Promo codes for free copy of LetterMeister for iPhone/iPad

If you don't already have the LetterMeister puzzle game for your iPhone/iPad, then now's your chance to grab a free copy. Redeem one of the following codes in iTunes:

  3F7NTW6F94NJ
  HENXYAFHP7AA
  6TRXT3E93LN9

An update to the iOS version is about to be released that will add French and Spanish options. So make sure you redeem one of the above codes now so that you get a free update when these options are released in a couple of days' time.

(Code T&C http://www.french-linguistics.co.uk/tc/0015.txt)

22K high score on French Vocab Games after less than one week

After less than a week since the new version of French Vocab Games was released for iPhone, I'd just like to congratulate everybody for some terrific scores at this early stage.

As you may be aware if you read the previous announcements, a key feature of the new version-- in addition to the new animated pronunciation feature-- is the app's integration with the Game Center.

From the app's front screen, you can access a list of personal achievements within the app. For those students who tend to learn better when learning is "incentivised", then this will be a key learning feature, allowing learning goals to be set. However, the app's Game Center integration also includes a score leaderboard. A player's score on this leaderboard is a combination of their vocab coverage plus their combined score on the various topics they have played.

It is a pleasure to see various high scores just a few days after the new version of the French Vocab Games app was released to the App Store and especially at a time when many are surely still focused on their vacation rather than revising their French. So... keep those high scores coming!

Update to French Vocab Games for iPhone

An update to French Vocab Games for iPhone was released to the App Store yesterday. The update fixes a minor display bug with the French wordsearch game, whereby balloons around the words found would appear on top of the popup dialog revealing the English translations of the French word when tapped.

(The glitch happened due to the program being inadvertently compiled against the wrong version of a library. The actual app itself has of course been thoroughly tested prior to release.)

LetterMeister word game now in French!

The latest release of the free LetterMeister word game now allows you to play the game in French (as well as Spanish and English).

Go to the LetterMeister home page (see the link above) to download version 0.6b of the game. To select French as the language, go to the Startup Options dialog from the File menu. You will need to restart the game for the language change to take effect.

An update to the LetterMeister word game for iPhone is due to be released during early August that will also feature Spanish and French.

French Vocab Games: Benefit and feature comparison

The French Vocab Games support page now includes a table comparing the benefits of the three pieces of French software offered on the French Linguistics site: French Vocab Games, French Vocab Games LITE and Utter French!

French Vocab Games 2.0 now includes pronunciation option

Version 2.0 of French Vocab Games for iPhone was released today. If you are not familiar with it, the app is a suite of various different game and activities to assist French learners in coming to grips with their French vocabulary in a less painless way than with traditional vocab books and other less interactive learning methods.

A major feature of the new release is that it incorporates a pronunciation option. Studio recordings of a native French speaker pronouncing all 1,200+ items of vocabulary featured in the games have been added to the new version of the app.

Another major feature new to the app is Game Center integration: you can now monitor your progress and-- if you so desire-- compare your progress with that of your friends via the Game Center Achievements page.

As a special offer to celebrate the new release, French Vocab Games is free to download today! So, what are you waiting for? Download French Vocab Games now!

Version 0.4b of LetterMeister released

Version 0.4b of LetterMeister has just been announced in FreeCode. As described in the LetterMeister project's FreeCode page, the update now includes music in the desktop version. Some improvements have also been made to the quality of scaled graphics as they appear in the game.

It is possible that the graphics improvements may have a small performance impact depending on your graphics card. If you do experience a problem, you are invited to report the problem either on the LetterMeister Facebook page or by e-mailing the author directly.

Download LetterMeister for free here: http://lettermeister.javamex.com/

New Article: contracting a translation agency vs an individual translator

I invite you to read my article published today on the relative merits of contracting a translation agency vs an individual translator. Like many businesses, you have perhaps always assumed that a translation agency was the best option. And as I discuss in the article, an agency can bring you certain advantages.

But, as I also discuss, you should verify whether you are actually getting the added value that you believe the agency to be offering. For the reasons I examine, the option of contracting a translator directly may actually turn out to be a very viable, beneficial option for your business needs.

Results of survey on mobile apps for language learning

A few weeks ago I invited readers to respond to a short survey on how effective and advantageous (or otherwise) they think mobile apps are for language learning.

The initial results of the survey on mobile apps for language learning have now been published.

New "Utter French!" app released

I'm pleased to announce the launch of a new app to accompany the French Linguistics site. Utter French! is a new iPhone app to help with French pronunciation.

A common request among French learners has been for help with pronunciation. Uttter French! is a designed to address this need and specifically targets French learners up to around GCSE level or equivalent.

The app equips your iPhone with 1,200 studio recordings of a native French speaker pronouncing a range of basic French vocabulary. You can search for items of vocabulary by French or English word and filter by any of the 20+ vocab topics included.

The app is designed to be a complement to the previously released French Vocab Games for iPhone and features a similar range of vocabulary. However, Utter French! focusses on vocabulary lookup and pronunciation, whereas French Vocab Games focusses on vocab testing and practice.