Cool Thing of the Week: Before You Know It

So I have been posting much less frequently lately, and with good reason. For the past three weeks I've been attending Arabic summer school 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. And frankly, Arabic is hard. Now, I'm pretty good with grammar (I honestly never thought I would hear myself say that, but Arabic grammar is simpler than most Latin languages) but the thing that's killing me is vocabulary. And that's where BYKI steps in. BYKI can best be described as flashcards on crack. The program is divided into lists of vocab, which are taught to you in a three step process. 1) Overview of the words 2) Foreign-Native translation 3) Native Foreign translation For example, I picked at random the list "colors," as I had no clue what any of the colors are in Arabic. First the program walked me through the colors, then, it presented me with an Arabic word and asked me to say or think the English translation. When I had done so, I hit a button, the correct translation was shown and I was asked if I was right or not. When I began getting them all correct consistantly, the next step was for me to type in the English translation. Then, I was given the English and asked to say/think the Arabic, self reporting if I were correct or not. The final step was for me to type in the correct Arabic translation - the program brings up a virtual keyboard for non-English layouts. Frankly, it works marvelously. The real kicker here is typing in the foreign language - it really makes things stick in your brain. Also of note is that fact that every time a foreign word is show, they play a sound sample of a native speaker saying the word. The program comes with an impressive array of vocabulary - approximately 2000 words, an excellent start, plus the progam comes with the ability to create your own lists and import lists created by others. As an example, I have found several lists that were created for use with my textbook and they've been a tremendous help. So basically the program comes with about a years worth of vocab and the ability to expand upon it infinitely. Furthermore, the program is smart. It analyses which words you have trouble with, then makes sure to repeat these words often and under different circumstances - for example right after a word that is very similar, or similar meaning. One example from my studies, I misidentified the word for "writing" ad the word for "reading." BYKI then proceeded to alternate the words for "reading" and "writing" for the next 30 cards until I have those two words (and the differences between them) drummed into my head for all eternity. Basically, once the program says you've finished a list, you've actually learned it very well. (As a test, I went back to the colors list a few days later. I didn't make a single mistake.) BYKI also monitors how long its been since you last reviewed a list, and has such features as creating a refresher test from random words of lists you've finished, or alerting you when it's been awhile since you've covered a subject. All in all it's the most comprehensive and intelligent vocabulary program I've seen. Please note that this is a vocabulary and phrase oriented program, and as such it can only be a supplement to studying a language, not a replacement. You still need a good teacher to show you how the language works and teach you grammar, and Immersion is still by far the best way to attain fluency. BYKI just makes vocabulary acquisition far more pleasant and effective. If you're learning a language, I highly suggest you get the free version and try it out. Oh, and one final note - when you buy your software, you get to download an executable. There's no serial, no limited installs, no nothing. Just a single .EXE. It's wonderful. Also, I am a complete moron for forgetting to add: The software is pricey at $70, but there's a 20% discount through the end of this month if you use the following code at checkout: ond20off. $55 dollars is less than I paid for my Arabic textbook. Even if you don't buy it, you can use all the community lists at the website for free- you just don't get all the fancy tracking or the built in lists. So basically, BYKI has awesome free resources at their website, and even more available for less than a shitty console game. When you take into account the fact that the program will be useful up until the moment you're fluent in the language, it's a damn fine deal.