David Joyner is back with his second guest column on Class Central. In 2020, he offered to translate assignments into Mandarin for students in Shenzhen. One of his own Mandarin-speaking TAs pushed back. The credential isn't just about what you learned, it's about proving you can do it in English. Five years later, that decision may be taken out of educators' hands. Browser translation, AI-dubbed videos, auto-translated submissions. The Babel fish from Hitchhiker's Guide is almost here. David's question for educators: Do we do anything about this? Or does self-localization simply further online education's mission to expand access? The Babel fish is almost here. Is education ready?: https://lnkd.in/eS98muXX Original artwork by Kiri P.
David Joyner on Education's Babel Fish Future
This title was summarized by AI from the post below.
More Relevant Posts
-
You know that feeling of accomplishment after completing a textbook chapter? Yeah... I had to learn the hard way that it's a false sense of progress. 🤦♂️ Your brain doesn't care about grammar exercises or filling in blanks. Think about it - did you learn English by memorizing grammar rules? Of course not. Real language acquisition happens through massive exposure to comprehensible input and active recall. That means listening to tons of Chinese sentences and speaking them out loud repeatedly. Want a practical roadmap? Start by mastering the top 500 characters using memory techniques that actually stick. Build up to 1,000 core words. Then immerse yourself in simple sentences, gradually expanding to 3,000 characters and beyond. What's the biggest waste of time you've experienced in your Chinese learning journey? How many textbooks have you completed, and how much can you actually recall from them? What would it take for you to ditch the textbooks and try this approach instead? MB Pro is the anti-textbook. No grammar drills, no fill-in-the-blanks - just the exact progression I described: thousands of characters and words, all learned through vivid memory techniques, comprehensible sentences, and tons of listening and speaking practice. It's how your brain actually acquires language. →
-
📚 Discover The Reading Corner on Symbaloo! 🌟 Boost children’s joy in reading, vocabulary, and focus with a rich library of curated read‑aloud videos presented by native speakers in multiple languages. 👩🏫 Designed to support educators, The Reading Corner connects directly to classroom themes and reading activities—making it easy to explore stories together, discuss content, and spark curiosity. 🌍 Introduce new languages effortlessly, give multilingual students access to stories in their mother tongue, and make their transition to English learning more natural. 🚀 Start with our Reading Corner Webmix featuring curated read alouds: https://lnkd.in/eDmiaY8T 🔗 Want more? Unlock 3,000+ read alouds videos in multiple languages with a subscription for even more classroom possibilities: https://lnkd.in/edCvZ4di 🔗
-
this is a wonderful example of a simple initiative for classroom inclusion of identities. very similar to teachers' practice in our book " Teaching for linguistic diversity in schools: wellbeing and achievement" (Moloney , Harbon, Oguro, Cambridge uni press 2024)
Multilingual Language Specialist | International Educator | Certified Instructional Coach | Equity & Inclusion Advocate| Language Ambassador Lead | ELLSA Malaysia Coordinator | Linguist & Polyglot🇬🇧🇵🇱🇪🇸🇮🇹🇨🇳🇫🇷
Another date post 😬, but this one truly took my breath away and I just had to share! The moment struck me only halfway through the day when we opened our English books and I asked them to write the date. One child looked up and asked, “Can I write it in any language?” The date had been each written by students who have no prior knowledge of those languages. They simply decided to “give it a try,” using Google Translate, curiosity, and simply just ‘playing’ with languages. Even more surprising was that not one of them was in English. That question stopped me in the best possible way and I couldn’t help but smile. My journey in creating a multilingual classroom with students who lead it, surprises me every single day. Their confidence. Their openness. Their willingness to experiment and their passion for learning languages growing by the day! I wonder what tomorrow will bring? #studentsasleaders #multilingualclassrooms #multilingualmindset
-
-
Scanmarker Max is built for real classroom needs: scan printed text, read aloud, and translate for student access—fast and simple. It supports online translation in 100+ languages, and works offline in 5 core languages: English, Spanish, Italian, German, and French. Perfect for ESL/ELL, Special Ed, and Tier 2/3 reading support when students need immediate access to text. Want a walkthrough + free PD with classroom strategies? Message “PD”.
-
-
Navigating 8 Tricky English Terms: A Visual Guide for Learners English is full of words that confuse learners—homophones, homographs, idioms, slang, contranyms, figures of speech, multi-meaning words, and euphemisms. This visual guide breaks down each category with clear examples and practical tips. Master these confusing words and build your confidence in English. Save this guide and share with fellow learners! Visit eslwordwiz.com for more free resources, guides, and quizzes. 📚
-
-
Vademecum of English. A Complete Reference Guide for Teachers and Learners 🏆 2025 BIBA® ESL Reference Guide Winner! This handbook is intended as a reference aid for both teachers and students of English. It concentrates all the relevant information related to a specific subject in a few charts, helping the user spot the important issues at a glance, including examples and main exceptions. Divided into four parts —Phonetics, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Etymology— the user will discover why many “irregular” verbs are not so irregular, why English spelling is not as chaotic as it seems, and how easy it is to enrich your vocabulary with hundreds of words by just paying attention to roots and affixes, all in charts and tables. #IARTG #WritingCommunity #WritingContest #writers #awardwinning
-
Vademecum of English. A Complete Reference Guide for Teachers and Learners 🏆 2025 BIBA® ESL Reference Guide Winner! This handbook is intended as a reference aid for both teachers and students of English. It concentrates all the relevant information related to a specific subject in a few charts, helping the user spot the important issues at a glance, including examples and main exceptions. Divided into four parts —Phonetics, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Etymology— the user will discover why many “irregular” verbs are not so irregular, why English spelling is not as chaotic as it seems, and how easy it is to enrich your vocabulary with hundreds of words by just paying attention to roots and affixes, all in charts and tables. #IARTG #WritingCommunity #WritingContest #writers #awardwinning
-
How do you help pupils who are new to English to unlock the joy of stories?📚 For #NationalStorytellingWeek2026, we're sharing 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 on supporting multilingual readers. Practitioner Lewis S. shows how simple tools like iPads and bilingual dictionaries, combined with key vocabulary focus and bilingual glossaries, can help learners feel confident, recognise words in texts, and truly enjoy reading. Watch the full video 🎥 and explore our 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 for multilingual classrooms: https://bit.ly/3YyNECP
-
Happy to share our new article. We provide 7 principles to help guide ESL and GenEd teachers on how to use translation to support MLs in their classes. https://lnkd.in/g4kW7Dq2
