Have you heard of Wikis? Maybe you have heard of wikipedia? It is this online encyclopedia that is being edited by people all over the world. In fact, you can go right there, right now and contribute. You can create new articles, edit existing ones… you don’t even have to log in.. (at least the last time I checked you didn’t)

Anyway, the software behind that marvel is MediaWiki. And it is freely available, just like WordPress (which you are looking at right now!)… Anyway, I have setup a Wiki for the ISpeakHindi site.

We can make this a good resource about Hindi and Hindi learning. But we can also use it to create the scripts and ideas behind our daily podcast.

Several pages you need to check out. The main page: http://www.ispeakhindi.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

Then I have created ones for sessions, both present and future. And ideas for sessions that haven’t been written yet. You can see that here:

http://www.ispeakhindi.com/wiki/index.php?title=ISpeakHindi_Sessions

Also, I have a list of all the December 2007 episodes on one page:

http://www.ispeakhindi.com/wiki/index.php?title=December_2007_Podcasts

And I have the episodes that are still coming up for the month here:

http://www.ispeakhindi.com/wiki/index.php?title=December_2007_Upcoming_Podcasts

Now how can you help? Glad you asked

Probably the most important thing is to improve the quality of the daily podcasts. I think having well thought out and rehearsed scripts would be the best way to do that. So, please click on one of the upcoming episodes and help me create some compelling dialog:

http://www.ispeakhindi.com/wiki/index.php?title=December_2007_Upcoming_Podcasts

Ok, looking for something a little less mind intensive?

Well, a lot of people have emailed me saying that we need an easier way to get to past episodes. (Apparently people don’t like click the “previous” link a million times… I don’t like it either…)

Well, I have created a page for all the December 2007 episodes:

http://www.ispeakhindi.com/wiki/index.php?title=December_2007_Podcasts

Can you be a dear and create a similar page for the other months?

http://www.ispeakhindi.com/wiki/index.php?title=ISpeakHindi_Sessions

Ok.. so, that doesn’t suit you either? hummm. How about add some ideas for future sessions to the bottom of this page:

http://www.ispeakhindi.com/wiki/index.php?title=ISpeakHindi_Sessions

Ok, well, I hope that you all will help me out here. We can really get a good thing going.

However, remember that anyone, and I mean ANYONE, can edit these pages. that means we are going to have people posting spam, and other craziness. So, when you see this, look at the history tab, and roll back to a better version.. Or just delete the bad stuff. This is one thing that I am really concerned about. and if you have experience on how to fight it, just let me know.

 

 Standard Podcast [6:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today’s ISpeakHindi podcast focuses on building vocabulary related to toys, games and musical instruments including the Hindi words for running, swimming, swing, tambourine, trombone, and trumpet. We also point out that the Hindi and English words are the same for roller boots, roundabout, rounders, seesaw, skipping-rope, slide, table tennis, tennis, violin, and xylophone. This is out of the book “A First Bilingual Dictionary” on pages 74-75.

Toys, Games and Muscial Instruments - खिलोने खेलें तथा संगीत साज़
Roller boots-रोलर बूटस
Roundabout-राऊंड अबाऊट
Rounders-राऊडंर्ज़
Running-दोड़ना
Seesaw-सीसॉ
Skipping-rope-स्किोपिंग रोप
Slide-स्लाईड
Swimming-तैरना
Swing-पींग
Table tennis-टेबल टैनिस
Tambourine-डफ़ली
Tennis-टैनिस
Trombone-तुरहा
Trumpet-तुरही
Violin-वॉयलिन
Xylophone-ज़ाईलोफ़ोन

(The book A First Bilingual Dictionary: English / Hindi (First Bilingual Dictionaries) is currently out of print. However, you can sometimes find used copies on Amazon.)

Click the play button below to hear the podcast. After you listen to the podcast, please rate it by click the stars below. Also, if there is something that you really liked about the podcast or something you thought that should have been done different, then leave us a comment.

Also, you can look and contribute to the Wiki page for this episode. You can find it here. And if you want to look at the wiki pages for the other episodes, upcoming episodes, or contribute to the ideas for episodes, then look here.