How to Improve Focus and Concentration - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / How to Improve Focus and Concentration - Introvert Whisperer How to Improve Focus and Concentration Have you ever found yourself struggling to remember a word or phrase in a conversation? Or focusing on a book or article for any length of time? Or maybe staying awake and alert at work? The problem isnt necessarily that youre getting old its that your brain is out of shape. Just like our muscles atrophy, so does our ability to concentrate. Fortunately, there are ways to improve your focus and concentration that dont require you to take loads of meds or eat can after can of tuna. Its Not Your Fault But first, a reminder to you: its not your fault. Long working hours, increasing computer usage, and the hectic pace of modern life all affect your brain. Its hard to relax and sleep well at night when youre overworked and under-challenged. Our brains evolved for problem solving and creativity, not for rote tasks and computers. The dopamine-triggering nature of social media and email trains our brains to focus only in short spurts. Fortunately, you can affect how to concentrate and focus at work despite the distracting nature of the job youre in. How to improve focus and concentration: Brain Exercises According to this article by the Wall Street Journal, some brain exercises have been shown to put off dementia. If exercises can improve the brain health of individuals with dementia, imagine what they could do for the rest of us. The goal is to find exercises that teach you how to practice focus and concentration. These include longer puzzles that go beyond the start-and-stop of a crossword or sudoku puzzle. The Snake Cube Puzzle One example of an exercise that works to improve your mental clarity and focus is the Snake Cube Puzzle. Solving the snake cube puzzle isnt as easy as it sounds. What is the snake cube puzzle? Its a wooden toy in the shape of a block that, when separated, looks a bit like a snake or serpent.(Think of a Rubiks Cube that comes apart.) You can buy these for around $10, which makes it a far cheaper solution to brain training than taking some pills or buying a software product. To take it apart and put it back together you have to bend the pieces so that they fit together as a cube. This tests your spatial and geometric awareness and forces you to literally think outside the box. Why It Works There are a couple of reasons why cubes like this work to train your brain how to concentrate and focus. The first is that its tactile. Unlike text on a screen, the block has to be held and manipulated. This triggers the primal parts of our brain, the parts that were activated when we were children playing on the floor and touching everything. We learn through tactile manipulation of our environment, and brain exercises that involve real objects serve to activate those parts. The second reason is because its engaging. The physical nature of it combined with the visual beauty of the wood make it so that you cant just put it down. Youd lose your traction if you put the block down. Instead, you are forced to be engaged until completion, thereby training your brain to focus for longer periods of time. Improving your focus and concentration doesnt take a lot of money. It just takes some ingenuity, some time, and a willingness to sit down and work on a puzzle. Bottom-line â€" I want to help you accelerate your career â€" to achieve what you want by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my 4 Building Blocks to Relationships eBookâ€" the backbone to your Networking success and fantastic work relationships.  Grab yours by visiting here right now! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

Singing Tips for Vocal Techniques

Singing Tips for Vocal Techniques Learn New Singing Techniques ChaptersHow to Sing Baritone?How to Hit High Notes?How to Sing in a Deeper Voice?Our daily life is full of sounds. We hear music almost everywhere we go, we gain information by listening, and we produce sounds using our vocal cords in order to talk to people. When we're not talking to people, we're listening to other people talk.  While the spoken language is at the heart of human communication, it’s also a way to express emotion through poetry, theatre, and song.A music school might help you when it comes to learning to sing? (Source: Thibault Trillet)The latter is without a doubt been part of humanity since the beginning of our history and accompanies us on both our saddest and happiest days.  