How Will Machine Translators Change Language Learning?

  Some machines can take something written in one language and give users the same or similar wording in another language. These machines are designed to do this kind of work quickly and without mistakes. Some of the devices are so small they can be carried around the world. The quality of translation software programs has greatly improved in recent years, thanks to new, fast-developing technologies. This has led many people to start using machine translators. Some depend on the technology for day-to-day activities, while others use it in their job. But how will this affect language learning across the world? Will fewer people decide to take traditional language classes? Will human language teachers no longer be needed? One of the most widely used machine translation services is Google Translate. Google says the service completes billions of translation requests, involving 103 languages, each year. Google Translate can translate whole websites, text messages and information inside programs on smartphones. It also can translate speech spoken into a device. Sundar Pichai is Google’s Chief Executive Officer. He told a recent launch event that the company has made important progress with machine translation in the past few years. Pichai said Google had earlier used a system that translated on what he called a phrase-by-phrase level. This system created speech that could usually be understood, but did not sound natural. Pichai said Google is now excited to be moving onto a new model -- one that provides better results. “Just recently we announced our first end-to-end self-learning deep learning machine translation systems. Rather than working at a phrase level, they take entire sentences and model sentences outputs.” The new system is known as neural machine translation. It uses large amounts of computer information to learn over time how to produce translations that sound more like real human language. Pichai said Google’s own research has shown progress in this area. He added that the company’s neural machine translation system is even “approaching human-level translation.” Google is developing the translation method along with other products using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Other companies and organizations are also studying neural machine translation. It is closely related to a machine learning method known as deep learning. Deep learning involves putting large amounts of data into a computer for processing. The computer then uses an algorithm to learn how to recognize and organize different objects, including words and sentences.     Philipp Koehn teaches at Johns Hopkins University in the American state of Maryland. He has studied machine translation for many years. He says all methods work in a similar way. Over time, the software program learns to translate from billions of language examples. Koehn agrees that the quality of machine translation has improved a lot. But he says machines still have a long way to go to catch up with humans.  “I would be very cautious about any claims about near human-level quality. There are just too many problems. Ultimately, to solve the machine translation problem, you have to solve all the problems in AI and understanding, and we are not close to that by any means.” Koehn helped to create an open source machine translation system called Moses. Facebook, Amazon and other big companies now use this service. He is also working on neural machine translation methods. Koehn says people can now expect fast translation of websites, texts and social media messages. But he does not think the wide availability and future improvements in software will lead people to stop studying languages. He gives the example of Europe – where borders are open and people travel often, but speak different languages.  “Things like automated translation – which makes it possible that everything gets translated into your native language – actually helps in preserving the diversity of languages.” Marty Abbott agrees. She is the executive director of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Abbott says teachers can act as a bridge for students to learn about new cultures – something technology cannot provide. “And it’s that connection when you develop an insight into not just the culture where they speak the language that you're learning, but also insight into your own culture, and your own perspectives on the world.” Abbott says many young people want to try to learn one or more foreign languages to connect with people around the world. Some might start out using Google Translate, but then decide they want to expand their learning and knowledge in the classroom.  She added that technologies like machine translation are giving teachers many more tools to assist in teaching languages. “I think teachers are even using Google Translate with their students to have them analyze why they are accurate or inaccurate. So it really can be a useful tool for teachers in the classroom.” She added that some of these tools can be used by students to improve their own learning in larger classes. But she said nothing will be able to replace the help and guidance provided by human teachers. Koehn says machines will just keep getting better at translating in many different languages. They will also be able to communicate and react to other requests. But he added that getting the machines to think on their own in truly human-like ways is still a long way off. “To have a machine being as smart as a human and holding up a conversation - where you actually have a meaningful counterpart - that’s still pretty science fiction at the moment.” I’m Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn reported this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. What are your experiences with Google Translate and other machine translation services? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   approaching – v. moving in a path leading to a place or thing artificial intelligence – n. the development of computers to perform intelligence-related tasks without human involvement algorithm – n. a set of steps that are followed in order to solve a mathematical problem or to complete a computer process cautious – adj. taking steps to avoid rise or danger preserve – v. to keep or same something diversity – adj. reflecting different people and things insight – n. a ability to understand something perspective – n. the way a person thinks about something counterpart – n. someone or something that has the same job or purpose as another  

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History of Slavery in France's Wine Capital

