THE LAB METHOD
How it works
LAB is designed to make authentic texts readable before every word in the language has been mastered.
Begin with the original text
The target-language text is the foundation. Its sequence and structure remain intact rather than being replaced by a translated sentence.
Measure what the reader is likely to know
Vocabulary frequency provides a practical way to estimate which words are familiar and which words still need support.
Bridge unfamiliar words in place
Native-language lexical support appears at the position of an unfamiliar word while the structure of the original sentence remains visible.
Let the bridge disappear
Readers can change their level and mark individual vocabulary as known. As familiarity grows, more of the original text is displayed directly.