Going Multi-Lingual with Mental Case
Language Learners and Flashcards
Language Learners have a long affiliation with flashcards. Way before people in other fields discovered the advantages of studying with flashcards, those learning a second language were developing advanced schemes for improving their vocabulary. Learning approaches such as the Leitner System were first used for language learning.
Mental Case draws on the lessons of language learning, and applies them in the digital age. You no longer need to have boxes of flashcards under your bed — one iPhone can hold thousands of them. You also don't have to schedule your study anymore, because Mental Case can use a spaced-repetition or Leitner algorithm to ensure you study the words most in need of attention.
Two-Way Translation
Learning words and phrases requires you to translate from your native language to the language you are learning, and vice versa. You may even need to learn different forms of the same word. Mental Case on the Mac allows you to include multiple facets ('sides') in your notes, and you can designate which facets can be used as a prompt. If you are an English speaker learning Chinese, you can study the notes with the English word as the prompt, or the Chinese word as the prompt.
Speak and Listen
Learning a language is not just about the written word — you need to be able to speak it and understand the spoken word too. Mental Case supports text, images, video, and audio. You can put text and audio together on each side of the flashcard, or you can use audio alone as a prompt or response. Any combination of text and media is possible, making it easy to tailor your flashcards to your needs.
Because you can create new flashcards with any Mental Case app, you can quickly enter new words you come across. You can enter words as text, and you can record yourself speaking into your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Download Word Lists
Having to enter translations yourself can be tedious. All Mental Case apps include free access to FlashcardExchange.com and Quizlet.com, the largest repositories of flashcards in the World. Flashcard Exchange and Quizlet include thousands of flashcard sets for language learners, which you can download even without an account.
Import Options
If you have been learning a language for a while, chances are you already have files with lists of words. Mental Case supports import of comma-separated values (CSV) and tab-separated values (TSV), which you can generate with spreadsheet apps like Excel and Numbers, or with a text editor.
If you have audio clips for your words, you can import those too. Mental Case supports a media-rich format called Study Archive, which can include text, images, and audio. Study Archives are very similar to CSV data, combined with image and audio files. You can make them with Mental Case for Mac OS X, or you create them manually with a text editor or spreadsheet.