Friday, October 19, 2007

Welcome to Yappr

Yappr.com has finally launched!

I have envisioned this product for years. As I learned two foreign languages as an adult, I consistently found watching local television to be the most fun and productive way to study.

When I returned home from graduate school or from work, the last thing I had the energy to do was study a vocabulary list or review grammar.

At the end of the day, watching TV was a great escape. Initially I couldn't understand enough to enjoy it, but once I was able to understand enough to follow, I rapidly started learning expressions not taught in the classroom, following shared cultural phenomena, and most importantly, relaxing in front of the TV while still "studying."

Yappr.com is designed to replicate my learning experience. Your teacher may love Yappr - anything to get you to hear the language - or hate its lack of structure. I don't expect anyone to tackle a language with Yappr alone, but hey, my kids have learned to speak English and they watch lots of TV!

I hope you enjoy Yappr.com. Let me know what you like, what you don't like, and what you wish it included.

And tell me what videos you'd like to see posted.

Write me in English, Italiano, or 日本語。 Actually, write me in any language and I'll try to find someone to translate for me.

Patrick
patrick@yappr.com
http://www.yappr.com

いよいよYappr.com(ヤッパー・ドット・コム)がスタートします

私は何年前からこのサービスの構想を温めてきましたおとなになって2つの外国語を学んだ経験から、外国語はテレビで学ぶの一番面白くて効率がいいと思うようになったからです

外国語を勉強していた頃、大学の勉強仕事が忙しく、家に戻ると、疲れて単語文法を勉強するエネルギーもう残っていませんでした。

夜テレビを見るのが疲れませんでしたが、最初のうちはテレビを見ても意味が分からなくてつまりませんでしたところが、少し分かるようになってくると、どんどんどんどん自然な表現や現代の文化を理解できるようになって、楽しくなってきたのです。テレビを見るのはとても勉強になりました。

Yappr.comこの経験ヒント設計ました。英語の授 業の代わりにYapprを使うのではなく、生の英語の表現や発音、英語の文化に触れるために、楽しんで使っていただけたらうれしいです。英語の勉強はテレビを見るだけでは不十分ですから・・・。でも、僕の子供たちはテレビばかり見て英語を覚えているので、大丈夫か

YouTube.com動画見たいものがあったらリクエストしてください。また、あったらいいと思う機能や使いにくい点なども、ぜひ知らせてくださいね。


Yapprへよこそう。

パトリック
patrick@yappr.com
http://www.yappr.com

7 comments:

  1. おめでとうございます! Congratulations! I can't wait to tell my friends about this site.

    After watching game 1 of the world series with a bunch of Japanese friends the other day, I realized that NHK's Japanese announcers don't really convey the excitement that comes across in English. How about some world series highlights? I think a lot of people would love learning how to understand the native language major league broadcasts.

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  2. Hi!
    Your site is very cool! I like it. The transription in English and Japanese is very helpful.
    I posted the article about your site on my Japanese blog yesterday.
    I wish your success.
    Thanks.
    nobuo

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  3. Hi Patrick!
    I am Rosa. I am a teacher of English. I am from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I found a comment on my blog (Teaching and Learning English) with information about your website. I am really interested in the use of technology for language learning. I do believe that the internet is a KEY tool to motivate students to learn a foreign language. I have visited your page. I think that your website may help students to get some practice while having fun.

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  4. Rosa!

    Thank so much. I hope that yappr.com keeps your students interested in English.

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  5. Great idea, great site! Congratulations and thanks. I also heard about this site on a comment in my blog. And it's perfect for me.

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  6. Ese,

    I am glad you enjoy it. Your comment is very satisfying.

    I am often in chat, so stop by to say hello!

    Patrick

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  7. Hey Wilber Chavez,

    Thanks for commenting on my blog.
    It sounds really cool to cross a link with you.

    Could you be more specific how it's gonna work?

    see ya!

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