Presentations: What makes a good presentation?

In the next 6-7 weeks we will spend a lot of time working on your presentations, which will be your final exam! Presentations are used to share knowledge and ideas with other people.

Presentations are really composed of two parts: 1. Preparation and 2. Performance. A good presentation should have both of these.

Preparation includes research and understanding your topic well. It also includes organizing your ideas and your slides. Good preparation makes your presentation informative and interesting and it really helps your performance. When you know your topic well, it's easier to speak clearly and have confidence.

Performance is also important. We talked about some tips for good performance in class this week, including speaking loudly and clearly, looking at the audience, smiling and using hand gestures. We will take some time in class to work on performance over the following weeks. Below is the video we watched in class this week, in case you would like to watch it again!

What do you think are the most important tips for making a good presentation? Have you ever seen a great presentation? What was the topic? If you have seen a great presentation or speech online, please share a link in the comments!

See everyone soon!

"The Secret Garden" Yorkshire Dialect

In "The Secret Garden" several characters speak the Yorkshire dialect, a special variety of English. If you're curious what this dialect sounds like, here's a video!

What do you think about this dialect? Can you understand it? In Korea, are there different dialects and accents? What variety of Korean do you speak?

Why You Shouldn't Use an Internet Translator - Funny Examples from "Google Translate Sings!"

So, you might think that your teachers are exaggerating when they tell you not to use an internet translator to write your essay or help write your essay. Trust me, we're not. Sentences that have been through translators are nearly always obvious and wrong and strange. A singer named Malinda Kathleen Reese has started a project called Google Translate Sings! which shows what happens to language when it is translated by a computer instead of a human. http://www.fastcompany.com/3036603/the-recommender/what-american-pop-songs-sound-like-after-google-translate-butchers-them Here are some videos that show what happens to popular songs when they are translated. Real lyrics at the top, new translated lyrics at the bottom. First, "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" the crazy version!

Now a popular American song, "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus.

Finally, one of my favorite Disney songs which is really really really messed up by translation!!!!

So, trust us, guys, when we say - use your own words. A simple sentence that you have put together with your own knowledge will always be better than relying on internet translation! You can also, always, get help from a native English teacher who can help you find the best words to say what you mean! See you all soon!