I to work teacher” is a perfect place to start.
I suggest you look up a few words about you, as well as a few “Skype survival” words like “Type?” or “Wait?” or “Repeat?”
Pro Tip…
Use Forvo to hear how words sound: forvo.com/
After you look up a word in the dictionary, you may wonder, how do they pronounce that? Forvo is a pronunciation dictionary. Look up the word (in its original language – not English) and hear native pronunciations!
To see other people’s Tarzan speak: https://fi3mplus.com/uploads/
On our email list, we ask beginning language hackers to upload videos of their first efforts to speak a language. Watch them at the link above.
For emergencies during your Skype call: Google Translate
If your teachers says something you don't understand, ask them to type it out. Then copy and paste it to Google translate to get the gist! It's not perfect, but it will get you by.
CONNECTING WITH OTHER SPEAKERS
For connecting with native speakers: fi3m.com/italki
This is my favourite resource for getting language practice and we’ll use it today.
Surprise! I’ll also send you a $10 credit, so you can have your next language lesson on italki – on me J
For meeting up with other learners/native speakers in town: meetup.com
You’ll be surprised what you’ll find when you do a quick search!
AFTER THE LANGUAGE LAB
For help remembering vocabulary, check out:
Memrise – a database of mnemonics for remembering words
Anki – a spaced repetition system