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A multlingual Merry Christmas and happy language learning in the New Year!
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Category: General
New Omniglot designs
You might have noticed recently that various different designs are being tested on Omniglot. The idea is to improve user experience on the site, and to increase my revenue from the site. While the latter certainly is true – my income from Google ads has been up 200-300% since the changes were started a few months ago, which means that my overall income has almost doubled – I’m not convinced of the former.
When you visit the site in different browsers and on different devices you’re likely to see different designs. You may even see different designs each time you visit in the same browser/device. I can see the old site in Chrome and Firefox on my laptop, but in IE, and on my Samsung tablet, I see new designs. You can see the old site by clicking on this link.
I have put a poll on the Omniglot Facebook group asking whether you prefer the new designs or the original site. Please let me know what you think, if you haven’t done so already.
If the majority are for the old site I will switch back to it.
Here are some examples of the new designs:
Homepage
Inner page
Homepage
Inner page
Here are the original designs:
Homepage
Inner page
Merry Christmas
Zalig kerstfeest / Nadolig Llawen / С Рождеством / Nollaig chridheil / Joyeux Noël / Nollick Ghennal / Frohe Weihnachten / Nollaig shona daoibh / A Blithe Yule and a Multilingual Merry Christmas to you.
My Dutch studies a sort of on hold this week, but will continue after New Year – I was planning to learn it just for one month, but will continue as I’m enjoying it and finding it fairly easy, a lot easier than Russian, anyway.
How’s your language learning going?
Droug gouzoug
Droug gouzoug am eus, ha ne c’hallan ket kanañ evit c’hoazh, met gallout a gomz c’hoazh. N’am eus ket kanañ d’ar kor skleroz strewek (SKLES) dec’h. Gwelet am eus ur film, Tasmant d’an Opera, e skol-veur dec’h da nos.
I have a sore throat, and can’t sing at the moment, but can still speak. I didn’t go to the MS choir yesterday. Last night I saw the film Phantom of the Opera at the university.
Argraffydd newydd
Ddoe roedd dim ond dau ohonon ni yn y sesiwn yma, ac mi wnaethon ni canu alawon o Ynys Manaw yn bennaf. Doedd dim ymarfer y côr cymuned oherwydd hanner tymor ydy’r wythnos ‘ma. Gyda’r nos mi wnes aros gartref ynhytrach na mynd i’r sesiwn yn y Skerries.
Heddiw mi ddaeth yr argraffydd newydd mi wnes i archebu Ddydd Mawrth. Rhyw wythnos yn ôl mi wnaeth fy hen argraffydd aros i weithio, ac ar ôl chwilio am ffordd i ei atgyweirio, mi wnes i sylweddoli bydd atgyweiriadau yn costio mwy na argraffydd newydd, felly mi wnes prynu un newydd. Mi wnes i prynu silffoedd newydd hefyd i roi’r ffeiliau sy’n gwasgu at ei gilydd ger fy nesg ar hyn o bryd. Dw i’n ymbalfalu i adeiladu nhw.
Yesterday there were only two of us at the session here, and we mainly played tunes from the Isle of Man. There wasn’t a community choir practise because this week is half-term. In the evening I stayed at home rather than going to the session in the Skerries.
Today the new printer I ordered on Tuesday arrived. A few weeks ago my old printer stopped working, and after searching for ways to fix it, I realised that it would cost more to fix it than to buy a new printer, so I bought a new one. I also bought some new shelves for the files that currently huddle together by my desk. I’m struggling to put them together.
Sgwrs amlieithog
Mi wnaeth aelod newydd yn dod i’r grŵp sgwrsio amlieithog ddoe – Almaenes sy’n astudio ecoleg amaethyddol ym Mhrifysgol Bangor. Cyn dod i Fangor mi wnaeth hi’n cysylltu â fi yn gofyn am le i aros dros dro wrth iddi hi chwilio am ystafell i rentu. Roedd gen cyfaill o’r grŵp sgwrsio Ffrangeg ystafell rydd, felly mi wnes i rhoi nhw mewn cysylltiad efo’n gilydd, ac mae’r Almaenes yn aros efo’r cyfaill ‘na bellach. Beth bynnag, mi wnaethon ni siarad yn Almaeneg a Saesneg, ac yn y Wyddeleg hefyd. Mae fy Almaeneg i wedi rhydu, ond dw i’n dal i fedru ei siarad yn eitha’ da. Ar ôl hyn mi wnes i i Global Café, ac mi wnes i siarad yn Mandarineg efo myfyrwyr o Tsieina, ac yn Saesneg efo myfyrwyr o Loegr a Singapore.
