Interview with the Director of Product Development

New! WhiteSmoke 2011+ Version 

The best way to really know about a company’s product is to ask the Director of Product Development herself what she has to say.

Ms. Laly Bar-Ilan is the Director of Product Development at WhiteSmoke, Inc. and there is absolutely nothing she doesn’t know about the WhiteSmoke products.

Ms. Laly Bar- Ilan, is there news of an upgrade coming out?

Yes! We are very excited about this. We’ve created an upgraded version of WhiteSmoke 2011, called WhiteSmoke 2011+, that’s quite impressive, if I may say so myself.

How would you describe the differences in this new upgrade?

We basically took the whole thing up a notch. The entire infrastructure has been upgraded, resulting in enhanced stability, faster performance, smoother installation process, and quite a few interface enhancements.

As a linguist and product development expert, how would you describe the challenges of creating a product as complex as WhiteSmoke 2011+?

Oh, where do I begin…? Well, I suppose you can say that the technology here is as complex as the human brain. WhiteSmoke “knows” how to correct and enhance texts because we “teach” it how the human mind works when it comes to writing. Basically it’s AI, or artificial intelligence, and natural language processing, also known as NLP.

Finally, do you have something you would like to say to the WhiteSmoke users reading this?

Yes, of course. I'd like to say how important it is to us to get your feedback regarding your experience with the WhiteSmoke products. We take our users' comments and opinions very seriously! So if you have anything you'd like to say or report, just send an email to support@whitesmoke.com and I will personally go over your email. I look forward to hearing from you!

So there you have it!

·         Enhanced stability

·         Faster performance

·         Smoother installation process

·         User interface enhancements

New! No More Mistakes on Facebook!

WhiteSmoke now allows you to check your texts on Facebook!
The new WhiteSmoke app checks any text you write in your status bar and even when commenting!

So how do you get it?
Simply download the free trial version of WhiteSmoke 2011 and you'll get the Facebook app for FREE!
The Facebook app is not a trial so even after your WhiteSmoke 2011 expires, you can still enjoy the WhiteSmoke app for Facebook.
Get it now! http://www.whitesmoke.com/grammarchecklp4/?d=4&a=136&r=4796

Immigrants Work to Learn English

As more and more immigrants flock to America from around the world, solutions must be found to help them integrate fully. Aside from the cultural adjustments, immigrants struggle to learn English. The English language has always been acknowledged as a difficult one to master. The complex grammar, vocabulary and endless rules are challenging for one unfamiliar with the intricacies of the language, even with a translator available.

There are many programs offered to help adult immigrants learn and improve their English. CtPost.com reported that numerous school districts in Connecticut offer evening classes to help parents assimilate better into American culture and day-to-day life in English. Many parents expressed that it is difficult for them that they can’t assist their children with homework and have trouble doing simple tasks such as grocery shopping. The schools offer classes, one-on-one English lessons with tutors and even a book club.

In Dover, they have a different approach to teaching adults English. The Dover Adult Learning Center, according to fosters.com, has hundreds of students who come to study a wide variety of topics including English, math, history, citizenship and GED preparation. Aside from regular classes and tutors, the DALC employs a peer-to-peer method of teaching. Students of one subject are the teachers of another. For example, while one woman helps an American learn French, the American in turn teaches her English medical terminology.

While these classes are wonderful to help immigrants fit in and become part of American society, they might also find technology helpful to build their confidence outside of class. With writing as the main method of communication, sending an email can be a daunting task for someone still struggling just to speak English. WhiteSmoke 2011 and the WhiteSmoke Translator are ideal tools for both immigrants and native speakers to make sure their writing is flawless. WhiteSmoke offers free English lessons. The WhiteSmoke Translator supports nine languages, so users can translate either full texts or individual words from their mother-tongues to English. The WhiteSmoke grammar-checker will make sure that they do not have any grammar or spelling mistakes, and it will even offer suggestions for improvement. With WhiteSmoke 2011 and the WhiteSmoke Translator, users can be confident in their writing without a tutor.

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The Importance of English to the Spanish Economy

Spain Increases English Lessons to Decrease Unemployment

Author: Katherine Belle

Spain Increases English Lessons to Decrease Unemployment

Spain currently has an unemployment rate of about 20%, which is twice as high as the European average. According to the New York Times, more and more Spaniards are searching for employment opportunities abroad. Unfortunately, many are experiencing difficulties due to poor foreign language skills, specifically their lack of knowledge of basic English. Many adults are returning to school to learn or improve their English or another foreign language.

While the current job seekers are having a hard time because of language barriers outside of Spain, education reforms are being made to ensure that future generations will not encounter such troubles. A third of Madrid's primary schools are bilingual, and by 2015 they are hoping at least half of the schools will be teaching more languages. In addition,  more and more schools have begun employing English speaking teachers.