Singing is universal, every time period, civilisation, gender, and race, has had their own type of singing and making music.Let’s have a look at all the different ways you can sing, from the lowest vocal ranges to the highest as well as the most important vocal techniques you should be le arning how to do.Find a voice coach London  or a voice coach anywhere in the UK. TraceySinging Teacher 4.92 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PortiaSinging Teacher 4.91 (11) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolaSinging Teacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JazzSinging Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PerrineSinging Teacher 5.00 (3) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TiemSinging Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TomSinging Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MiriamSinging Teacher 5.00 (4) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsHow to Sing Baritone?Nowadays, when we think of opera singers, there are a few words that often spring up in every conversation.  Among these words, we could mention things like vocalising, vocal ranges, and vibrato.Vibrato is an essential part of being an opera singer and can add depth and a pleasing quality to an yone’s voice. In fact, vibrato is an essential part of any voice’s timbre.Generally, to make this concept a little easier to understand for novices, we can compare vibrato to a trill on a piano (or any other instrument capable of it) where there’s a quick alteration between a semitone or full note.However, vibrato differs from a trill in a few ways. Firstly, the alteration in pitch of vibrato is less than a semitone. Secondly, vibrato occurs at a rate much quicker than most musicians would be able to replicate on any given instrument.Of course, singers can do a trill but this occurs at a far more conscious level than vibrato does since it is alternating rapidly between notes rather than around a single note.Birds are very famous for their singing. Yet they never attend a single class. (Source: pixabay.com)You could say that a person’s vibrato is innate. If they’re young and on top of their game, their vibrato could come to them naturally without any need for taking tutoria ls (if they’re incredibly lucky, too!).On the other hand, the vocal cords tend to tighten over time which cannot be stopped by vocal training (though it can be slowed). The older you are, the harder it will be to find your vibrato or emulate it with age. This is why opera singers, much like professional athletes, have short careers since their bodies are constantly working against them.When it comes to singing, vibrato requires that you relax and carry out thousands upon thousands of breathing exercises.  If you want to master vibrato, you have to be able to do it without forcing it and tiring yourself out. You have to avoid going hoarse!Vibrato is being able to place your voice well without perfectly placing your voice and singing perfectly in key.  This technique can help you avoid trying to replicate a pure and hard recto tono which sounds even worse if you’re off.Every singer will have a moment where this modulation is over the top and seems exaggerated like the stereotypica l opera singer in popular media. However, every singer goes through this so you needn’t be embarrassed about it. Even famous singers start by singing in the shower and then they end up singing in a recording studio.How to Hit High Notes?In the West, singing with a head voice or a falsetto is one of the oldest singing techniques around. No matter what music school you attend or which music teacher teaches you, they’ll be familiar with the idea.But what is the head voice?These are the sounds, without screaming, that are emitted by the head or mouth on its own, unlike the chest voice which requires the participation of diaphragmatic breathing to be achieved.  For a better colortura, valour, and volume, there’s nothing better than the chest voice, of course.This is where the operatic revolution of the 19th century took place with the appearance of the tenor. Thanks largely to Rossini, the operatic high C began to be more commonly sung in a chest voice, a fact that Verdi continued to exploit.  However, this is for a very particular tessitura and for a very particular type of singer and range.  A chest voice is very common amongst baritones and basses.Modern musicians are expected to have stage presence when they perform. (Source: Josh Sorenson)On the other hand, when it comes to the higher ranges, in order to have the agility for a beautiful voice and healthy intonation, you’ll probably have to stay in your head voice.  The nasal cavities, which are used as resonators, are fully exploited alongside the larynx, glottis, and pharynx.It’s important to therefore take care of them by drinking a lot of water and avoiding products that could harm them (like dairy products, wine, and tobacco).  This is the kind of range that countertenors are expected to reach.The baroque style, which includes composers such as Handel, often used this type of vocal range. Resorting to a speech language pathologist or a phoniatrician alongside your vocal coaching can often come wi th a lot of benefits for post-pubescent singers wanting to join the exclusive club of 21st-century countertenors.While changing your voice isn’t an easy thing to do, high notes can be sung by most singers without having to resort to surgery.  