LiTgloss is a growing collection of historical and literary texts in their original languages (17 so far). Each of the texts provides glossed translations of key words into contemporary English. These translations/annotations appear as the mouse clicks on the word in question and subsequently disappears when the mouse is moved away. Historical background and information about authors is also available for students to access.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
The purpose of the collection and its functionality is to connect US students? foreign language training with authentic target language material.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
The collection thus far represents texts that are far more challenging than those typically found in intermediate and advanced language textbooks and, as such, can complement more content-dense approaches to language and culture than has heretofore been the norm. Words are glossed that students need most to understand the meaning of each text. The flavor and quality of these annotations vary from text to text as each annotator contributes their particular semantic spin. What is consistent, however, is that terms are translated as their meaning is manifest in context; e.g., verbs are conjugated to match the text?s context, idioms are translated as wholes, not by literal parts.
Concerns:
What is less consistent throughout these texts is the tenor of the language of translation. The register varies from text to text. One text, for example, uses highly colloquial contemporary street English in translating a text in ancient Greek. Inexplicably, one text included (Descartes) is not in the original language.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
The glossed texts may be most suitable for independent, assigned reading and as a basis for in-class, in-lab, or online discussion. Texts can also be used for study by teachers and students in history, philosophy, and literature classes who have some background in the language of the particular text and who can read it in the original rather than in translation.
Concerns:
Further explanations and analytical-interpretive hints would be useful to help learners of the language go beyond superficial reading.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The design is sparse and clean and the glosses unobtrusive. The glossing functionality attempts the least possible disruption of the reader?s train of thought when reading the original text. Explanations for how to use the site functions are straightforward and navigation is clear.
Concerns:
There is inconsistency in how the site appears and functions on different web platforms (including standards-compliant browsers), e.g., at times the glosses do not appear next to the word(s) annotated but rather in random places on the screen or not at all. Also, the layout forces page width to 800 pixels without an apparent reason.
The user feedback questionnaire should have numbered items and longer input fields.
Creative Commons:
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