Foreign language word processing

Foreign language word processing

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Keying in special characters on a PC
n PC Special character entry lists the symbols accessible via a PC UK keyboard with their names, their three- and four-digit alt-key codes, and where applicable, their Word shortcuts. The symbols are named and classified according to the Unicode charts.

Foreign character generation survey
n In October 1998 I invited members of the UK Modern Foreign Language Teachers' online forum LinguaNet to describe how they keyed in foreign characters when using computers. I also asked whether they taught their students to use the same method of foreign character entry. I sent a summary of the resulting correspondence to the forum. Terry Atkinson of the University of Bristol kindly posted my findings as How to enter foreign language characters on computers. John Robin Allen of the University of Manitoba also generously published this document, whose contents he has since extensively revised for the benefit of his students. His version of How to enter foreign language characters on computers is now almost unrecognisable from the original.

Language-specific character entry guides
n To assist my students at Harton School, I have created, in Adobe Acrobat format, target-language guides to French, German and Spanish character entry using the alt-key method. Each guide will fit on two sides of a single A4 sheet.

Setting up Word for foreign languages
n To set up Word for foreign languages, I have developed a three-step procedure. Step One is to set the language. Step Two is to set smart quotes. Step Three is to enable special characters. If students always follow these three steps, they will not only avoid the wavy red and green underlines. The computer will also display their punctuation marks (e.g. «...» in French, „..." in German or ¿...? in Spanish) and special characters (e.g. àâçèéêëîïœôùû in French, ßäöü in German or áéíñóúü in Spanish) correctly. My illustrated three-step guides Setting up Word for French, Setting up Word for German and Setting up Word for Spanish are in Adobe Acrobat format. Each guide will fit on two sides of a single A4 sheet.

Foreign language keyboarding
n I have written keyboarding units for French, German and Spanish, respectively entitled À vos claviers, Greift zur Tastatur and ¡A los teclados!. Unit 1 is about keyboarding print, Unit 2 keyboarding script, Unit 3 making word searches and Unit 4 making greetings cards. I have posted the whole French and German word processing guides À vos claviers and Greift zur Tastatur in Adobe Acrobat format (2MB) on this site.

Foreign handwriting fonts
n Certain countries, e.g. France and Spain, expect primary schoolchildren to learn and use one particular style of cursive handwriting. Others, e.g. Germany, expect schools to teach one of several approved styles of handwriting. Over the years, computer fonts have been designed to emulate these handwriting styles. They can be used to help students experiencing difficulty with handwriting skills and to assist teachers who want to create handwriting worksheets for their classes. I have listed sources of these national school handwriting fonts here. Foreign language teachers can use these fonts to prepare their students for reading handwritten texts in the foreign language, e.g. penpal letters, where the unfamiliar cursive style may well raise greater barriers to comprehension than the language used. I conducted a school-based experiment on the deployment in my Tyneside secondary school French lessons of an authentic pencil-style font originally developed for use in primary education in France. An account of my research appeared as a chapter entitled Applying new technologies appropriately to foreign handwriting recognition difficulties in a book published by the Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research. The research also served to illustrate my problem-solving approach to special educational needs in my article entitled ICT to the rescue of students with learning difficulties in MFL, which appeared in the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency ICT in Secondary Magazine of May 2005.

Language teaching clipart
n Pictures have long played a role in the teaching and learning of foreign languages. Some teachers may recall the use of picture compositions - a sequence of four or six images telling a story - in public examinations to test foreign language writing skills. Flashcards with illustrations of new vocabulary remain a popular tool because they can convey meaning without compromising the use of the target language in the foreign language classroom. Although teachers with painting, drawing or photographic skills can create their own digital images, there is plenty of artist-drawn clipart around for the rest of us to edit and use. I have listed the main types and sources of such clipart here.

My brother hosts this site.