Categories
Learning Language Software

What To Look for When Buying a Language Software?

When shopping for language software, it’s important to get an accounting of the program’s available features. The content and features of each software vary a good degree. As such, you’re bound to get something different with every package. And what works for one person may not necessarily be what works out as a strong fit for you.

Before you can compare language programs, you’ll need to know what exactly to look for.

Here are some ideas to get you started on your research language software.

What All Language Software Share?

All language learning programs, of course, will have things in common. For the most part, they’ll all have audio courses (because it’s important to hear new words), vocabulary builders and built-in basic tools (like , translator and thesaurus). Those are the bare essentials, after all. Beyond that, titles can vary immensely.

What Language Skills Are You Looking to Develop?

Most language programs restrict their instruction to speaking and listening. That’s because reading and writing can be particularly difficult, especially for people raised in Romanic languages.

Unless you intend to read and write a new Language, then focus on software that on building your speaking and listening skills. That’s all you need, after all. They will be cheaper and less bloated with unnecessary features, making them ideal for your goals.

For those interested in reading and writing, there are some resources out there available to you. From my investigation of language software offerings, though, they’re severely limited. While I haven’t tried those software-based reading and writing training, I’m guessing the learning curve will be a tad steep, too. Make sure to consider the kind of time you’ll invest in this compared to classroom training with a qualified instructor. If you have unlimited time to learn reading and writing (i.e. it’s an optional skill), then will be fine; if you’re under time pressure, though, having a real-life instructor might prove more helpful, especially for speeding you through the process.

What Do You Need Out of the Language Course?

Do you want basic conversational skills for next year’s business trip to Tianjin? Are you looking for enough language skills to be able to haggle with merchants in Shenzen? Do you want to get as fluent as possible for your planned permanent move to Guangzhou? Or do you just want enough survival language skills for finding your way from the airport to your company’s staff offices in Beijing?

The software you want to get will depend on your answer to the above. Different language software can prepare you for different levels of fluency. designed to teach your survival language skills, for instance, won’t be the best for those looking to learn Languages for business meetings next year. After all, doing business in any country — especially an exotic culture like China — entails customs and behaviors that a survival language software just won’t prepare you for. Remember: a big part of learning a language involves learning the culture and choosing a program built for specific purposes (e.g. business, school) will often cover that.

What Language software Features Do You Want?

Language Video Learning

Do you prefer seeing people’s actions while they speak a new Language? I do. I especially prefer video for phrases and sentences I memorize for practice. Physical gestures and facial expressions help me figure out exactly what’s going on, making the learning process just a tad more complete than just hearing the words. If you’re the same way, you will want to make sure that your language software offers video lectures, on top of the audio option. Chinese, in particular, is a tricky language to learn, so visual cues can help immensely.

Language Audio

It was a surprise, but there are, apparently, still language software with audio that don’t automatically let you transfer the audio lessons to your mobile player. There’s not a lot of them (I only found two so far), but this is probably one feature you’d like to make sure exists, especially if you plan to listen to lessons while on the road on your smartphone.

Language Smartphone App.

If you spend most of your screen time on a smartphone, you might want to get a software with an accompanying smartphone app on top of porting audio to mobile. So far, though, I haven’t seen anything substantial. Given that I’ve seen that feature in software for languages like Italian and French before, I’m sure there’s probably one out there with exactly that option.

Language Audio/Video Lessons

Yep, there are some software that offer actual remote tutoring as part of the course. There are limits, of course, but having a trained bilingual tutor to bounce questions off against (even for limited periods) can be very helpful to your learning efforts. There are also courses that offer chat tutoring as the primary mode of lecture, with the software components acting as supplementary resources. While these are obviously great, you might want to watch out for the costs (even live online tutors aren’t cheap, of course).

Language Speech Recognition

This is a very common feature in many language software. That’s why I’m surprised to see quite a few of the Language training programs I’ve looked at not have this feature. Maybe incorporating the technology for
Language speaking isn’t quite as easy. Still, I’d recommend you get one with speech recognition support — that’s the only way you can really practice with a computer and know that your pronunciation is on the right track.

Language Tests and Quizzes

Aside from in-field interactions, nothing can help measure your ability to measure what you’ve learned so far than tests and quizzes. That’s why I find some form of testing feature (even a simple pre-made flashcard system) a necessity in almost any language software. Not all titles will have them, though, so make sure you check the features list for them.

Language Games and Interactive Exercises

This is an optional feature that could be valuable, depending on the implementation. I’ve seen them offered in several language titles and I actually found them useful for the most part.

Language User Forums.

While this isn’t directly a part of the software, having a user forum allows the customers of a Language training program to have a hub where they can discuss their progress. It’s immensely helpful and has been one of the most significant value-added features a company can provide its customer base.

Language Software Checklist: Does It Cover What You Need?

If you’re going to pay for language software, it’s a good idea to figure out if it’s exactly what you will need.  Here are things you want to know to make sure.

What level is it aimed at? 

If you’re a beginner, you wouldn’t want software that assumes some amount of basic familiarity with the language.  Those who have a foundation, on the other hand, will probably not be served by more 101 lessons.  You want to know the level of speaking ability the software is designed to work with.

