Language Acquisition Tools

Language acquisition is largely a matter of getting your hands dirty with the language. It's manual labor (but fun). A good laborer needs a good set of tools. Listed below are some that I have found particularly useful. I'll keep this page updated as find new things and feel free to suggest your own in the comments:

Operating System interface in Japanese.

TimeSnapper: Auto screen capture software to review my day's work and keep me honest. (credit: AJATT)

MP3 Player: My current player is a Sansa Fuze. Simple, functional, and lots of storage. MSC storage mode is a must have.

FM Transmitter: If you spend a lot of time in the car then you will want to play your audio while you drive (note: your concentration is diminished when you drive so keep that in mind). If your car stereo has no auxiliary input jacks or tape deck then perhaps the best way to hook in is via FM radio waves: Google Search NewEgg 価格

CoolTimer: Timer software for timeboxing or otherwise stay on task for a fixed length of time (inspiration: AJATT).

SUPER: useful for converting audio and video to and from many different formats.

JLookup: Offline dictionary. I like how it is easy to break up a compound word into information about each component kanji.

Good Headphones: Comfortable and pleasant sounding headphones are essential. I'm currently using JVC but I make no claims to any one brand being superior to another. Check NewEgg and 価格 for what is currently popular. Always try before you buy (if you can).

Syncback: Keep a USB drive/stick in sync with other computers. I move a lot of data in between my laptop and main PC every day. This automates the whole process. Note, if you have unfettered Internet access at work a more convenient option might be something like Dropbox.

Anki: If (that's if) you are believer in SRS or flash cards, Anki is a nice choice.

Klite Codec Pack: You need input, which means you need media files, which means you need the software to play them… this hasn't failed me yet :)

Wakan: Another offline dictionary program, but I primarily use it for kanji lookup only (more flexible than JLookup's kanji search functions).

Winamp: For playing sounds files, I have been using Winamp for years. Its simplicity and light weight have always appealed to me.

DVDFab: Copy audio and other elements off your DVDs.

Mp3splt: Split up a single mp3 file into multiple.

SmileDownloader: For saving NicoNico videos.

YouTubeDownloader: Useful for grabbing copies of YouTube videos.

MP3Gain: This tool can help you correct volume problems with MP3 files.

Bookmark Menu: Chrome extension for displaying select bookmarks next to the wrench icon. I hide the bookmark bar to keep the screen clean but I still want quick access to certain lookup bookmarks. This makes it easy.

Context Menu (right click) Bookmark Menu: Another chrome extension, this one adds your bookmark menu to the context menu. Very convenient for access to bookmarklets. One drawback, ss of 2011-11-19 it doesn't allow you to filter the bookmarks.

Video conversion primer:
http://blog.superuser.com/2011/11/07/video-conversion-done-right-codecs-and-software