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Learn a language with your own texts
Most language material is written for nobody in particular. The text you picked yourself is written for you, because you already want to know what it says. Here is why that matters, and how to turn it into a book you can read side by side with its translation.
If it is yours, you will make the effort
The hardest part of learning a language by reading is not the grammar. It is staying with a text long enough for it to work. Graded readers and course texts are built to be suitable, but suitable is not the same as wanted. A text you chose, about something you love or need, gets your energy without any willpower: you read on because you want to know what happens, or how the thing works.
This is what comprehensible input means in practice. The input has to be understandable, and it also has to be worth your attention. Interest and understanding together are what keep you reading for months instead of days.
What can be your own text
- A novel or non-fiction book you have wanted to read, or have already read in your own language.
- A book about your hobby: cooking, chess, gardening, football, music, history.
- Something for your work or studies: a manual, a report, a paper in your field.
- A text with a personal reason: a family history, a letter, a book from the country you are moving to.
None of these is written for learners, so the language will sometimes be hard. That is where the translation comes in.
Why a parallel text makes it possible
A real text above your level usually ends one of two ways. You look up every word and give up in an hour, or you guess and lose the thread. A translation beside each paragraph removes that choice. You read the original, and when a sentence stops you, you glance across, get the meaning, and carry on. The original stays the thing you read; the translation is the safety net.
It also lets you read ahead of your level. Because you always have the meaning, you can take on a book that would be too hard alone, and finishing it is worth more than any amount of easy practice. More on this in how to read a real book in a language you are learning.
Where you read it
A book you care about should be easy to pick up wherever you are. A side-by-side edition can be read in several places:
On a Kindle or another e-reader
Good for long reading without a glaring screen. See parallel text on a Kindle.
On a computer
In the browser, with the original and the translation together. Tap any word for its meaning in that sentence, and save the ones you want to keep.
As a PDF on a tablet
Download the side-by-side edition and read it in any PDF app, with a pen if you like.
On paper
Print it. Some people read better on paper, and a printed page you can mark up is hard to beat for a text you want to study closely.
How to make one
- Take a DRM-free EPUB or a PDF of the text you want to read.
- Upload it to DuoText and choose the language you are learning and the language you read comfortably.
- Read it side by side in the browser, or download it for your e-reader, tablet or printer.
The opening pages are free, so you can see whether it works for you before you spend anything. The translation is a machine translation, good for following the original and not a polished literary one. If you would rather start with something ready-made, the free library has parallel stories at every level.
Questions
Can I learn a language by reading a text I picked myself?
Yes, and it is often the best way to keep going. A text you care about holds your attention, so you read more of it, and the amount you read is what builds the language. A translation beside each paragraph keeps it understandable.
What kind of text works best?
One you would want to read in your own language: a novel, a hobby book, a manual for something you do, a paper from your field. Interest matters more than level.
Can I read it on a Kindle or print it?
Yes. The side-by-side edition can be read in the browser, sent to an e-reader, or downloaded as a PDF for a tablet or for printing.
How good is the translation?
It is a machine translation, made to help you follow the original paragraph by paragraph. It is not a polished literary translation, and it is not meant to replace the original.