Litnax

Looks fun! Hopefully this game can be developed further.

I agree. Doesn't matter how good that these language app/system developers claimed they are, better ask any native speakers you could find to know what they think of them.

Well said. I tried to learn several languages at the same time but the end result wasn't what I'd hoped for.

Maybe using a dictionary is tedious for some, but it's no fun if I don't really get a meaning of a word. I started reading English comics, novels and such with a dictionary by my side and it helped me a lot.  Simply put, this style of learning is effective - just not for everyone.

Definitely hard copy for me when I'm at home, relaxing / curling up on the sofa with my favorite book. But when on the go, ebooks are quite convenient.

Well, it looks like your main focus is Chinese. Anyway the guide on things one should know before studying in Beijing is interesting and spot on (particularly the part about bargaining).

Bookmarked! There are some silly mistakes in there that I still make on a daily basis  Thanks so much for sharing.

Speaking of brands (going slightly off-topic here) I remember when I was in New Zealand - Dunedin to be exact - I was shopping at one of the malls and was delightful to find some local brands from my country. It was my first time being overseas 

Anyway, this matter of lack of nationalism is nothing new. Ability to speak English here in my country means = better job prospects + an indicator of how smart you are. 

Interesting. The lessons are easy, engaging and fun. This might motivate me to restart my Japanese learning.

I've dreamed in Na'vi language (you know, James Cameron's The Avatar?) but it was pure gibberish. 

Great article! (needed Google translation though, which was somewhat poor). I'm definitely a reader and the visual type. Probably why I love reading books (particularly fantasy) with some illustrations.

People can get rusty for not speaking their mother tongue for a long time and being surrounded by another culture with a different language. But losing the ability to understand and speak it at all? Hmm... I heard about it but have yet to meet such people.

I know it won't happen to me  Impossible really, since I always think in my mother tongue.

I know those kind of people. Suddenly their pronunciation in their native language sounds like tourists who happen to speak the local language. Ashamed really... like they would lose their 'cool' if they suddenly be themselves again and 'speak' normally. 

Okay guys. Need more help regarding grammars and whatnot. I checked the below paragraph myself (with the help of an online grammar checker, which I know won't be 100% reliable):

Alex always wins in video games, so Josh looks up on the internet on how to beat him. When he did, Alex accuses him of cheating and Josh obviously denies it. They agree on a new game to settle on their bet to declare the best gamer. A mysterious shopkeeper, who also calls himself the Game Master, suggests the virtual reality role-playing game ‘The Game of Life’ to the boys.

Reading books and write reviews about them are my ways to 'motivate' myself to really overcome my weakness in English grammar. Any suggestion on how to make the prose above sounds better / more native is welcome.

That's not good then. I was just getting interested in this app but if the lesson and translation are off, the ones who have everything to lose are the users who are trying to learn another language.

Amélie is my first French movie too  Since then I've been following Audrey Tautou's career and try to watch all her movies. I'm trying to find her 2009 film Coco avant Chanel ... no success so far...

It's not that easy in my opinion. But I'm surrounded by it through media and it was the first foreign language that I learned in school, so the effort to achieve sufficient fluency verbally and in writing is somewhat 'easy'.

Nope, this is not exclusive to America. Native speakers in my country sometimes make mistake too, but usually when the language has to be formal (verbal or written). 

As a non-French speaker and a foreigner with only a 'tourist knowledge' view on French culture, I think it's good if one wants to preserve/protect their language as much as they can. 

That said... cédérom? Yes, this is a bit too much. Surely 'CD-ROM' is acceptable? It's just an abbreviation. I mean, a native French won't be considered forsaking his language just because he use 'CD-ROM' right?

Hyphen can be confusing. I often use the word 'world building' when I review books. Sometimes people would correct me, "It should be world-building." Then someone else would come and say, "No. There's no need for hyphen. It's one word; worldbuilding."

Aaah thanks ... I had some 'Walter Mitty' moments this year, but everything is sorted out now. I like the new look of the forum.

Back to movies, I just watched 'True Grit' on cable. I'm not usually a Western fan, but it was pretty good and the actress, Hailee Steinfield, truly delivered her character.

Nanny McPhee, Maleficient, How to Train Your Dragon, Cloud Atlas -  just to name a few. Unfortunately, there are too much YA movies these days. I tried watching Hunger Games and I just didn't get it.

Anyway, I look forward to watch Hotel Transylvania 2. Adam Sandler has quite a lot of movie flops lately, but I really love this one (it's animated, what can I say? )

I'm doing a review on a book. However, I'm not sure about the accuracy of some sentences. So I need proofreading help from fellow members here (particularly native speakers). Colored sentence / word are the ones I'm not sure about.

[1] That said, despite the straightforward and detail-rich prose, I struggle a bit in imagining the battle scenes. They are clear at some point, but fuzzy and chaotic on the next one. (Is there are better way to write this?)

[2]...beast-like guardians which some of them are dragons... (do I use 'which' or 'where'?)

Please & Thank You 

p/s: I didn't want to create another thread, so I hope it's OK that I asked for help here  :shy:

I always have problem with 'does'. I often need to remind myself to not add 's' to a verb if I use 'does' in a sentence.  :shy:

I can't spell that word, always forget the right way to do it, the good thing is when typing I can just highlight the word and right-click to get the correct spelling.

DEFINITELY

Thank goodness for spell-checker 

I see / read the word 'definately' so many times on a daily basis, even in some legal documents.