  The southwestern French city of Bordeaux is a center of the wine trade. But hundreds of years ago, it was the second-largest slave-trading port in France. From the 17th to the 19th century, the city sent hundreds of ships carrying 130,000 slaves to America. The ships returned to Bordeaux with cotton, tobacco, sugar and rum, helping the city and its merchants grow rich. Some former slave-trading cities have remembered that history with large public memorials. There is no such memorial in Bordeaux. Karfa Diallo wants to change that. He immigrated to France from Dakar, Senegal, 20 years ago. Goree Island, near Dakar, was the place many slaves left Africa for the Americas. Diallo is the director of the Memory and Sharing Association, which tells about Bordeaux’s slave-trading past. He believes the city has not yet dealt with its history or admitted the benefits it received from slavery. He said after studying the city’s history he realized it, in his words, “enriched itself on the blood and sweat of my ancestors and did nothing to remember this.” His group offers travelers a two-hour trip through areas in the city where slave-trading activities took place. “The image of wine is very hard to reconcile with the image of slavery. That is why the town was very late in giving history the place it merited in public spaces and schools.” He explains that more than 12 city streets in Bordeaux are named after well-known slave traders. Diallo had asked the city to consider renaming those streets. But now, he is asking officials to place signs near the streets explaining the history of their names. Even people who live in the city do not know much about its role in the slave trade. The city government has created a group to study Bordeaux’s slave-trading history. It has asked people who live in the city what they believe the government should do to remember the city’s history. Marik Fetouh is the deputy mayor of Bordeaux. He says the city’s efforts need to be done, in his words, “intelligently, without accusations.” Diallo agrees. He says his tours are not about “shaming” people. Instead, he aims to tell the story of the city’s past in a way that is “measured and thought out.” I’m Caty Weaver.  Correspondent Lisa Bryant reported this story from Bordeaux. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   image – n. the idea that people have about someone or something reconcile – v. to accept together; to compare with merit – v. to deserve shame – v. to cause (someone) to feel ashamed or disgraced measured – adj. done with thought and care  

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Difficult Year Ahead for US Military in the Pacific

  Military experts believe 2017 will be a difficult year for the American military in the Pacific area. They note that China has become more aggressive in the area and that countries like the Philippines and North Korea are also a threat. Michael O’Hanlon studies military issues at the Brookings Institution, a research group. “North Korea, President Obama has just said to Mr. Trump, that this is in fact perhaps the sort of least-appreciated danger out there.” Experts say North Korea is building up to six nuclear weapons each year. A senior U.S. military official says North Korea now has the ability to launch these weapons, although the warheads may not yet be able to hit a set target. The Philippines has been an ally of the United States for many years. But Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has sought to limit ties with the U.S. since taking office earlier this year. U.S. Navy and Marine officials have told VOA they will not take part in joint defense training exercises with the Philippine military. They will only train for disaster relief. U.S. Army Lieutenant General Stephen Lanza says the Army may also change its planned training with the Philippine military next year -- from combat preparation to humanitarian assistance. “We’re still working with the Philippines right now. We may have to make some adjustments based on operations in the Philippines, and we’re prepared to do that.” The U.S. still has a large military presence in the Pacific. The Navy has four aircraft carriers in the area. The Army is taking part in military exercises with South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and, for the first time, Cambodia. Lanza says Vietnam has also asked to take part in the exercises. “You want to be there to deter. You want to be there to avoid conflict and, really, to avoid miscalculation. And I know our partners appreciate the fact that we are engaged with them in the Pacific.” Lanza says the militaries of many countries should work together to prepare for difficult times. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   VOA Pentagon Correspondent Carla Babb reported this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted her report for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   relief – n. things (such as food, money, or medicine) that are given to help people who are victims of a war, earthquake, flood, etc. adjustment – n. a small change that improves something or makes it work better deter – v. to cause (someone) to decide not to do something miscalculation – n. to make an error in judging a situation engage with – phrasal verb to give serious attention to (someone or something)