Every singer will eventually end up attempting to hit higher and higher notes with the help of their vocal coach (once they’ve mastered the lower notes, of course).These usually come as part of your head voice although they can later on become part of your chest voice with a bit of work. The greatest singers can have a very broad tessitura, like Luciano Pavarotti, who was largely self-taught.Our tutors could help you get to the bottom of the mixed voice, a third voice which rests at the junction between the head voice and the chest voice but is actually considered a juvenile technique in some circles.Learn all the tricks by taking online singing lessons.How to Sing in a Deeper Voice?If you’re not a fan of the high notes and the head voice , here’s where you can find the low powerful notes. Finding your voice amongst the low notes means that you’re able to interpret a large number of different songs.For female singers, the contraltos are those who sing with the lowest voices. For male singers, it’s the basses who sing in the lowest ranges.  Their vocal colour is often referred to as “heroic” and is essential in romantic music and even more so when performing a number of Wagner’s works.The organs around the thorax resonate with incredible force. It goes without saying that if you want to sing in these vocal ranges, you should definitely do some warm up exercises beforehand.  The lower vocal ranges tend to work almost exclusively with the chest voice.Diaphragmatic breathing is more essential than ever meaning that you’ll probably need to enlist the help of a vocal coach or singing teacher.  Additionally, you’ll need to work on taking care of your throat and all the accompanying organs involved.Nowadays, you can get vocal coaching almost anywhere and learn the necessary skills in private tutorials or group classes.  The first thing you’ll need to do is learn how to sing in tune. It’s pretty pointless trying to expand your range or alter your tessitura if you’re yet to have mastered the notes within your range.  Above all, don’t force it and never lower your head when you try to sing the lower notes.Don’t confuse singing with shouting, either. You should try to make your voice carry farther rather than yelling. Imagine you’re making your voice heard to someone far away rather than simply increasing the volume.With all this in mind, we recommend that you find an educator who can help you learn to sing, improve your lower range while ensuring you don’t pick up any bad habits.Vocal technique tutorials can help you to expand your vocal range. (Source: gratisography.com)Your voice is an instrument, after all, and you need to take care of it and work on it by singing in a gro up or performing, for example.Vocal warm ups and working on your elocution are great ways for singers to avoid losing their voice and make good progress.  Don’t forget to also rest your voice regularly and remember that music theory tutorials are always useful for both singers and those wanting to learn to play an instrument be it saxophone, acoustic guitar, piano, etc.You just have to make sure you keep up with your exercises after your singing lessons and, most importantly of all, have fun!

English Phrasal Verbs Come Back and Go Back (video)

English Phrasal Verbs Come Back and Go Back (video) The English phrasal verbs come back and go back are often confused because the meanings are almost the same.Both of these phrasal verbs are synonyms for return, but they are used differently depending on the speakers location. Watch the video below to get a better understanding of these differences, they try the exercise.Come Back and Go Back Phrasal Verb ExerciseUse a form of come back or go back to answer each of these.1. We ____ ___ from Argentina in 2010.2. I ___ ____ home after the concert.3. My parents dont want me to ___ ___ to South America.4. When do you think the Olympics will ____ ____ to the United States.5. João lived in the United States for 3 years, then ____ ___ to the Brazil, where he was born. matej 1. came back 2. came back 3. went back 4. went back 5. came back LOIEnglish MatejNumber 3 should be in present tense: go back. Also number 4 should be come back because the speaker is speaking from the United States. Number 5 is went back because the speaker is NOT in Brazil but talking about Joao who went back to Brazil. Francis 1. We ____ came back ___ from Argentina in 2010.2. I ___ came back ____ home after the concert.3. My parents don’t want me to ___ go back ___ to South America.4. When do you think the Olympics will ____ come back____ to the United States.5. João lived in the United States for 3 years, then ____ he came back___ to the Brazil, where he was born LOIEnglish FrancisGood work. The only trouble was with the last question. Question 5: went back. The reference is at the end of the sentence, where he was born. It indicates to us that the narrator is not in Brazil.

