Whenever I use the Vocabulary page to look up German words I LingQ’d in the past, I struggle with German letters like [ ü ä ö ß ]. To input them in the search field means to open Windows’ virtual keyboard, switch its language to German, click the desired character with the mouse (not very ergonomical…), and then switch the keyboard language back to italian when I’m done, otherwise I inadvertently type different letters. The spanish website Audiria.com has actually developed a very clever way to overcome this problem: just put Spanish special characters below the search field. Here is a snapshot:
I think it is even possible to format the letters in such a way that when you click on them, they are instantly added to the text string in the search field. This is a very simple update, it would not take more than 10 minutes to implement, but is extremely helpful!
Good suggestion, but we’ll have to give it some thought.
Since we support so many languages, it may be troublesome for certain languages (such as Polish, which contains a lot of diacratics). Also, for the time being at least we want to avoid any virtual keyboards since it can be quite time consuming.
I have installed a German keyboard layout onto my computer. I now have a choice as to whether I am typing on a USA keyboard or German. The choice is available in the taskbar area so you can switch back and forth as needed with just one click. Works great for me.
I have found a somewhat makeshift solution: I just stuck little square pieces of tape, each with a special character written on it, on the keys of my Italian-layout keyboard. Now it’s only a matter of switching Windows’ keyboard language to German when needed. Writing in German has never been easier :).
Had you considered studying at a German or Austrian university instead? You’d have to spend a year attending their ‘Deutsch als Fremdsprache’ courses first, but after that you’d be able to slot into the regular courses. (And at the end of it all, you’d speak German better than some native speakers!)
My high school philosophy teacher (he is fluent in German) also suggested to me to study in Germany. I gave it much thought, and he helped me decipher the information on the internet (a bit complicated), but finally I decided to study here, after having considered lots of factors. That doesn’t mean I’m going to remain in Italy anyway. This is one of the reasons I chose German. Germany is Italy’s biggest trade partner, both in import and export, and knowing German (I guess 5 years of LingQ are enough!) may help greatly.
Yes, I could, and most probably will do 1 or 2 semesters abroad through an Erasmus Exchange program. There are other exchange programs too, both in and out of Europe.