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Everyday Grammar: Used To

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Review of Lessons 35 - 39

How was 2016? English learners who are using Let's Learn English enjoy writing to tell us about their lives. At this time of year, we are looking back on the year and thinking about what we learned and what we want to do in the coming year. Do you want to practice your writing in English? Write a note telling us about your year. Were there any big changes in your life? What did you learn? How did you learn it? What is your goal for 2017? We really want to get to know you better. You can write in the comments section below this article or send us an email using this link.  Review Quiz In this quiz, you can test your listening skills and review the last five lessons. Watch a short video and answer each question.​ Lesson Review Did you miss a lesson? Look back and see if you remember these grammar points and topics. Lesson 35 Let’s Make Dinner! Grammar focus: Partitives (measure words); Count/Non-count Nouns (review) Topics: Giving reasons for concern Learning Strategy: Cooperate Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Reduced “of” before consonants and vowels (in partitives) Lesson 36: I Can Fix This! Grammar focus: Prepositions of location Topics: Asking the location of items; Names of locations in the kitchen Learning Strategy: Substitute Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Intonation patterns of compound nouns Lesson 37: Let's Agree to Disagree Grammar focus: Possessive Pronouns (mine, ours, their, theirs, her/hers, his/his) Topics: Exchanging Opinions; Agreement & disagreement; Comparing things, places, & people Learning Strategy: Personalize Speaking & Pronunciation Focus:  Giving a reason for your opinion; Pronouncing possessive pronouns Lesson 38: She's My Best Friend! Grammar focus: Superlative Adjectives Topics: Describing people, places, & things; Reporting details; Identifying positive & negative personal qualities Learning Strategy: Evaluating Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Stressing superlative adjectives Lesson 39: It’s Unbelievable! Grammar focus: Adjectives with negative prefixes (in-, un-, dis-, im-) Topics: Shopping online, Interpreting factual statements; Critical thinking about advertisements Learning Strategy: Ask questions to clarify or get more information Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Using negative prefixes with adjectives; Pronouncing "comfortable" and "uncomfortable." Holiday Songs Want to sing carols or just practice singing in English? Here's a cute video you can sing along with. And here's another especially for kids: Now it's your turn. How are you using Let's Learn English? Tell us about where you live and how often you do these lessons.  Send us an email or write to us in the Comments section below or on our Facebook page to let us know what you think of these lessons.

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Mystery at The Ice Castle Inn: Part 1

English in a Minute: Slip One's Mind

What happens when something slips your mind? Watch this week's English in a Minute to learn how to use this expression.

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Planting Chickpeas and Lentils Can Improve Soil

  Planting more lentils, chickpeas or other crops known as pulses will improve the health of the world’s soils. That information comes from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The health of soils around the world have reached critical levels, according to the U.N. agency. It says that means hunger and poverty levels could worsen. About a third of the world’s soils are damaged because of erosion, pollution, cities expanding and other issues. This is up from the early 1990s, when the damage soil estimate was between 16 and 24 percent, said Ronald Vargas, who helped prepare the FAO report. Growing cities, growing food needs Growing cities and populations mean an increasing need for more food. The pressure on the remaining land is growing. "If our soil is not healthy enough, we will have serious issues," Vargas told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. He said it will take 15 years or more and a large amount of investment to build up the soil. Lentils, chickpeas, dried beans and other pulse crops are part of the legume family. They can grow almost anywhere. Pulses take nitrogen from the atmosphere and leave it in the soil. Nitrogen helps plants to grow. Cereals grown after pulses provided 1.5 tons more per hectare than other crops. The FAO report said that is almost the same as adding 100 kilos of nitrogen fertilizer to the soil. A "unique relationship" Soils and pulses have a “unique” relationship, said FAO’s director-general, Jose Graziano da Silva. In a statement, he said they protect the environment, increase productivity, and contribute to adapting to climate change. They also provide important nutrients for the soil and crops planted after them. The main damage to soil comes from erosion — the break down and loss of the topsoil by wind, rain and repeated use of machinery. The FAO report said the world is now losing soil 10 to 20 times faster than it is replacing it. Nature takes between 100 and 1,000 years to produce 1 centimeter of soil. Unless that small amount is protected, it can be lost in just a single rainfall or high wind, Vargas said. "It is almost impossible to bring back that soil loss. So what you can do is try to avoid losing more," he added. Pigeon peas helped reduce erosion The new report said that a study in India shows how growing pigeon peas reduced soil runoff and erosion by up to 59 percent. Healthy soil can absorb, or take in, heavy rainfall. If the soil is very firm because of overuse by agricultural machinery, or walking, the rain is not absorbed. So, instead, the soil washes away and may cause flooding. Healthy soil can also reduce carbon dioxide or other gases linked to rising temperatures on Earth’s surface. The first meter of soil contains carbon, noted Vargas. He said that if the soil not well protected, carbon is released into the atmosphere. The effect of not taking good care of the soil is serious, Vargas said. "We will be facing poverty, we will have more issues of food security ... we will not be able to deal with ... floods and drought. So we will compromise our future," he said. I’m Anne Ball.   The Reuters news agency reported on this story. Anne Ball adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   pulses – n. crops that are part of the legume family, like peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas erosion – n. the gradual destruction of something by natural forces (such as water, wind, or ice) cereal – n. a grain or plants that produce it unique – adj. special drought – n. a long period of time with little or no rainfall adapt - v. to make a change in reaction to something else