Run Out - Phrasal Verb of the Day

Run Out - Phrasal Verb of the Day Todays phrasal verb of the day is: Run OutInfinitive form: Run OutPresent Tense: Run Out/ Runs Outing form: Running OutPast tense: Ran OutParticiple: Run OutRun Out is an inseparable English phrasal verb.  It can be used in three different ways:When people exit a place very quickly. Run In/ Run Into is the opposite of Run Out1. The people ran out of the building when the fire alarm went off.2. I saw Hayden running out of the building a couple of minutes ago. I wonder if that has something to do with his ex-girlfriend?When you have nothing left to use, consume, etc. It is also used when something has been sold out1.  The handbag I bought is limited edition. I suggested you buy them before the store runs out of this beauty.2. Greg filled his cars  tank earlier, which means that he can drive it for hours before his car will eventually run out of gas.iframe width=560 height=315 src=//www.youtube.com/embed/LOllYkkVKvM?rel=0 frameborder=0 allowfullscreen/iframeExercises: Write your answ ers in comments and we will correct them.Fill in the gaps from the video above:Let me tell it to you as clean as I can. We have 95 players here so accomplished as athletes in high school, we gave them full scholarships to the best football program in the country. NCAA regulations allow us to dress just 60 for home games, which means at least 35 scholarship players are gonna be watching the game from the stands. So if any of you has any fantasies about _____ __  of that stadium tunnel with your gold helmet shining in the sun, you best leave them right here. Of you 15 dreamers out there maybe well keep one or two. My job is to basically beat the shit out of you for the next five days, and whoever is still standing at the end, maybe well use for our scout teams. Youll be running the oppositions plays week in and week out. The greatest value to us is we dont care whether you get hurt. Our first teams are going to pound on you like youre their worst enemies. Like what you hear so far? A ny of you wanna run home to momma? Nows your chance. Joe, theyre all yours.What is Coach Warrens speech about?Complete the sentences below with the correct form of Run Out.1. I wish theyd keep quiet and ___ __ of words to say to each other. Theyve been debating all morning that I want to ___ __ of this room and go somewhere else.2. Weve ___ __ of beer and the party hasnt even started yet!3.  When you ___ __ of useful things to say, its actually best to be silent.4. My phones battery ___ __ and I need to make that call. Can you show me where to find a payphone around here?5. Paul was ___ ___ of breath as he ___ ___ of the building.Change the example sentences above to negative sentences (or positive, if the sentence is already negative). Then change them to questions.

Kuwait American School

Kuwait American School Kuwait American School The Kuwait American School is a caring values-based school (Pre-K - Grade 12) committed to delivering international education to the highest academic standards. We seek to educate the whole person towards the highest level of human consciousness in a learning environment of intercultural understanding and respect. Our mission is to serve our one world community by empowering valuable members of society. At the Kuwait American School, we strive to address the specific needs of our studentsâ€"academically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. We seek to celebrate the uniqueness yet oneness of our students through our ongoing efforts to create and adapt our curriculum and instructional approaches in a manner which honors our students’ identities and potential. Our rigorous academic curriculum includes: Math, Language Arts, Reading, Science, Social Studies, Information Technology, Music, Physical Education, Thinking Skills, Living Values Education, Skills for the university of life, and all the competencies expected of a high-quality international school. We place particular emphasis on our values approach to learning, including the culturally and locally determined Arabic and Islamic Studies programs. Our students are also enriched from educational visits into the local community and from a wide range of extracurricular activities. The school believes that values education and character development are very important for the holistic development of the student.

