MSI Press Blog

  Most sighted people learn languages with the help of textbooks, flashcards, written exercises, and visual cues. This often leads to an interesting question: How do blind people learn languages? The answer may be surprising. In many ways, blind individuals learn languages much like everyone else does: through listening, speaking, practice, and immersion. In fact, because spoken language is fundamentally auditory, blind learners often develop remarkable strengths in language acquisition. Language Begins with Sound Long before children learn to read, they learn language by listening. Babies acquire their first language through hearing words, recognizing patterns, and interacting with people around them. Blind children follow the same process. Because language is primarily spoken before it is written, blindness does not prevent someone from learning vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, or conversation skills. Many blind individuals become highly skilled communicators through attentive...

    Today's excerpt comes from Communicative Focus  by Boris Shekhtman and Dina Kupchanka -  Communication between Native Speakers and Non-native Speakers and the Essence of Speech We are interested in communication between native and non-native speakers for one very important reason: this is the kind of communication for which all teachers are essentially preparing students. Regardless of the level of our students, whether they are beginners or already near-native speakers, if they want to use their second language, they nolens-volens enter this type of communication. We need to help them to participate in this communication with dignity and power and to close the gap between their language skills and those of native speakers. In order for us to prepare our students in this way, we must be knowledgeable about the specific nuances of verbal communication between native and non-native speakers.     The most obvious difference between the language perfor...

  One of the most persistent myths about language learning is that it is a young person's game. We hear that children absorb languages effortlessly and that adults, especially older adults, are somehow "past their prime" when it comes to learning a new language. Yet the reality is far more encouraging. People over 60 learn languages every day. Some learn to communicate with grandchildren living abroad. Others prepare for travel, retirement overseas, volunteer work, or simply the pleasure of engaging with another culture. While they may not learn in exactly the same way as children, they bring unique strengths to the process that younger learners often lack. Older Learners Bring a Lifetime of Knowledge A 65-year-old language learner does not start from zero. They bring decades of life experience, educational knowledge, problem-solving skills, and understanding of how learning works. They already know how language functions. They understand grammar concepts, storytelling, p...

  Military language learners train for mission readiness, not academic mastery. Their programs—especially under the U.S. Department of Defense’s Language, Regional Expertise, and Culture (LREC) framework—are designed for operational fluency, cultural intelligence, and rapid deployment. They don’t necessarily learn better than university students, but they learn faster, harder, and with higher stakes. 🎖️ Why military students learn differently Military language learning is shaped by discipline, urgency, and mission context. 1. Operational necessity Language learning supports: intelligence collection, coalition building, humanitarian operations, and cultural engagement. Mistakes can have strategic consequences, so training emphasizes accuracy under pressure . 2. Immersive intensity Programs like the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) in Monterey, California, run: 6–8 hours/day of instruction, 5–7 days/week, for 6–18 months depending on language difficulty...