Foreign language teaching aid and method

• US 5,486,111 A
• Filed: 01/04/1994
• Issued: 01/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Watkins C. Kay
• Original Assignee: Watkins C. Kay
• Inventors: Watkins, C. Kay
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Jeffrey A.
• Application Number:
  US08/177,079
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 434/157, 434/156, 434/107, 434/307 R, 434/319
• US Class Current: 434/157
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/06 Foreign languages with audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04

Abstract

A language translation teaching aid and method comprises a first presentation of a line of words, a phrase, or a sentence in a first language according to its normal rules of syntax and grammar; a second presentation in a second language of a word-for-word translation of the words, a phrase, or a sentence presented in the first language; a third presentation in the second language of an accurate translation of the first presentation according to the normal rules of syntax and grammar of the second language; and a fourth presentation in the first language of a word-for-word translation of the third presentation in the second language.

Claims

1. A language translation teaching aid comprising:

(a) a first presentation of a first plurality of words, with each word having a meaning and with said first plurality of words having a combined meaning in a first language according to normal rules of syntax and grammar of said first language;

(b) a second presentation in a second language of a second plurality of words which provide a word-for-word translation of each of said words of said plurality of words of said first presentation in said first language;

(c) a third presentation of a third plurality of words, in said second language, which provide an accurate translation of said combined meaning of said first plurality of words of the first presentation according to the normal rules of syntax and grammar of said second language; and

(d) a fourth presentation of a fourth plurality of words, in said first language, which provide a word-for-word translation of each word of said third plurality of words of said third presentation in said second language.

2. A language translation teaching aid as in claim 1 wherein the first, second, third, and fourth presentations comprise printed words.

3. A language translation teaching aid as in claim 2 wherein:

(a) the first and second presentations are printed vertically adjacent with each corresponding first language word above the corresponding second language word translation; and

(b) the third and fourth presentations are printed vertically adjacent with each corresponding second language word above the corresponding first language word translation.

4. A language translation teaching aid as in claim 3 wherein:

(a) the first and third presentations are horizontally adjacent each other; and

(b) the second and fourth presentations are horizontally adjacent each other.

5. A language translation teaching aid as in claim 2 wherein:

(a) the first and second presentations are arranged in a first volume;

(b) the third and fourth presentations are arranged in a second volume; and

(c) the arrangement of the first and second presentations in the first volume corresponds to the arrangement of corresponding third and fourth presentations in the second volume.

6. A language translation teaching aid as in claim 1 wherein the first presentation comprises a stored plurality of words having a combined meaning and an apparatus, including a CRT screen, for receiving and for displaying said words on said CRT screen at a first position;

the second presentation comprises said word-for-word translation made of said first stored plurality of words and apparatus for displaying said word-for-word translation on said CRT screen at a second position adjacent to said first presentation;

the third presentation comprises said accurate translation made of said first plurality of words of said first presentation and apparatus for displaying said accurate translation on said CRT screen at a third position; and

the fourth presentation comprises a word-for-word translation of said third presentation accurate translation at a fourth position adjacent to said third presentation on a CRT screen.

7. A language translation teaching aid as in claim 1 further comprising a data storage device wherein the first, second, third, and fourth presentations of words are stored, an audio player connected for retrieving and audibly playing said stored presentation as spoken words.

8. A language translation teaching aid as in claim 7 wherein:

(a) the first stored presentation of said words is spoken by one voice in one language;

(b) the second stored presentation of said words is spoken by another voice in another language;

(c) the third stored presentation of said words is spoken by said other voice in said other language; and

(d) the fourth presentation is spoken by said one voice in said one language.

9. A language teaching aid as in claim 8 wherein:

(a) a plurality of corresponding first, second, third, and fourth stored presentations of said spoken words;

(b) each of the plurality of first and fourth stored presentations is spoken by the same one speaker;

(c) each of the plurality of second and third stored presentations is spoken by the same other speaker; and

(d) the order in which the corresponding first, second, third, and fourth stored presentations are retrieved and audibly played by said audio player in the same sequence throughout the plurality of corresponding first, second, third, and fourth retrieved and played presentations.

10. A language teaching aid as in claim 9 wherein each said first, second, third, and fourth stored presentation of said plurality of words comprises a phrase and is retrieved and played following the retrieval and playing of the phrase broken down into individual words which make up the phrase.

11. A language teaching aid as in claim 9 wherein each said first, second, third, and fourth stored presentation of said plurality of words comprises a complete sentence and is retrieved and played following the retrieval and playing of the complete sentence, broken down into phrases which make up the complete sentence.

12. A language translation teaching aid comprising:

(a) a first page, having a first line of words printed in a first language and having a meaning in said first language according to the normal rules of syntax and grammar of said first language;

(b) said first page, having printed below said first printed line of words, word-for-word translation in a second language;

(c) a second page, having a third line of words, which third line of words is an accurate translation of said first line of words on said first page, in a second language according to the normal rules of syntax and grammar of said second language; and

(d) said second page having printed below said third printed line of words, a word-for-word translation of said third line of words in said first language.

13. A language translation teaching method comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining a first plurality of words having a meaning in a first language according to its normal rules of syntax and grammar of said first language;

(b)

presenting said first plurality of words in said first language according to its normal rules of syntax and grammar;

(c) translating said first plurality of words in a word-for-word translation;

(d) presenting, in a second language, said word-for-word translation of said words from said first language;

(e) translating said first plurality of words in said language as an accurate translation of said first plurality of words according to the normal syntax and grammar of said second language;

(f) presenting said accurate translation of said first plurality of words, which translation is presented according to the normal rules of syntax and grammar of said second language;

(g) translating said accurate translation in said second language into a word-for-word translation in said first language; and

(h) presenting, in said first language, said word-for-word translation of said accurate translation from said second language.

14. A language translation teaching method comprising the steps of:

(a) presenting on a first page, a first line of words printed in a first language and having a first meaning according to the normal rules of syntax and grammar of said first language;

(b) translating said first line of words in a second language both in a word-for-word translation and into an accurate translation of said first meaning in said second language according to normal rules of syntax and grammar of said second language;

(c) presenting on said first page, printed below said first printed line of words, said word-for-word translation in a second language;

(d) presenting on a second page, a third line of words, printed in second language as said accurate translation of said first line on said first page, having a meaning in said second language according to the normal rules of syntax and grammar of said second language which is the same as said first meaning; and

(e) presenting on said second page, printed below said third printed line of words, a word-for-word translation of said third line in said first language.