Remote Supplemental Education Services in America

Remote Supplemental Education Services in America Remote Supplemental Education Services in America One of the biggest issues in education is how to help students in need. Many students do not live in a school district that can provide them with adequate or ample materials and other educational resources. The United States is extremely diverse in regards to its zip codes. Some students will live in areas where their public schools can provide them with, what many parents consider to be, a free private school education, while other students will barely get the basics. Some parents will be able to work with their children after school to help out with homework while other parents will work two jobs to put food on the table. This discrepancy between various areas of the country can leave many children and teens slipping through the cracks. In the past 10 years or so, much of the responsibility has fallen upon teachers. Many teachers are expected to work after hours, off the clock, to help out with their students without receiving additional pay. Unfortunately, this prevents teachers from seeing their own families or from holding, a very necessary, second job due to their daytime salary. As a group, we generally tend to look for somebody to blame before we look for a solution. This often makes a solution harder to find and delays change or reform that may be necessary. Identifying the problem Most people have already identified the problem. Looking towards the future, where can we go and how can we improve? One group alone: The school districts, teachers, or parents will not likely be solely responsible for a solution. Rather, working together is a great way to start bringing our public schools back to an envious state. It is recommended that parents think about their children as individuals. Most parents do this anyway, although children are often compared to other children. We certainly cant blame parents for doing this as the emphasis on standardized testing and competition is ever prevalent in the American secondary school system (READ: New School: Adjusting to Advances in Technology). However, parents know their children best and will often be able to see what is missing in their childs education. For example, if a child is receiving As and Bs in core subjects â€" math and English â€" but they seem to be frustrated or bored, then the family may be best served by adding extracurricular activities into their kid’s supplemental education. If the student is struggling with math, English, or science then they may need to receive supplemental education services to help them with these all-important subjects. Seeking additional services Every single family in America has a budget of some kind. For some, the budget will be very small and for others it will be very large, but everybody has limits. With the advent of e-learning and other free technology, many parents can find supplemental education services for free or at a very low cost for their children. For many families across the US, this can fill the education gap. Parents who need the services of an Orange County college prep tutor or a core subjects tutor will not likely have any difficulty finding one. However, what if your child is only truly happy when he or she is playing the violin? What if your child loves STEM activities and is already building his or her own apps at the age of 9 or 10? These services are often not available in the public school system. The advancements of remote education and technology are becoming greater by the day. Parents, teachers, college students, and private education companies are searching for and finding these programs week after week. What if a student decided that they wanted to take a class in poetry but it isn’t offered at their high school? Try a poetry class on iTunes U. Finland is repeatedly on the top of the list of countries with excellent educational systems so students might want to learn about the Finnish educational structure (#4 on the list). All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about.

The Literary Learners Guide to Bilingual Parallel Texts

The Literary Learners Guide to Bilingual Parallel Texts The Literary Learners Guide to Bilingual Parallel Texts Some texts lead parallel lives.Its almost like they have a doppelgänger in a parallel universe somewhere.In one universe, theyre written in English. Or French. Or German. Or Spanish… or in any of a dozen other languages.Then, in a parallel universe, theyre the same book or story that theyve always beenâ€"only they speak another language, which allows them to converse with a whole other group of people.If you wanted to learn one of those languages from a parallel universe, how could you make the various versions intersect?Theres a wonderful tool already available for this purpose: Bilingual parallel texts.But where can you find bilingual parallel texts? How can you use them in your language learning quest?Here, right before your very eyes, is a guide to a half-dozen dynamic sources of bilingual learning.The Why and How of Bilingual Parallel TextsPut text in its place: Learn in contextUnlike most vocabulary lists, bilingual parallel texts transport you to a world of non-literal, lit erary and descriptive language.Rather than just learning new words in isolation, you can understand how words fit together in different usages.Dont get up! Save timeWith bilingual parallel texts, theres no need to reach for the dictionary. All words and phrases are glossed right within the textâ€"so you don’t have to stop reading to translate a tricky