Spain has a long way to go because in addition to struggling with vocabulary and pronunciation, even the campaign has poor grammar. The campaign to promote bilingual education boasts the slogan "Yes, we want!". Richard Vaughan, owner of Vaughn Systems, an English teaching company, estimates that less than five percent of graduates of engineering, law or business have even a working knowledge of English.

A useful tool to help improve one's English is WhiteSmoke Software. WhiteSmoke works with hi-end technology based on both statistical algorithms and NLP, or Natural Language Processing. This allows the software to actually learn how the human mind works when it comes to writing and better understand how to correct your mistakes. In addition, WhiteSmoke 2011 includes a full-text translator that allows you to translate to 9 different languages and a multilingual dictionary that translates single words and gives you usage examples of every word you translate, allowing you to see how your translated word is used in a sentence.  For those who want to improve their English, a Writing Review feature is available as well. The Writing Review gives you a detailed score of your original text with personalized improvement tips. WhiteSmoke 2011 with the WhiteSmoke Translator is a fantastic tool for those looking to improve their English.

 

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/economics-articles/spain-increases-english-lessons-to-decrease-unemployment-4898319.html

About the Author

Learning Disabilities

According to themoralliberal.com there are over ten million students in the United States with learning disabilities affecting their writing skills. Neil MacGregor, VP of Learner Development for WordQ+SpeakQ assistive software, explains that the growth of diagnosed learning disabilities is not because there are suddenly more children with disabilities, but because we have become more attuned to them. In the past if a child was falling behind, it was assumed that he was just lazy. Now we know that a child having trouble in school may have a learning disability.

MacGregor lists several factors that hinder the writing skills of students with learning disabilities. He thinks that right now it is accepted to teach to the students without disabilities and give special classes to the students who need help. MacGregor believes that the students with disabilities should be treated as part of the norm. He also says that multiple choice, true/false and fill-in-the-blank tests contribute to writing disabilities in that they do not encourage critical thinking or written expression. Furthermore, MacGregor believes that technology can contribute to the success of people with learning disabilities. 

A useful tool that can help people with writing disabilities is WhiteSmoke 2011 with the WhiteSmoke Translator. WhiteSmoke can be used with nearly any text-based application. It checks the text for spelling, grammar and style mistakes. In addition to offering suggestions for improvement, WhiteSmoke shows where the writer most commonly errs. 

The Quality of English

In Robert Lane Greene’s new book, “You Are What You Speak”, he includes a chapter about the decline of proper grammar. He points out that language sticklers have been complaining about poor grammar since the first century. Language is always changing, and as such, grammar evolving. Greene notes a fascinating correlation between illiteracy and grammar. In the late 1800s, about one in five people were illiterate. Today, nearly everyone can read and there are more writers than ever before. It stands to reason that with more people reading and writing, there will be more mistakes. In our world of instant messaging and text-speak, it’s no surprise that there is a (continuing) decline in proper grammar.

Yet those who care about maintaining the quality of language have not given up. At Kishwaukee College in Malta, Illinois special classes are being offered for ESL students. They understand that stronger English skills will help their graduates find employment. It is especially important for adults to work on their English because children learn from their parents. According to Teresa Fort of ehow.com, perfect writing will only follow perfect speech. If parents speak with proper grammar, naturally children will pick up on this and do it themselves. This speech will then translate into proper grammar in writing.

WhiteSmoke Inc. also believes in the importance of providing the tools to help people learn and improve their English. Aside from the WhiteSmoke Translator, designed to encourage perfect English when used alongside the WhiteSmoke 2011 Grammar-Checker, the WhiteSmoke website offers free English lessons and tips. The WhiteSmoke Translator is great for native English-speakers, as well as for people who speak English as a second language. 

Helping Immigrants Help Their Children

For students who speak English as a second language, it can be difficult to keep up in school. They have to work harder to understand the content of their classes and homework, and what’s even more problematic is that they can’t get help from their parents. Parents who are not fluent in English find it challenging that they are not able to assist their children with their schoolwork due to lack of understanding.

The plight of these parents and their children has not gone unnoticed at Rosa Parks Elementary School in Portland, OR. Oregonlive.com reported a new program started by the school to solve the issue of the struggling ESL students at the root. Instead of merely doing their best with the kids and hoping to reach them, Rosa Parks Elementary has started providing evening classes for the parents. The classes are free, and the school provides complimentary babysitting to make the classes more accessible. The goals of this program are twofold. First of all, it gets parents more involved in their children’s education. Second, it builds the tools they need in order to be able to help their children succeed. The families come from all over the world, and there has been marked improvement in the children’s learning since the program’s inception last March.

An additional way to improve English is to look into online translation tools. Software such as WhiteSmoke Translator can contribute to significant improvement in spoken and written language. Aside from increasing proficiency in English, using translators can improve one’s confidence.