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Tanzanian Rats Help in Identifying Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide. It killed about 2,000,000 people last year. TB is an infectious bacterial disease that usually attacks the lungs. If the number of deaths from TB is to be reduced, doctors must be able to accurately diagnose and quickly treat patients. That can be difficult in developing countries, but a health center in Tanzania is now using trained animals to find the bacterium in people. Giant Pouched Rats are able to smell tuberculosis germs in human saliva. When they do, they stop moving. They wait for food from their trainer. Fidelis John is one of the rat trainers. He works for a group called APOPO. He says the rats have a stronger sense of smell than other animals and can easily recognize tuberculosis. Health workers now use a 100-year-old method to diagnose TB. It is not as effective as the rats. Often, health care workers have trouble identifying the disease in patients. This can cause TB to spread.   Dr. Richard Banda works in Tanzania. He is the acting country representative for the World Health Organization. Dr. Banda says the WHO estimates that only a third of people with TB are diagnosed as being infected. Thirty thousand people die from the disease every year in Tanzania. That is about 82 people a day. APOPO believes their rats -- which are native to Tanzania -- are an effective way to help solve the problem of TB misdiagnosis. Trainer John agrees. “Rat(s) can use the time in between 10 and 20 minutes to finish evaluating 100 samples -- a task that would have taken a lab technician a time of 4 to 5 days to finish that job.” After the rats complete their investigation,  laboratory workers test samples. ab results are returned to hospitals within 24 hours, so those found to be infected can quickly begin medical treatment. APOPO says since the rats have been used, they have identified thousands of infections that were missed with traditional tests. The group is planning to use the rats in other countries, and train them to find other diseases. I’m Caty Weaver.   Sophie Tremblay reported this story from Tanzania. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted her story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   diagnose – v. to recognize (a disease, illness, etc.) by examining someone germs – n. a very small living thing that causes disease saliva – n. the liquid produced in your mouth that keeps your mouth moist and makes it easier to swallow food sample – n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from  

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Electoral College Meets on Monday to Choose US President