term.Now in stereo! Listen alongKick your learning up a notch by listening to the text in the target language. As you read along, you can use the translation for reference.Audio versions of many public domain texts are available for free on the web. You can look for your favorites in many languages using one of the following search engines:Project Gutenberg Audio (searchable by author, title, date added or language)LibriVox (searchable by author, title, genre or language; sortable alphabetically or by release date)Loyal Books (arranged by language; viewable by title or author; sortable alphabetically or by popularity)In many cases, t he corresponding e-books are available on the same site (although not as bilingual textsâ€"well get to these later on).Strike out on a parallel language adventure: Learn with videos on FluentUOkay, so parallel texts are a great resource, but parallel learning isnt just limited to the books and online texts in this postâ€"with FluentU, it can be a whole lifestyle.If you want to get all the benefits of audio and bilingual text in one place, with visual elements to boot,  FluentUs ever-growing multimedia collection  includes the on-screen version of not just some shorter literary gems such as poems, but different story formatsâ€"from kids cartoons to short filmsâ€"as well as movie trailers and music videos… all with bilingual subtitles  plus personalized learning aids, fun quizzes and interactive features to bring language to life.Authentic content with parallel text is where its at. So lets get this party started!The Literary Learners Guide to Bilingual Parallel TextsWeve got a half -dozen of the hottest sources for bilingual parallel texts right here.Well tell you what kind of texts each publisher has to offer, their available formats and languages, where to find them… and what special features make each of them shine.My Grandmas TalesYou wont need to go over the river and through the woods to discover an impressive array of bilingual parallel texts with My Grandmas Tales; just browse for them online.These richly-illustrated volumes will remind you of your childhoodâ€"and may even recall memories of your own grandmother. (Is that the smell of cookies baking?)Types of texts available:Fairy tales and folk tales, including well-known works by Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm.Languages used with English for parallel texts:ArmenianBulgarianChineseFinnishFrenchGermanHungarianItalianJapanesePolishPortugueseRomanianRussianSpanishUkrainianVietnameseIf you want a reading experience that leaves English out of the picture entirely, try on e of these other bilingual text combinations.Format: Paperback.Cost: Around $10 or less per book.Special features:Stacked with learning. Generally, the text on each page is divided horizontally, with one language in each half. Spotting the corresponding translation is quick and easy!Childhood classics.  Most readers will recognize these familiar fairy tales. Since youre likely to know the plot and characters already, understanding in the target language can come more rapidly.Colorful clues.  Vibrantly colored, richly textured illustrations draw the eye and convey meaning while whisking you away to an enchanted world of language learning.Kentauron?Symbolized by the half-human, half-horse creature displayed in the company logo, Kentauron brings you stellar texts that marry two separate languages. Bridging the gap between well-loved fairy tales and well-known literature, the Kentauron series also includes works of nonfiction.Types of texts available: A mixture of fairy tales, fables, l iterature and nonfiction.Languages used with English for parallel texts:FrenchGermanItalianSpanishRussianOther bilingual combinations:French-ItalianFrench-SpanishFrench-RussianItalian-SpanishItalian-RussianLatin-FrenchLatin-ItalianSpanish-RussianFormats: Kindle, paperback or both.Cost: Price varies depending on format.Special features:Alternating or side-by-side.  This publisher uses both a side-by-side translation and an alternating paragraph translation, depending on the book.Literary legends.  The Kentauron bilingual parallel text repository is comprised of celebrated works such as A Christmas Carol, Alice in Wonderland, The Little Prince  and The Wizard of Oz.Authentic artwork.  Several books in the series feature restored illustrations from the original editions. Enjoy visual adornments of the same vintage as the texts.Farkas Translations?Translator Andras Farkass  site houses an ever-expanding library of bilingual books.Types of texts available: Public domain classics.Language s used with English for parallel texts:CatalanDutchEsperantoFinnishFrenchGermanGreekHungarianItalianNorwegianPortugueseRussianSpanishSwedishFor many works, parallel texts for several other languages are included alongside the English translation.Formats: Online (viewable in browser); do-it-yourself e-books.The texts are also downloadable as offline HTML files. (The offline HTML mirrors the online version in appearance but lacks the filtering functionality you find online.)The site offers a custom, downloadable program called Ebookmaker  (will download automatically), through which you can transform downloaded texts into e-books.Cost:  Free.Special features:Table of Babel.  Presented in a table format, translations in different languages are aligned side by side in columns. The literary work itself is broken into rows by sentences, some of which are quite long and complex. If you look in the Sources section, you can sometimes find links to the audiobooks for particular languages.Filt er for a custom brew.  