Archive

Posts Tagged ‘learning-materials’

Sanako Study 1200 V6.1 implements text-to-speech with language learner features

2013/02/12 Leave a comment
  1. Sanako continues its foray into learning materials – this time semi-automated (makes sense to me: what can be automated, will be automated) and into text-to-speech automation (makes sense to me: one of the more robust (since simpler) applications of AI to NLP) for pronunciation help (also makes sense to me: can help my language learners fight their fear of losing face).
  2. Text-to-speech looks like a great addition in Sanako Study 1200 V.61 for the language learner:
  3. image
    1. especially since it
      1. includes play speed options
      2. allows for download of speech rendition for review
      3. can blend with a human expert in the face-to-face classroom
    2. while saving human experts time to record audio learning materials.
    3. Caveats:
    4. Would like to know more about IVONA voices.
    5. Pricing? Available Languages?
  4. We are still on Sanako 5.2, but will be losing our Deskbot text-to-speech wizard with XP soon –  so coincidentally I have just been wondering whether we will be able to hack together a text-to-speech on Windows 7, maybe using Google translate voices, but without the Google translate features that are commonly  abused by language learners? Update: Look here for automating Google translate text-to-speech. 
Categories: digital-audio-lab, e-languages Tags: , , ,

List of Maps for Foreign Language and Culture Study

2011/02/16 Leave a comment

The United Nations has a nice – even though not complete – collection of PDF-downloadable political maps of countries and regions – including some language regions – around the world:

  1. World
  2. [Broken:] Non-Self-Governing Territories (En.)
  3. [Broken:] Non-Self-Governing Territories (Fr.)
  4. [Broken:] Non-Self-Governing Territories (Esp.)
  5. South Asia
  6. South East Asia
  7. Central Asia
  8. Western Asia
  9. Greater Mekong Subregion
  10. Africa
  11. Africa(french)
  12. Eastern Africa
  13. Horn of Africa
  14. Horn of Africa (with Relief)
  15. South-Eastern Africa, Drainage
  16. Western Africa
  17. Great Lakes Region 1
  18. Great Lakes Region 2
  19. Great Lakes Region 2 (french)
  20. Central & Eastern Europe
  21. Baltic States
  22. South Eastern Mediterranean
  23. Middle East Region
  24. ECA
  25. ECE
  26. ECLAC
  27. ESCAP
  28. ESCWA
  29. Darfur Regional map
  30. Afghanistan
  31. Afghanistan, Regions
  32. Albania
  33. Angola
  34. Armenia
  35. Azerbaijan
  36. Bahrain
  37. Bangladesh
  38. Belarus
  39. Bolivia
  40. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  41. Bougainville Island
  42. Burkina Faso
  43. Burundi
  44. Cambodia
  45. Cameroon
  46. Central African Republic
  47. Chad
  48. Central Chile
  49. Chile
  50. Comoros
  51. Congo
  52. Costa Rica
  53. Côte d’Ivoire
  54. Croatia
  55. East Croatia
  56. Cyprus
  57. Czech Republic
  58. Djibouti
  59. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
  60. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  61. Democratic Republic of the Congo (East)
  62. Ecuador
  63. Egypt
  64. El Salvador
  65. Equatorial Guinea
  66. [Removed:] Eritrea
  67. Estonia
  68. [Removed:]Ethiopia
  69. Fiji
  70. Gabon
  71. Georgia
  72. Ghana
  73. Greece
  74. Guatemala
  75. Guatemala (Southern)
  76. Guinea
  77. Guinea-Bissau
  78. Haiti
  79. Honduras
  80. Indonesia
  81. Iran (Islamic Republic of)
  82. Iraq
  83. Israel
  84. Jammu and Kashmir area
  85. Kazakhstan
  86. Kenya
  87. Kosovo
  88. Kuwait
  89. Kyrgyzstan
  90. Lao People’s Democratic Republic
  91. Latvia
  92. Lebanon
  93. Region of Southern Lebanon
  94. Liberia
  95. Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
  96. Lithuania
  97. The frmr Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
  98. Madagascar
  99. Malawi
  100. Mali
  101. Moldova
  102. Mongolia
  103. Montenegro
  104. Morocco
  105. Mozambique
  106. Myanmar
  107. Nepal
  108. Nicaragua
  109. Niger
  110. Nigeria
  111. Oman
  112. Pakistan
  113. Palau
  114. Papua New Guinea
  115. Paraguay
  116. Peru
  117. Poland
  118. Prevlaka
  119. Qatar
  120. Moldova
  121. Romania
  122. Russian Federation
  123. Rwanda
  124. Southern Serbia
  125. Senegal
  126. Serbia
  127. Sierra Leone
  128. Slovakia
  129. Slovenia
  130. Somalia
  131. South Africa
  132. Sri Lanka
  133. Sudan
  134. Syria
  135. Tajikistan
  136. Tanzania, United Republic of
  137. Thailand
  138. Timor-Leste
  139. Timor-Leste (Regions)
  140. Turkmenistan
  141. Uganda
  142. Uganda (regions only)
  143. Ukraine
  144. Uzbekistan
  145. Western Sahara
  146. Yemen
  147. Former Yugoslavia map
  148. Zambia
  149. Zimbabwe
Categories: learning-materials, second-language-acquisition Tags: ,