Most voters in the United States marked their ballots in the presidential election on November 8. But they did not vote directly for a candidate. Instead, they chose what the Constitution calls electors. On December 19, 538 electors will meet at statehouses across the country. They will mark their own ballots to officially choose the 45th president of the United States. The electors are members of the Electoral College. The meeting of the electors usually receives little attention. But this year, opponents of President-elect Donald Trump have tried to urge the Electoral College to deny him the presidency. Forming the Electoral College In the late 1700s, some founders of the United States wanted members of Congress to be able to choose the president. They did not trust that voters would always make a good choice. Others wanted voters to directly decide. So, as a compromise, the founders created a system they called the Electoral College. Members meet after the election to formally choose the president. Electors normally mark their ballots for the candidate who won the popular vote in their state. But the system does permit electors to vote for someone else. The number of electors for each state is equal to its members of Congress. This means states with bigger populations have more electors and states with lower populations have fewer.  The Electoral College system can create a situation in which a candidate wins more popular votes nationwide, but still loses the election. Before the 2016 election, that had happened only four times in American history. Some Voters Hope for “Faithless Electors” This November, 65.7 million people voted for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump received 62.9 million. But Trump won the presidency because he won the most electoral votes. If Trump receives all of the electoral votes on Monday from the states where he won the popular vote, he will have 306. The winning candidate must at least 270 electoral votes. That is the majority of the 538 total votes. Although Hillary Clinton won more votes nationally, she only won 232 electoral votes.   For the results of the election to change, 37 Republican electors would have to vote against their states’ voters and choose Clinton instead of Trump. That would make them “faithless electors.” Experts say that is unlikely to happen. Only one Republican elector has publicly said he will not vote for Trump. That elector is Christopher Suprun. He lives in Dallas, Texas. He told VOA that he believes Trump is not qualified to be president. He is also worried that Trump will be more loyal to his many businesses than to the country. Lawrence Lessig is a professor of constitutional law at Harvard University. Earlier this week, he said, as many as 20 Republican electors were considering not voting for Trump. But that could not be confirmed. There is no federal law that requires the electors to vote for the candidate who received the most votes in their state. But 29 states and the District of Columbia have laws that control how electors vote. However, many constitutional lawyers do not believe those laws can be enforced. Larry Tribe is also a professor at Harvard Law School. He says it is not likely that Trump will lose in the Electoral College. But he says electors, in his words, “have a responsibility to the country and the Constitution, in extreme enough situations. And I think this is a pretty extreme situation.” A group that calls itself the Hamilton Electors is working to urge electors not to vote for Trump. The group is named for Alexander Hamilton, one of the founders of the United States. He was also one of the main founders of the Electoral College. The group notes that the founders designed the system to keep someone unfit for the presidency from taking office. The group wrote on its website that it honors “Alexander Hamilton’s vision that the Electoral College should, when necessary, act as a Constitutional fail-safe against those lacking the qualifications from becoming president.” Others believe electors should change their votes because of recent intelligence reports. They suggest that the Russian government stole information from computers of some Democratic Party officials. The reports say the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) believes Russia did so to help Trump win the election. On Friday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it supported the CIA's findings. Trump has dismissed the CIA report. He says there is no evidence that Russia was involved in the hacking. But a growing number of electors are worried that Russia did try to help Trump win. At least 67 electors have asked for information from the intelligence community about the suspected Russian activities before they vote on Monday. All but one of those electors are Democrats. Experts say this shows that the campaign to convince Republican electors not to vote for Trump has failed. I’m Caty Weaver.  And I'm Ashley Thompson. VOA National Correspondents Carolyn Presutti and William Gallo reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story nationwide – adj. including or involving all parts of a nation or country vision – n. a clear idea about what should happen or be done in the future fail-safe – adj. certain not to fail; capable of compensating automatically and safely for a failure qualification – n. a special skill or type of experience or knowledge that makes someone suitable to do a particular job or activity (usually plural) hack – v. to secretly get access to the files on a computer or network in order to get information, cause damage, etc. convince – v. to cause (someone) to agree to do something

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Conservative US Website Targets Professors

