Link: Google Language Immersion Extension for Google Chrome.
Quick overview: An amazing tool for FSL students (or students learning any other language) that are already somewhat fluent in English. The Google Chrome extension only translates certain key phrases on a webpage so that the translated passages are interspersed next to words the student is already familiar with in English. Want to see an example? Please see the official Google Chrome Language Immersion promo video.
How can this be used in the classroom: Instead of simply translating an entire webpage from one language to another, this Google Chrome extension allows the student to choose how comfortable they are in the language they are learning, and in-turn, the extension will only translate certain passages of the original webpage. Even if the student is not familiar with a new word or a phrase, it’s possible for them to deduce the correct meaning as the passage will be surrounded by English words the student is already familiar with. As your student becomes more confident, they can control the difficulty (i.e. – amount translated) by adjusting a slider. Simple, yet brilliant! (Source: Understanding & Using Web 2.0 Tools to Create Personal Learning Networks @ ISTE 2012, San Diego)
Technical stuff: Requires Google Chrome. If you’d like to know more about Chrome Extensions before installing them in your web browser, please follow this link.
