Learning a new language can often be a tedious task. In years past you’d have to go back to school, take an online language course or rely on books and audio CD’s. The good news is that technology has given us a few new tools that we can use to make it easier and less burdensome. Here is a review of MeGlobe, a new, next generation, language learning tool:
MeGlobe – Instant messaging meets Language translation is the best way to describe this new and innovative service. Although its creators do not specify that MeGlobe is a language learning tool, the potential application is obvious. Users can log onto the MeGlobe network and chat with each other as long as they speak one of the 15 different languages that are supported by the translation engine.
Multi-lingual chat on MeGlobe is easy, there are no bots do download or software to install. The entire experience is web based. Type in a message in your native language and it is instantly translated it into the language of your chat partner. Both the original message and the translated version are simultaneously displayed in the IM interface. What is truly innovative is that if there are grammatical or contextual errors in the translations MeGlobe performs, users are free to make contributions to improve them. MeGlobe then stores the contributions which are used to teach MeGlobe to become a better translator.
It is often said that practical application and immersion are the best ways to learn a new language. MeGlobe provides users with a quick and easy way to interact with native speakers of the language they are learning which is why it is a useful language learning tool. The collaborative nature of the translation engine also helps with the practical application portion new language acquisition. MeGlobe is free to use and can be found at http://meglobe.com
