Episode n° 1 : Découverte des Pyrénées Occidentales

Français avec Cathy

Occitanie , terre de soleil et de richesses ! 

How many words do you know?  500?  1000?  10000?  Does it even matter?  You’re learning a language…you just want to be able to speak.  Well, if that’s the case, you’re going to need to know words.  And let’s be real, if you’re not having fluent conversations, it probably has nothing to do with you not understanding English grammar.  Besides, native English speakers use very simple grammar in daily conversations.  More often than not, not being fluent is caused by the lack of words in that brain of yours.  But not to worry, this problem is fixable.

Modern language learning enthusiasts…you know, these Internet Polyglots, talk a lot about word frequency and this idea of your first 1000 words.  Let’s talk a little about where that comes from.

The English Exchange

Episode 001: The Road To A Thousand Words

In this podcast I talk about a few movies, TV shows and a book where people trade places.
Trading places 1983
Newly Rich Newly Poor 2007
The Hot Chick 2002
The Price and the Pauper 1881
Leave me feedback if you like this type of podcast . Thanks!
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Take an English Lesson with Carl https://italki.com/teacher/1947582


Streetwise English

SWE 165 "Trading Places" Movies TV  & Book

In this episode I have a talk with Jania Alvarez, Italki tutor from Mexico, about Colombian proverbs

Remember that I teach Spanish on italki, you can book a class for more information you can look at it on my profile and You can also book a class with my partner Jania Alvarez in this link that I share with you

https://www.italki.com/teacher/6844238

Colombia

How much does a Mexican know about Refranes colombianos? Part 1

👋 Hello, hello, este es un episodio en español donde hablamos de una de mis tradiciones favoritas de Latinoamérica. Si quieres practicar tu pronunciación y leer el texto conmigo este es el link: https://www.gob.mx/inafed/articulos/dia-de-muertos-tradicion-mexicana-que-trasciende-en-el-tiempo.
Gracias por estar aquí, nos escuchamos la próxima semana 🎧🫶



Chismecito en Español ☕️🇨🇴

Día de Muertos en México 🏵️💀🪅|Práctica de lectura A2-B2

You're lying on the couch, bored, looking at videos on TikTok or YouTube. You watch a video of a dog swimming, and then switch to a cooking video, then to someone doing a weird dance.

But it doesn't help your boredom.

In fact, according to new research, it could make it even worse.

Researchers in Canada found that switching from one video to another, or moving forward or backward in the same video, can increase feelings of boredom.

In a study published by the American Psychological Association, the researchers did several experiments with more than 1,200 people.

In one experiment, participants were first given seven different five-minute videos they could switch between over 10 minutes. They were then given one 10-minute video to watch, without being able to fast-forward.

The participants reported lower levels of boredom when they watched the single 10-minute video, and found the experience to be more engaging and meaningful than when they switched between the shorter videos.

In another experiment, participants were found to be less bored when they watched a single 10-minute video than when they were given 10 minutes to skip forward and backward through a 50-minute video.

Katy Tam, one of the researchers, said digital switching — switching between videos or within a video itself — can make watching something feel meaningless, because you don't have time to engage with it or understand it.

"If people want a more enjoyable experience when watching videos, they can try to stay focused on the content and minimize digital switching," she said. "Just like paying for a more immersive experience in a movie theater, more enjoyment comes from immersing oneself in online videos rather than swiping through them."

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Swiping Through Online Videos Can Increase Boredom

Un bonito cuento corto de Jorge Bucay para pensar y para desarrollar la fluidez en español con un nuevo ejercicio de shadowing. 

Español Club de Lectura. Shadowing

Cómo crecer

Listen to this interesting article!

Man Fired for Keeping Webcam Off Awarded $73,000
A remote worker who was fired for refusing to keep his camera on while working has been awarded about $73,000 by a Dutch court.

The man, whose name was not made public, had been working for the US software company Chetu in the Netherlands since 2019. On August 23, 2022, while working remotely, he was told by his employer that he should keep his webcam on all day for online training.

The employee said he didn't feel comfortable being monitored on camera for nine hours, and refused to do so. He added that the company could already see all activities on his laptop and that he was also sharing his screen.

But Chetu said that having a camera on was no different from being watched in an office. And the company fired him.

Finding this unfair, the man took the company to court in the Netherlands. He told the court that he hadn't been given clear enough reasons for being fired, and that asking him to keep his camera on for the whole workday was against his right to privacy.

And the court agreed. Chetu now must pay the man about $73,000.

While using a webcam to check on employees may not be very common, computer programs that monitor employee activity have become popular.

A survey from 2021 found that 60% of US companies with remote workers were using employee monitoring software, and 81% of those companies found that their workers were more productive while being monitored.