Sample Post 7 ::: A career-related website

Today I'm going to write about a very useful website I use when translating and also when I teach: www.linguee.es

This is an online dictionary and translator tool and it's interesting how they are able to offer more than 100 million translations made by humans. Most of the times, online translators are not reliable because they offer translations made by machines but this website is different. Here you can find examples of how the word or phrase you're looking for has been translated in bilingual websites like the ones companies, international organizations and universities have.

I visit this website every single day, especially when I'm translating and also to check if the translation I want to use is the most suitable. In an English class, I like to use it show the difference between a bad online translator and really good one, because this totally the opposite to Google translator. I usually support all Google creations like Google Classroom, Google Earth and Google Drive but when it comes to translations, I prefer www.linguee.es

I really like this website because up to this point, I've always found what I'm looking for. Apart from that, as you can find many examples, you can decide what translation to use and you can see where that translation has been used. This website shows you the paragraph where the word or phrase appears so the context helps a lot.

And last but not least, if you want to try this website, the creators recommend to look for phrases instead of single words.

Blog Session 7 ::: Instructions

Dear Class,

Today you have to decide between two options:

a)  A career-related website or b) an expert in your field

In 170 words minimum please include the following:

a) A career-related website you enjoy visiting

Provide the link
Describe the website (sections, features, languages, etc.)
Say how often you visit the website
Explain why you like the website

b) An expert in your field that you admire

Provide a short biography
Examples of her/his work
Why you like her/him
Provide a picture of the expert

As usual, please don't forget to make comments on at least 3 of your classmates' posts, including a comment about mine.

Best,

Belén

Sample Post 6 ::: My favourite music

I’m going to write about Brazilian music because this is what I usually listen to when I feel sad so I can cheer up easily. I also want to explain how much I love the music coming from that country even though I have never been there but I really want to go one day with my family.

There's a singer, who I first listened to because of the film “Fast & Furious 5” (which is not the kind of film I like) and as it has Brazil as a setting, I watched part of it and just by coincidence the part where this song appears.

This singer is called Obando D2 and the name of the song is “Desafabo deixa eu dizer”, which literally means “Relief let me tell you” I know very little about this singer but I think he's been singing for a long time because he has more than one hundred songs. He’s in hip-hop and he’s just one of many singers who rap about the situation in Brazil, about poverty and crime in the favelas specially. Just like Paralamas do Suceso and other bands have also sung.

I like this song because of the lyrics, as you could read in the video, he talks about what is to live in a favela and how he’d like Brazil to be. I’m interested in Brazilian culture, specially because I practice capoeira and I hope I can continue practising it. With the different teachers we had and friends from there, who live in Chile now, I've learnt a great deal about the way Brazilians are... And they're a lot; the current population estimate for 2018 is 210.87 million.

The other reason why I love music coming from Brazil is because I can practice Portuguese and the capoeira songs were some of the first one I remember learning by heard, just like we did with the instruments. What I also like about capoeira is that at some point, it becomes a language. You can be anywhere in the world and if you know how to "play" capoeira, you can join the roda.

Blog Session 6 ::: Instructions

Dear Class,

This time you are free to choose what to write in your blogs. You can choose the topic of your post... maybe something important you'll always remember, your best friends, learning languages, something about our society, your favourite food, documentaries, etc.

Just remember to write 160 words minimum and also, you need to read 3 other posts so you can make comments.

 Good luck!

Belén

Sample Post 5 ::: My favourite picture

I really like photography, I took a course once, so it’s not easy to choose one photograph I like to write about. There are so many to choose but it’s easier if I think of black and white photos. I definitely prefer black and white and I love going to the lab and develop my own pictures.

This photo was taken by Luis Poirot, a well-known Chilean photographer, and that day Víctor and Luis were near Cerro Blanco, trying to obtain a photo for Víctor’s new album cover. Here you can see part of the complete photograph. I found this copy on the internet but on my wall, I’ve got the original and it’s bigger. Apart from Víctor Jara holding his guitar, and the old lady behind him, you can a see a boy to the left, right next to Víctor, looking at the camera. And you can also see the entire guitar Víctor is holding. The difference between this picture and the one I have is that in the one on my wall, Víctor is not looking at the camera.


This photo was taken in 1968 or 1969. According to Luis, the photographer, this photo wasn’t authorized by the Communist party, so Víctor’s new album cover for “Pongo en tus manos abiertas” was the one – that you might have seen- with two palms.


Finally, I really like this photo because Víctor Jara is in it. I admire him and I respect everything he was and did.

Blog Session 5 ::: Instructions ::: Your favourite photo

Dear Class,

Think about the images of your life... so you can write about a photograph you like and say:

a) Who took it
b) What it shows
c) When it was taken
d) Why you like it
e) Upload the photo

Write 150 words minimum and please remember to make comments on at least three of your classmates' blogs and one comment about my post.

Best,

Belén

Blog Session 4 ::: Sample Post FREE Post

The human brain

I have always been interested in how the human body works. One of the reasons to be interested is that I practice sports, so why we sweat, stretch and how we can work out our muscles are intriguing facts about our bodies. Those, among other incredible facts like gestating and breastfeeding when we have babies. Sleeping, dancing, walking and reading are just some of the many activities that have to do with the brain.

Biology and Education are closely related if we analyse the brain activity. As a teacher, when we study the way human beings learn, we study Psychology but unfortunately we didn’t study Neuroscience. Therefore, as this science has always caught my attention I wanted to learn more about it. A couple of years ago, because of the Masters programme I was studying, I had the chance to read lots of interesting papers about how the brain works when we read as well as how the way we stimulate the brain affects our learning process.

