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

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.

Visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo!

Get WhiteSmoke's latest software now! CLICK HERE

KAPN6NA9HE38

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. 

Grammatically correct, handwritten thank-you notes can help jobseekers and business professionals

Writing a handwritten thank-you note after an interview may seem like old-fashioned etiquette to some modern jobseekers. However, a neat, well-written letter may help jobseekers impress their interviewers.
Such notes help people both stay connected and be remembered, according to the Boston Globe. John Kralik, the author of 365 Thank Yous, found that many deeply appreciate receiving handwritten letters of appreciation.
The Globe notes that the daily use of electronic media makes for a more transient type of communication. Our interpersonal written exchanges are increasingly brusque and informal. Some individuals may feel an an emailed "Thank You" will suffice after an interview.
Taking the time to hand write a note, however, will help an applicant stand out from the crowd. Emails do not have the permanence of a handwritten letter, which can evoke the writer's presence, the newspaper notes. Notes are also not as easily "deleted" and may prove more memorable.
The trend of increased use of abbreviations and acronyms in English communication is of interest to many linguists, according to a recent report from The Associated Press. However, one should make sure such shorthand does not infiltrate one's letters. Running a grammar and spelling check on one's text will make for clean, thoughtful thank-you notes.  

Get WhiteSmoke 2011!