March 8, 2014

A failing of most language courses is that their content is so boring. It’s hard to stay motivated reading stories like “John goes to the supermarket”, I want to read about epic adventures, with drama, mystery, and wizards!

That’s why I’m so excited that the Harry Potter e-books are available to buy DRM free, ready to import into Readlang and help learn languages!

Why is this exciting?

Harry Potter is a favourite series among language learners.

Compelling characters, gripping storytelling.

It’s available in many different languages. [1]

Don’t take my word for it, the internet is full of people learning languages using Harry Potter.

Now that DRM free versions are available, this means it’s possible to read Harry Potter completely legally within Readlang, a reading interface lovingly designed especially for foreign language learners, which is getting rave reviews and testimonials.

Drag across words to translate them, Readlang is like an Ollivander wand for language learners!

Sound good? Here’s how to get started…

1. Buy the book from Pottermore

Pottermore is J.K. Rowling’s own website and online eBook shop.

Click this link to go to the Pottermore Shop

If you’ve ever purchased anything online this is reasonably straightforward, just make sure you:

Buy a version in the language you want to learn.

Select the “Direct Download” option after purchasing

2. Upload the book to Readlang

Go to Readlang and Sign Up or Login.

Click on “Upload Text”.

Click “Choose File” and select the epub book you downloaded earlier.

3. Read the book

Locate the book in your Bookshelf and click to open it.

Click on words, or drag across phrases to translate them. (NOTE: The free version of Readlang allows unlimited single word translations, but is restricted to 10 phrase translations per day. Unlimited phrase translations are available for $4 per month or $30 per year.)

View additional translations in the sidebar.

Later on, you can work on learning the words or phrases you encountered while reading. Readlang’s flashcard system uses a clever algorithm to prioritise words based on their frequency, and a spaced repetition algorithm to customise the scheduling based on your past performance. Don’t worry about the details, but read and practise daily and it will work like magic.

Good luck, and please let me know if you enjoy this, encounter any problems, or have any suggestions, I’m always working on ways to make Readlang even better!

[1] DRM free versions are available from Pottermore in English (US and GB dialects), Spanish, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portugese (Brazil and Portugal dialects), Swedish.

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