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Education & Development
When words escape control: Tourette syndrome and slurs
After the BBC broadcast a racial slur shouted by a guest with Tourette syndrome, the incident sparked outrage and an apology. But it also reveals a deeper linguistic question: when words cause harm, how much does intent matter?
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level 1: introductory icon
Languages
Machine translation in language learning and teaching
In this free course, you will learn to implement freely available online machine translation tools (OMT) such as Google Translate or DeepL into your language learning or teaching. The course is aimed at learners and teachers of all languages and levels. It introduces the uses of AI in language learning and provides activities and examples of ...
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level 1: introductory icon
Education & Development
An introduction to artificial intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents great opportunity, but also significant disruption for modern societies and cultures. This free online short course investigates the historical, ethical and social issues surrounding this technology. It is aimed at people interested in understanding where this technology has come from, the kinds of ...
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Languages
Year of the Horse: Chinese Lunar New Year
Happy Chinese New Year of the Horse! As the Lunar New Year approaches once again, millions of people across the world prepare to welcome a new zodiac cycle with festive celebrations, family gatherings, and expressions of hope for the year ahead.
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level 1: introductory icon
Languages
Introduction to Spanish
Learn how to talk about your work and your working day. You will learn vocabulary for different professions, say what your job is, and how you go to work. This course is an extract from the L106 Introduction to Spanish Studies (beginners) course. Whether you are a complete beginner or have some knowledge of Spanish you could give it a go and ...
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level 1: introductory icon
Languages
Beginners’ Chinese: a taster course
Learn about Mandarin Chinese as a tool for communication and gain insights into Chinese society and culture. This free course, Beginners’ Chinese: a taster course, provides a brief introduction to the Chinese language, its scripts and sounds, and how words are formed. You will hear short conversations where people greet each other and introduce ...
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Languages
Italian for travel: Test your skills
Test your Italian language skills as you immerse yourself on an interactive journey through Italy.
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Languages
Write it right: seven common writing mistakes
Tutors told us about common writing mistakes which can impact the grades students receive for their Open University assignments.
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Languages
Advanced German: Fragen der Identität
Identity – your own and that of others – is the focus of this free course, Advanced German: Fragen der Identität. You will hear German speakers from different backgrounds talk about their regional and national identities, and you will consider what it is that makes us who we are. You will evaluate and summarise information from a variety of ...
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Languages
Spanish for travel: Test your skills
Test your Spanish language skills as you immerse yourself on an interactive journey through Spain.
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Education & Development
Bringing up problems at work (without making things worse)
Talking about problems at work can feel risky but it doesn’t have to be. This article explores how to raise issues constructively, using a simple framework that focuses on clarity, solutions and professionalism.
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Languages
Crime fiction
Explore the world of crime fiction with The Open University, a world leader in distance learning. Discover free courses, articles, video and audio resources, and interactive activities, free to study and available to start right away.