This article proposes a model for integrating text-to-speech software (TTS) in students' interpreting training and practice. It shows the aims of the model, the definition of TTS, the advantages of using TTS, how to search for TTS, instructional stages with TTS, and the interpreting instructor's role. The students can use TTS software online;…

Describes how the outdated language lab at Houston Baptist University was renovated and updated. Discusses the university's language internship program which grew out of the renovation. (EKN)

A review of stages in the evolution of the language laboratory shows that its function has changed in the past 20 years. Originally it was described as a way of providing a means for abundant practice of audiolingual drills. Currently, it is described as a learning center with multiple resources and functions. It might be characterized as a…

The experience of the second language team at the "Centre de Langue Francaise" (CLF) at McGill University (Montreal) is reported. The emphasis placed on designing courses and laboratory experiences in response to student needs is reviewed from the late 1960's until the present. Some of the factors that were operative in curriculum change were the…

Recounts the decision-making processes involved in the acquisition (or renovation) of a language laboratory for a small college. Of critical importance was the determination of how the laboratory would best be utilized as well as how it would operate. These decisions determined the best choice of equipment. (SL)

The renovation of the Language Lab at the University of Notre Dame and the creation of the Language Resource Center are described. Challenges related to poor facility design and limited equipment are recounted, along with the role played by the university's director of foundation and corporate relations. (LB)

After a brief review of trends in language labs, the history of Wisconsin's Learning Support Services (LSS) lab, which grew into an independent department serving all foreign languages, is traced. Its evolution included the development of an extensive library, audio studio, video service, and special cataloging and outreach system. (11 references)…

Describes applications of speech processing equipment that can communicate clearly with students about the patterns of sound and can teach students to monitor their own progress in second language acquisition. Discusses equipment being used at West Chester University (Pennsylvania) for learning pronunciation and stress in several different…

The role of the language laboratory in current language teaching and learning is discussed. Four main aspects of audio technology and its relationship to language learning are covered: (1) the technological aspect: what a language lab is and what kinds of labs are available in Ireland; (2) the research aspect: what kind of research is being…

Baruch College's (New York) Speech Communication Laboratory provides both tutorial and classroom settings and audio, video, and computer-interactive materials to help its large population of non-native English language students improve their language skills. (Author/CB)

The language laboratory could make a larger impact than it does on undergraduate language study. The growth of attractive new technology makes even more important the careful evaluation and exploitation of existing technology. A major obstacle in doing this is the lack of careful and rigorous research about the effectiveness of the language…

The successful incorporation of computer-assisted language learning into the college-level foreign language curriculum is a much-needed improvement over language laboratories. Foreign language departments have developed software packages for the Macintosh microcomputer involving language pattern drills and language error-analysis. (CB)

Johnson County Community College, in Kansas, recently implemented a unique laboratory combining interactive video, computers, and peer tutors to support its speech communication, foreign language, and interpreter training departments. The facility is equipped with 15 interactive, video-based work stations, costing $3,930 each; four computer…

Teaching conversation will always pose a great challenge to the foreign language instructor. Even by the third year of language study, the typical time for this skill's development, students have neither the fluency nor the confidence necessary to speak easily. Also, since many are ill at ease in conversing in their native language, getting these…

The evolution of a 2-week summer honors program in French for high school students, inaugurated in 1980 and conducted on a university campus, is chronicled. The program was designed to offer enriching experiences in language review, new skill building, French culture, understanding of French phonology, and conversation on topics of interest to…