Mae tipyn o ddolur gwddw arna i ar hyn o bryd, felly bydda i ddim yn recordio’r testun ‘ma heddiw.
A new member came to the polyglot conversation group yesteray – a German lass who is studying agro-ecology in Bangor Uni. Before coming to Bangor she contacted me asking for a temporary place to stay while she looked for a room to rent. A friend of mine from the French conversation group had a spare room, so I put them in touch with each other, and the German lass is now staying with that friend. Anyway, we talked in German and English, and in Irish as well. My German is a bit rusty, but I can still speak it fairly well. After that I went to Global Café, and I talked in Mandarin with some students from China, and in English with students from England and Singapore.
I have a bit of a sort throat, so won’t be recording this text today.
Dydd tawel
Fel arfer mi wnes i gweithio yn y bore ddoe, ac mi wnes i canu cerddoriaeth yn y prynhawn. Mi es i i Morrisons am ginio oherwydd doedd dim digon o bethau i fwyta yn y tŷ, a phan ro’n i’n barod am ginio roedd hi’n dipyn rhy hwyr i fynd yr holl ffordd i Morrisons, i brynu pethau, i ddod yn ôl ac i eu coginio. Mi wnes i bwyta coesgyn efo pîn-afal, sglods a phys, ac roedd y coesgyn wedi ei orgoginio tipyn. Mi wnes i aros gartref neithiwr.
As usual I worked in the morning yesterday, and played music in the afternoon. I went to Morrisons for lunch as there weren’t enough things to eat in the house, and when I was ready for lunch it was a bit to late to go all the way to Morrisons, to buy things, to come back and to cook them. I had gammon with pineapple, chips and peas, and the gammon was a bit over-cooked. I stayed in last night.
Yn ôl ym Mangor
Mi wnes i gadael Leeds tua deg o’r gloch bore ddoe ac mi ddes i yn ôl i Fangor ar y trên trwy Manceinion a Crewe. Roedd rhaid i mi aros am fron awr yn Manceinion, ac yn ffodus ro’n i’n medru dod â cysylltiad wifi rhydd ac mi wnes i tipyn bach o waith. Mi wnes i cyrraedd ym Mangor tua dau o’r gloch ac roedd hi’n wyntog ac oer. Mi wnes i aros gatref neithiwr yn darllen ac yn gwylio rhagleni teledu ar y we.
I left Leeds at about 10am yesterday morning and came back to Bangor on the train via Manchester and Crewe. I had to wait for nearly an hour in Manchester, and fortunately I was able to find a free wifi connection and did a bit of work. I arrived in Bangor at about 2pm and it was windy and cold. I stayed in last night reading and watching TV programmes online.
Caneuon, dawns a bwyd
Bore ddoe mi wnes i tipyn bach o waith ar Omniglot – wi wnes i ateb e-byst yn bennaf, fel arfer. Tua hanner dydd mi es i i’r prifysgol i weld perfformiadau gan myfyrwyr presennol yr adran Astudiaethau Asia Dwyrain. Mi wnaethon nhw perfformio tipyn bach o opera Beijing yn Mandarineg a Saesneg, ac mi wnaethon nhw adrodd sonedau Shakespeare yn Saesneg a Thai, ac mi wnaeth ferch yn canu cân pop yn Siapaneg. Mi wnaeth athrawes Thai dawns Thai traddodiadol hefyd. Mi wnes i crwydro o gwmpas Leeds am sbel yn y prynhawn, a gyda’r nos roedd pryd o fwyd yn nhŷ bwyta Tsieineaidd efo cynfyfyrwyr ac athrawon. Ro’n i ar fwrdd efo cynfyfyrwyr o 1995. Roedd y bwyd yn flasu iawn, ac mi wnes i mwynhau’r noson yn fawr.