College professors are no strangers to politics. Political science professors teach at almost every university in the United States. And like all of us, professors of each and every specialty have their own political opinions. Some keep their opinions to themselves. Others express them both in and outside the classroom. But now, a new American website is seeking to identify and list professors it claims support extremist ideas. The website, called Professor Watchlist, was launched in November. It is a project of Turning Point USA, a non-profit group that supports values such as limited government and free market economies. These values are often connected to American conservatives. How does Turning Point decide which professors hold extremist beliefs? Matt Lamb is the director of Constitutional Enforcement and Transparency at the organization. Lamb says he and others search for news stories about professors expressing beliefs he says are outside the American mainstream. By definition, mainstream means a direction of an activity or influence. Most of the professors on the list are reported as having talked, written or taught about subjects related to the progressive movement. This includes support of gun control laws, the idea that human activities are to blame for climate change, and criticism of the free market system. The Higher Education Research Institute operates through the University of California, Los Angeles. The group studies issues related to higher education. In 2014, it found that 60 percent of U.S. college professors identified themselves as liberal or politically left-leaning. Lamb says conservative-thinking students often feel like they have to hide their political opinions from their professors and other students. He says many of the professors on the list try to silence conservative students in their classrooms. The aim of the website is to let students know which professors hold opposing beliefs. Then students can either avoid taking classes with those professors or better prepare their own arguments against them, Lamb says. "For example, if you’re a pro-life student, you probably don’t want to take a class with the professor at University of California Santa Barbara who punched a pro-life student and got 3 years’ probation for it. It’s probably something you’re going to want to know going into a class. But for the most part, too, we also encourage other students, if they feel comfortable doing so, to push back and debate these ideas in classrooms." Some critics have compared the website’s list to the activities of former U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. During the 1950s, McCarthy tried to publicly identify American citizens that supported communist teachings. Many of the people he identified suffered damage to their public reputations and careers. But Lamb rejects this comparison. He says Professor Watchlist does not investigate the private lives of professors. And, the information used to identify people named on the list is all publicly available. The website lists some professors because of opinion pieces they wrote for newspapers or comments left on social media. If they did not want their beliefs made public, they should not speak about them publicly, Lambs says. Also, one-sided political arguments do not belong in the classroom, he adds. Greg Hampikian is one of the over 150 professors on the list. He teaches genetics at Boise State University in Idaho. Hampikian is on the list because of an opinion piece he wrote for the New York Times in 2014. His piece is called “When May I Shoot a Student?” It used humor to express his criticism of a bill to let students carry guns on the grounds of Idaho colleges. Hampikian says he fails to truly understand why he is on the list. He says he has voted for candidates from each of the two major American political parties in the past. And, he says, he is not very political. "There are plenty of people who’ve given their lives to causes, who would be honored to be on this list. I think they’re scratching their heads about why I’m listed on it. I am as well. But, so be it. My grandfather was sent to the gulag and I’m told died there for his political opinions. My other grandfather was tied to the railroad tracks in Egypt for his political editorials. And I thought, ‘I’m in America, I’m on a watch list? By whom?’" Hampikian says he welcomes the opinions of conservative students. Being on the list has not yet brought him any harmful attention, he noted. But no one from Turning Point USA has ever contacted him. And that is a big part of the problem with the list, he says. The majority of the stories Professor Watchlist uses to identify professors come from websites that support conservative beliefs. One of the most commonly named sources is a website called Campus Reform. Many of the stories from Campus Reform fail to show any attempt to communicate with the professors they are describing. Without giving professors a chance to further explain their position, Hampikian says, the website risks taking comments out of context. This can often lead to misunderstanding and wrongful representation. Josh Dunn is a political science professor at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. Dunn identifies himself as a conservative and wrote a book about being a conservative college professor. Dunn says he has never faced difficulties being part of the political minority on a college campus. He agrees professors should limit their support for one political belief over another during class, especially when teaching a non-political subject. But college is all about considering the value of opinions you disagree with, he says. "If the goal is for student’s to be able to avoid these professors, I’m not certain that that’s a valuable goal. One of the best classes I ever took was from Richard Rorty, who I had profound disagreements with. But it was a fabulous class and I learned an immense amount from him ... In my case I would not have wanted to miss the opportunity to study under him because I was just trying to avoid people that disagreed with me." Some conservatives worry that college professors with opposing ideas try to force students to follow their beliefs. But Dunn argues even if this were their goal, professors actually have little effect on changing students’ opinions. Young people are much more likely to base their political beliefs on those of their friends, he says. The U.S. Constitution protects the free speech rights of professors and the website organizers, says Susan Kruth. She is with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. Her foundation fights for academic freedom on college campuses. Kruth says the history of lists like the one on Professor Watchlist is dark. But she adds that professors should accept criticism and debate. "One of the most important things that people can do is just make sure that they understand the line between what’s part of healthy conversation and what is not part of a healthy conversation, what is really censorship and punishment." The website does not support extreme harassment or try to punish professors for their beliefs, Kruth says. Unless it does so, the website remains a welcome part of political debate. I’m Pete Musto.   Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. What types of political beliefs are the majority and minority at colleges in your country? Are there any similar lists of professors that you know of? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   transparency – n. the quality that makes something obvious or easy to understand mainstream – n. the thoughts, beliefs, and choices that are accepted by the largest number of people progressive – adj. favoring new or modern ideas especially in politics and education left-leaning – adj. having or supporting ideas and policies that are associated with liberal, progressive or socialist groups pro-life – adj. opposed to medical procedures used to end unwanted pregnancies and cause the death of the fetus punch(ed) – v. to hit someone or something hard with your hand with its fingers bent down into the palm probation – n. a situation or period of time in which a person who has committed a crime is allowed to stay out of prison if that person behaves well and does not commit another crime encourage – v. to tell or advise someone to do something communist – adj. believing in a way of organizing a society called Communism, in which the government owns the things that are used to make and transport products and there is no privately owned property reputation(s) – n. the common opinion that people have about someone or something gulag – n. one of many forced labor camps in Soviet Russia during the Stalin era, from the 1930s until the 1950s source(s) – n. a person, book, or report that gives information out of context – idm. without the surrounding words or circumstances and so not fully understandable profound – adj. very strongly felt academic – adj. of or relating to schools and education censorship – n. the system or practice of examining books, movies and letters in order to remove things that are considered to be offensive, immoral or harmful to society harassment – n. to annoy or bother someone in a constant or repeated way

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