The Ilya Frank reading method: how it works and how to read this way online
The Ilya Frank reading method is a way of learning a language by reading real books with translation help built into the text. It is well known among Russian speakers and is now searched for in many languages.
How the method works
The text is split into short passages, and each passage appears twice:
- With help. A literal translation is inserted in brackets right after words and phrases, sometimes with short grammar notes.
- Without help. The same passage again, in the original only.
You read the first version to understand what is going on, then the second to see the same words without support. There is no need to memorise vocabulary or go back: useful words come up again and again.
Try it yourself: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, with a translation of every phrase one tap away
Why it works
The biggest obstacle to reading in a foreign language is stopping for the dictionary every few words. You lose the story and give up. With the translation right there, you keep reading, and reading a lot is what builds vocabulary and a feel for the language.
Linguists call this kind of material comprehensible input: text you understand even though it is slightly above your level. The more of it you take in, the more the language sticks.
Limits worth knowing
- Printed books have no sound, so you learn words by sight but not by ear.
- The translation is always there, even when you no longer need it.
- There is no built-in review, so rare words slip away.
Reading this way online
Books published under the Ilya Frank method are copyrighted. The idea itself, reading an original with translation on hand, works with any public-domain book.
Lolang applies a similar idea: one sentence of the original on screen, a translation into your language on tap, audio for every sentence, and a list of saved words to review. Lolang is not affiliated with Ilya Frank or his publishers.
Try it with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It is free, and you can start without an account.
Your own books work too
You can also upload your own EPUB, FB2 or TXT file: Lolang splits it into sentences with translation and audio, just like the catalogue books. An uploaded book is visible only to you. And the catalogue of free classics keeps growing.