You have the option to see only the languages you want, provided you view the texts online in your browser. Simply select the Hide button (under the language name at the top of each column) to conceal any languages you dont wish to read. If you change your mind, just click Show All underneath the title information at the head of the page.Multiple parallels.  Depending on which texts you try, you can find a fairly wide selection of parallel translations. Some works are available in nine different languages!Doppeltext?Double down for some serious language learning with literary style when you try Doppeltext.Types of texts available: Well-known works from the public domain.Languages used with English for parallel texts:  FrenchGermanItalianRussianSpanishFormats: Purchased books can be read online (in browser), on Kindle and on other devices.Cost: Usually under $15; the price depends on the length of the work.Free samples are available online, if youd like to try before you buy.Special features:Pop-up books.  Remember pop-up video? If so, you might feel a twinge of nostalgia when you read bilingual parallel texts on Doppeltext. Doppeltexts translations are not side by side or stacked top to bottom. Youll only see the parallel text when you choose to do so. Each time you click on a phrase, the English translation appears in a bubble of contrasting color above the text in the original language.Take small bites.  Most translated fragments are about 120 characters longâ€"shorter than the original tweet length of 140 characters. Theyre short, sweet and easy to digest.Choose your own adventure.  Since you can turn translations on or off with a simple click, leading a parallel life with the text or staying fully immersed in the target language is always your choice. Doppeltext is formatted like a real book, with snazzy details like indented paragraphs and drop caps at the beginning of chapters.But for all of the traditional look, you have the advan tage of electronic adaptability: With a choice of seven different text sizes, you can easily adjust the text to your preference. Use the collapsed menu in the corner of the screen (symbolized by three stacked, horizontal bars) to quickly jump from one chapter to another.Parapara Books?Paraparas name is a nod to their side-by-side translation format. And their books are on your side when you want to bolster your language learning through literary landmarks.Types of texts available: Noteworthy works from the public domain.Languages used with English for parallel texts:  FrenchGermanFormat: Paperback.Cost: Usually under $15.Special features:Multiple vendors.  Parapara gives you lots of buying choices: Amazon (US/Canada/UK), Waterstones, AbeBooks, Blackwell’s and the  Book Depository all carry their parallel textsâ€"or you can order them directly from the publisher. If you want to start slow and only order a book at a time, German-based Parapara wont charge you for shipping… even in ternationally.Magically mirroring pages.  Facing pages mirror each other, with the French or German on one side and the English on the other. Glance from side to side to take advantage of the translationâ€"or face away from it for full immersion into the target language text.Well-known works.  Seminal compositions such as Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray,  Voltaires Candide,  Conrads Heart of Darkness  and Kafkas Metamorphosis comprise the small but growing Parapara collection.Parapara also plans to add modern authors, especially from non-Western parts of the world.Penguin Parallel Texts?Dress up your bilingual bookshelf with publications from Penguin Parallel Texts.You dont need to wear a tux to read these… Penguin takes care of the literary formalities for you, with features such as scholarly notes and an in-depth introduction to each volume.Types of texts available: The works of contemporary authors from the mid-to-late 20th century.Languages used with English for parallel tex ts:  ChineseFrenchGermanItalianJapaneseRussianSpanishFormats: Paperback and e-book (Kindle, Nook, iOS, Android, etc.).Cost: Most are under $15; prices vary, depending on format and vendor.Special features:On the other hand, the translation.  The parallel texts are presented page by page, side by side, as you hold the paperback version of the book open. This makes it easy to compare passages or check translations for unfamiliar words and phrases.Explanations afoot.  Footnotes in each story provide more in-depth references and explanations of the language. Enhance your reading experience with this bonus information.Keeping it brief.  These short story anthologies from Penguin are perfect for readers who dont have time to devote to a whole novel… or those who want more variety in one volume.Brief, brilliant contributions from celebrated authors form a kaleidoscope of thought and imagination, spanning the latter half of the last century.So… are you ready to lead a double life? To tr avel space and time and experience parallel universes of language through the inter-dimensional doorway of bilingual texts?You dont need a ride on a spaceship or sophisticated scientific equipment.Getting there is easyâ€"with these six sensational sources for bilingual parallel texts, all you need is curiosity and a sense of adventure and, perhaps, your reading glasses.And One More ThingIf you love the idea of learning languages with bilingual texts, you may love learning with FluentU even more.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, including movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive Transcripts You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.