Scientists have developed a foreign language learning system that uses wireless technology, the National Science Council (NSC) said yesterday.
Since August, the NSC has invested NT$9.2 million in a three-year research project that aims to improve the efficiency of learning foreign languages in college.
"Learning foreign languages digitally makes things much easier," said Tsay Chung-biau (蔡忠杓), director general of NSC's department of engineering and applied sciences.
Tsay said that in the past, complex wires had to be installed in foreign language labs so that teachers could play tapes for students.
Led by Lee Chia-tung (李家同), a computer science professor at National Chi Nan University (NCNU), the research team designed the new language system by integrating wireless communication, speech processing, wireless application protocol and speech application software technology.
The research team comprises 22 professors and graduate students with backgrounds in computer science and electronic engineering.
The team has developed multimedia teaching materials called the Web-based Synchronized Multimedia Lecture System, which is available for university students and pupils at a nearby elementary school.
By using the system, students can interactively learn Chinese or English.
"For example, a teacher's correction of mistakes in a student's article can be digitally recorded for students to review," Lee said yesterday at a press conference.
Even for teachers, Lee said, it will be easy to learn how to use the system to review student homework.
Lee said that the system's software was designed to improve a student's speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing capabilities.
By clicking on unfamiliar vocabulary, Lee said, a student can listen to words being properly pronounced.
"Students don't get lost when listening to English-language news radio read by native speakers because we have a technology to mark sentences on the screen at the same time they were being read," said Chen Herng-yow (
Researchers said it might be possible to apply the technology to Chinese lessons if software could be written to recognize Mandarin. Then, learning Chinese as a foreign language might be easier.
NSC Chairman Wei Che-ho (
"If the difficulties can be conquered, the NSC will fully promote the research and even make [the system] available on the market," Wei said.
For more information check the NCNU Web sites at: http://english.csie.ncnu.edu.tw -- or --
http://chinese.csie.ncnu.edu.tw
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