Yesterday morning I did a bit of work on Omniglot – I mainly answered emails, as usual. At about midday I went to the university to see performances by current students in the East Asian Studies department. They performed bits of Beijing opera in Mandarin and English, and they recited some of Shakespeare’s sonnets in English and Thai, and one lass sang a Japanese pop song. A Thai lecturer also did a traditional Thai dance. I had a wander around Leeds in the afternoon for a while, and in the evening there was a meal in a Chinese restaurant with alumni and staff. I was on a table with alumni from 1995. The food was delicious, and I really enjoyed the evening.
Leeds
Mi ddes i i Leeds ddoe i gymryd rhan mewn dathliad hanner can mlynedd o Astudiaethau Tsieinëeg a Dwyrain Asia ym Mhrifysgol Leeds. Mi wnes raddio o Brifysgol Leeds â gradd mewn Tsieinëeg a Siapaneg ugain mlynedd yn ôl, a dyma dim ond yr ail tro i mi mynd yn ôl i Leeds ers hynny.
Mae’r dinas a’r prifysgol yn dal i adnabyddadwy, ond mae cryn dipyn o newidiadau yma, yn cynnwys llawer o adeiladau newydd, a llawer o hen adeiladau wedi cael eu adnewyddu a dacluso, yn arbennig ar lannau’r afon, lle dw i’n aros mewn gwesty Holiday Inn.
Mi wnes i gadael Bangor bore ddoe tua deg o’r gloch, ac mi es i ar y trên i Leeds trwy Cyffordd Llandudo a Manceinion. Ro’n i’n yng nghanol grŵp o bobl o’r Almaen ar y trên i Manceinion, ac mi wnes i clustfeinio ar eu sgyrsiau wrth i mi darllen llyfr. Mi wnes deall bron popeth, pan ro’n i’n canolbwyntio arnynt.
Ar ôl i mi cyrraedd yn Leeds, mi es i i’r gwesty, ac yna mi wnes crwydro o gwmpas y dinas a champus y prifysgol am sbel. Yna mi es i dderbyniad ar gyfer myfyrwyr, athrawon, cynfyfyrwyr a chyn-athrawon yr Adran Astudiaethau Dwyrain Asia. Roedd dau cynfyfyrwr o’r un flwyddyn â fi, ac un cyn-chydweithwraig o Taiwan y ddaeth i Leeds dwy flynedd ar ôl fi. Roedd areithiau, a sgwrs, a bwyd a diod, ac mi wnes i cwrdd â phobl o bob math, yn cynnwys hogan sy’n gwneud doethuriaeth ym Mangor, ond sy’n byw yn Llundain.
Ar ôl y derbyniad mi es i i dafarn yn undeb y myfyrwyr efo rhwy bobl eraill, ac yna i dafarn arall ger y gyfnewidfa ŷd. Mi es i yn ôl i’r gwesty tua hanner wedi un-ar-ddeg.
I came to Leeds yesterday to take part in a celebration of 50 years of Chinese and East Asia Studies at Leeds University. I graduated from Leeds Uni with a degree in Chinese and Japanese 20 years ago, and this is only the second time I’ve been back since then.
The city is still recognizable, but there are quite a few changes here, including many new buildings, and many old buildings that have been renovated and done up, especially along the river, where I’m staying in a Holiday Inn.
I left Bangor yesterday morning at about 10am and went by train to Leeds via Llandudno Junction and Manchester. I was surrounded by a group of Germans on the train to Manchester, and I eavesdropped on their conversations while I was reading a book. I understood almost everything, when I concentrated on them.
After arriving in Leeds I went to the hotel, then wandered about the city and the university campus for a bit. Then I went to a reception for current and former students and staff of the Department of East Asia Studies. There were two former students from the same year as me, and a former colleague from Taiwan who come to Leeds two years after me. There were speeches, and chat, and food and drink, and I meet all sorts of people, including a lass who’s doing a PhD in Bangor but who lives in London.
After the reception I went to a bar in the student union with a few other people, and then to a pub near the corn exchange. I went back to the hotel at about half eleven.