The human brain is a complex organ and as human beings we are supposed to be the only ones to know something about the way the brain works. With that skill, Pierre Paul Broca (1824-1880), a French pioneer doctor was able to draw a map of the brain and consequently, he discovered a small area in the left hemisphere, which controls the production of language. Thus, 100 billion neurons in our brains are responsible for language, communication and many other aspects of our lives.

Blog Session 4 ::: Instructions

Dear Class,

This time you can choose what to blog about. Write 140 words minimum and remember to leave comments on at least three of your classmates' posts plus one comment about mine.

You can write about the university, your career, your family, the country, SENAME or anything else, it's your choice.

Here you have an example of how you can organise what you want to say. If you want to write about "Mass Media connections with major companies" you should outline the following:

What is mass media

Mass media influence in Politics (in general around the world)

Mass media influence in Chile

You can have three paragraphs to develop these three ideas and voilá your post is ready!

Good luck,

Belén

Blog Session 3 ::: Sample Post My favourite piece of technology

I must begin by saying I do have a love/hate relationship with technology. Talking through Skype to my friend Chris who's working in Yemen is fantastic, but at the same time I think it's not necessary to give technology an incredible amount of importance in your life.

In terms of technology, what I use the most are mp3 players. Last week I lost the one I got three years ago so I'm planning to get a new one as soon as I get paid. I use it all the time so I really need a new one.

I use mp3 players because of their size, you can carry them everywhere you go and some of them have very original designs as well. I use my mp3 every day mainly because I can listen to music and I love listening to music. Also, it's useful to keep my favourite family pictures, all the files I need for work and my studies, and videos of course.

I can imagine my life without an mp3 but now I'm used to this piece of technology, I think I'd need something similar, specially to continue enjoying music!

Blog Session 3 ::: Instructions

Dear Class,

Today, think about technology and how technology help us, so you can write about:

Your favourite piece of technology

Include:

What it is
When you got it
How you use it
Why you like it
What life would be like without it

Please remember:

130 words minimum
Include a picture
Make comments on at least 3 of your classmates' post plus a comment about my post.

Good luck,

Belén

Blog Session 2 ::: Sample Post Why I chose this career

Why did I choose my career

When I was a little girl I wanted to be a vet because I loved animals and when I was little bit older I wanted to be a midwife because I love babies but none of them happened. Then, when I was in High School I really enjoyed English because of music, so I spent a lot of time translating songs.
When I graduated from High School I wasn't sure what to study so I took a year to think, evaluate options and to finally decide.

My first option was something about Literature but in those days, the only option was PUC and I didn't even want to apply to that university. Then I found out something connected with English was Translation and after checking the programme, I decided to become a translator. As I've always enjoyed English I thought becoming a translator was a good option and after the first year I knew the career was for me.

Some years later, I had the chance to study a "special" programme for translators, so I became an English teacher. I started working as a teacher of English since the first year of Translation because I really liked it, maybe because there are many teachers in my family.
I started teaching private lessons to kids, then I taught adults and young adults and now I know this is my vocation because I couldn't live without teaching.

Blog Session 2 ::: Instructions

Dear Class,

Today please think about the reasons why you chose the career you're studying now.

Write about:

a) Your dream jobs when you were a child
b) Other career options that you had at the moment of applying to university
c) What made you decide in the end
d) Your experience at university until now
e) The kind of job you would like to have

Write this post in 130 words minimum and don't forget to make comments on at least 3 of your classmates' posts; as well as a comment about my post.

Best,


Belén

Sample Post ::: My biography

About me

My full name is María Belén Farías Gutiérrez but nobody calls me María Belén. I’m Belén, a single Chilean woman, I’m 39 years-old and I live in Santiago. I’m from Chile and I was born in the capital city, on a rainy day, on May 22nd 1979. We’re a five-member family, my parents plus my brother, sister and I; and I'm the youngest because my sister Male and brother Felipe both are older than me. I also have a younger step-brother, Mauricio, a younger half-sister, Mariajosé. 

I studied in the same school for twelve years and I’m still in contact with most of my classmates. After that, when I was 17, I worked sporadically and studied English for a year because I didn’t know what to study as a career but I finally decided I wanted to be a translator. I graduated as a translator in 2001 and then studied Pedagogía en Inglés so I became an English teacher in 2005 and also since the same year, I've been teaching Spanish to foreigners. 

Since 2010 I've also been working as a tour guide and with my partner we have now our own tour business called Puelmapu Turismo Sustentable. I live with my partner and our two baby boys Santiago and Facundo.

I really like music, singing and sports. I play capoeira, practice yoga and rock climbing but I can’t go climbing as often as I’d like to. I love dancing too and I try to learn new songs in different languages. 

Blog Session 1 ::: Instructions

Dear Class,

Today, please write about yourselves. Write an autobiography and include the following:

Birth info
Studies (Elementary, Secondary School and University or others)
Family
Hobbies
Others...

Write your autobiography in 120 words minimum, make comments on at least three classmates' posts and also, write a comment about my post.
Remember to keep in mind what I wrote about comments in my previous post: Welcome back to English!

Good luck,

Belén

Welcome Post

Dear Class,

This semester we'll write ten posts so I hope you enjoy this new experience. We'll be all reading each other's blogs, so you get to write comments on your classmates' blogs as well.
Before you start writing, please read the sample post I write so you can have an idea on how to express your ideas.
Keep it simple and you'll see all the progress you can make.

Remember to be respectful to make comments and comments of course have to longer than: Wow, that's great! Your comments should consider agreeing on someone's opinion, giving advice, offering suggestions, sharing same or similar experiences, etc.

Try to use all the English you know - IN THE CLASS - and also when you write in your blogs. Trust in all you know so far, instead of using Google translator.
If you need to translate something, please ask me or use: www.linguee.es


Best of luck,

Belén