How to use Wakan...

[Batucada]

こんにちは みなさん,
Can someone please explain to me what the Wakan program is all about, and how to use it to its full potential? (Explain it to me as if I am a 5 year old) I feel like an idiot.
Thanks,
B.

[sushi4ever]

you download the program.
install.
you download the dictionary files.
install.

use.

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the best thing would be to download the complete package and install that.

usage is pretty easy as well, you click which dictionary mode you want (english-japanese or japanese-english), type the word and a selection of words will show up.

easy as that.

_________________________

it's just a dictionary software.
but since you can load it with more databases (like example sentences and such) it's a great supplement to your learning routine.

i use it myself and i'm very happy with it ^^


oh, btw, you can also look up kanji with it, VERY nifty if you ask me

[Batucada]

Thank you,

I was wondering if there are other dictionary files on the internet that people use with Wakan, for instance files on Jim breen’s page etc... The whole concept is boggling my mind at the moment but I’m sure everything will fall into place very soon.

Thanks again,
B.

[richvh]

The Japanese-English dictionary file that Wakan uses is Jim Breen's edict. Of course, it's a fairly old copy... and indexing a more recent copy and installing it isn't all that easy.

[Harisenbon]

Although it is not freeware (although they do have a free demo available) I highly recommend Stackz as a flashcard program.

However, the guy working on it hasn't been updating for almost a year now, so I don't know how it will fair in the future, but the current stable version release is really good, and they even have a pocket PC version for when you're on the road.

[Batucada]

Thanks everyone; you are very kind.
Take care,
B.

[sugarlevi]

Although it is not freeware (although they do have a free demo available) I highly recommend Stackz as a flashcard program.

However, the guy working on it hasn't been updating for almost a year now, so I don't know how it will fair in the future, but the current stable version release is really good, and they even have a pocket PC version for when you're on the road.

Why would you choose Stackz over an excellent tool like Anko?

[Harisenbon]

Why would you choose Stackz over an excellent tool like Anko?

For one reason, a flashcard program named Anko doesn't show up on google when you search for it.

[sushi4ever]

Why would you choose Stackz over an excellent tool like Anko?

For one reason, a flashcard program named Anko doesn't show up on google when you search for it.

i think he meant Anki

[Harisenbon]

Ahh, I have used Anki, but was not very impressed.

Also, no Pocket-PC support.
Pocket-PC support is really the deal breaker for me, as these flashcards are supposed to replace my 単語カード packs, not require me to lug around a PC.

[Feba]

I don't think Anki is really what someone who wants a flash card program would be looking for -- flash cards are usually used for drilling, whereas anki is more inclined towards remembering things you've already drilled. Harisenbon, it DOES have an online mode, which you can use to access it on a phone or another computer. Of course that would depend on your Pocket PC having internet access; or you being willing to use a phone instead of your pocket PC (not a big deal for me, but some people might dislike it). I wonder if it would work on something like the Nokia N800. Either way, you're likely not looking to replace your hardware.

Anki is a great program, but if you're looking for a flash card program it's not really a good choice.

[sugarlevi]

She indeed meant anki, and makes a lot of typos.

There is a version for palm pc's see-> http://www.anki.com/

I don't see why Anki would only be useful for remembering, I use it to learn new vocab as well. I'd go crazy if I had to go over the same cards over and over again, when I still used physical flash cards instead of the virtual I wouldn't go over my pack two times in a row a day anyway. Anki gives me the variation I need. Though it still drives me crazy with the hard to remember vocubulaire which gets repeated over and over again as long as I tell it that I don't know the card.

But there are a lot of ways te learn, and I'm not surprised someone else prefers a different method.

[Feba]

She indeed meant anki, and makes a lot of typos.

There is a version for palm pc's see-> http://www.anki.com/

I don't see why Anki would only be useful for remembering, I use it to learn new vocab as well. I'd go crazy if I had to go over the same cards over and over again, when I still used physical flash cards instead of the virtual I wouldn't go over my pack two times in a row a day anyway. Anki gives me the variation I need. Though it still drives me crazy with the hard to remember vocubulaire which gets repeated over and over again as long as I tell it that I don't know the card.

But there are a lot of ways te learn, and I'm not surprised someone else prefers a different method.

I'm pretty sure that those only have the name in common. I've never seen anything to suggest they're related in any way.

And it's mainly useful for remembering rather than learning because that's what it's DESIGNED for. Anki is what's called an SRS; it's a way of using flash cards to remember things over long periods of time, instead of drilling them all into your head at once. Anki (and most any flash card program, really, but especially anki) works best when you have already learned something with some context, and you need to keep it in your memory. It's not really meant to be or is very good at picking up new vocab and such.

[Sairana]

Eh. The theory behind spaced repetition is that it can and SHOULD be used to learn new material.

You can probably find some convincing essays about it if you search the internet. The first program that I know of to use SRS is actually Pimsleur's language lessons -- although they didn't have a name for it. Pimsleur's claimed you needed to listen to one lesson at the same time every day, because it introduces and repeats information at carefully calculated intervals throughout the program. Miss a lesson, and you throw his whole system out of whack.

SRS programs like Anki work the same way, only to a rather obsessive level, IMHO.

I can see how if you are using Anki strictly for vocabulary, it could be difficult even with spaced repetition to cement it into your head. But what I have inferred from various Anki users around the internet, they don't just put in vocab. They input entire sentences, too. If you're familiar with the All Japanese, All the Time (AJATT) method, it's extremely common for people to combine the two.

Now, keeping in mind I am simply theorycrafting here. I have not tried Anki, but the ideas behind it are sound. I did Pimsleur for a while, and although I left it behind because I found it dull, I can't deny that it was extremely effective.

[sugarlevi]

The theory behind spaced repitition is based on the way we learn.
you see something, you make a connection, but the connection is still faint
So you see it again, make the connecton, and reinfore the connection in you brain.
The connection gets stronger and stronger, en fades less quickly so you can start reinforcing it less often.