What applications is it best for? 

Some language software is geared towards general use, while others are aimed for more specialized applications.  If you want to use the target language for business, then one whose material covers mostly language for tourists probably won’t serve you as well as you’d like.

Does it cover reading and writing? 

Most language software are aimed towards speaking and oral comprehension.  As such, if you intend to learn reading and writing as well, you have to invest in a software that’s designed to cover those areas.

Do you want to memorize phrases or do you want a deep understanding of the language? 

If you want a deeper grasp of the language beyond memorized vocabulary, then a software that goes heavy on grammar lessons might be more along your lines.

Different people require different approaches to learning.  Chances are, you’ve been clued in to this long ago, after spending loads of time taking standardized lessons through many years in school.  If you want to maximize the benefits you reap from your language software, you better make sure it takes the kind of approach that plays well to your strengths.

How is the material presented? 

Some language software favor interactive exchanges, while others will have you sitting down for a lesson that’s followed by exercises.   Neither of those approaches is better than the other, but you’ll probably work best with one, depending on your personal preferences.

How is the pace? 

If you’re a slow learner, a software that aims to rush the student through fluency probably isn’t the best match.  On the other hand, a slow-paced learning program can end up boring you if you’re the type to pick things up at a faster rate.

What kinds of learning mediums do you work with best? 

Is it video, audio, text or a combination of all three?  Some people work best with video, while others can find it distracting.  Make sure you try the software first and see how the presentation works for you.

Language Software Checklist: Cost-Effectiveness

In an ideal world, all of us will have dedicated language tutors walking us through the intricacies of a language.  Suffice it to say, though, that a scenario like that will probably be out of reach for majority of people.

One of the biggest issues for many language learners is cost: how much money will they need to spend in order to adequately learn a language?  Not everyone has bottomless pockets, after all, so finding the balance between cost and results is something you should concern yourself with.

Cost-effectiveness is one of the reasons students cite when they choose language learning software over other mediums.   You pay once and you get yourself a tool that you can use many times over.  Plus, not only are most current language software comprehensive, they’re usually optimized for really learning a language, given how flexible software can be.

Before you commit to a language program, factor in the cost and the likely results you can glean each offering.   The most expensive language training software isn’t always going to be the most effective for you, so do your research and take trial offers whenever they’re available.

How about settling for the cheapest?  Well, that’s your call.  Most of the time, though, you’re trading in effectiveness for cost, considering the amount of effort that’s likely been put in low-cost language programs.

Is It Ok to Use More Than One Language Software?

One thing I’ve seen among over-eager language learners is the tendency to pay for multiple software and online services when first embarking on a language learning journey. If you’re the same way, you may want to hold on to your credit card a little and begin rethinking this strategy.

No, I’m not going to knock you for your zest to learn. Instead, I’ll point you towards the unnecessarily messy start you’re getting yourself into. Say, you bought two language software, a membership to a web-based program and two books. Do you realistically believe you can cover them all and still have time to practice?

Instead of trying to consume everything, we actually suggest focusing on one (at most two) of your materials. Why? Because they can end up confusing you. Since these are separate programs, they like come with different lesson structures and learning plans, so it’s possible that one will just end up messing with what you’re learning from the other.

Additionally, most language learning software tend to progress by what it assumes is your advancement using their learning program. If, since you’re using three or four materials, you’re actually learning differently, you might up either getting bored or confused the next time you jump from one to another.

If you go this route, you’ll likely end up getting overloaded by vocabulary, since different programs tend to introduce different things. While nothing’s wrong with a larger stock of words, it could be the last thing you need, especially since language learning requires more than memorizing vocabulary.

Interactive Features In Modern Language Software

The idea of learning a language using software can seem overwhelming. You’ll be going it alone, after all, with no one to ask for help. Because of this lack of other people to exchange ideas with, plenty of modern language software are designed to be interactive.

Different software titles have different ways of injecting interactivity into their process. That’s why it’s important to survey the field a little before committing to a specific title. What works for one of your friends may not work the same way for you, after all. If you want to get an overview of what to expect, here are some ways modern language software are integrating interactive elements:

Interactive practice.  Traditional lessons involve sitting through lectures. Practice-based software, on the other hand, put practice sessions as the single core priority. You learn a phrase, then the software drills you on it multiple times; then you move on to a new related one and so on. This approach actually recreates the feeling of interacting with a speaker, which makes it effective for a lot of people.

Engagement-based.  In this approach, the software engages multiple senses using a variety of media to teach the language, such as live video, animation, sound and more. I’m, personally, not that big on it (I find the amount of things going on confusing), but a lot of people I know have found it very effective.

Games and modular approaches. While these types of language software can cause linear thinkers to zone out, non-linear types tend to gravitate to it. With clever games and unorthodox teaching styles, it can be a fun experience if you’re the type to appreciate those.

Getting Rid of Unrealistic Expectations with Your Language Software

Everybody has expectations when they first use a language software. It’s only natural. Make sure you keep your expectations in line with what learning software can actually, though. Otherwise, you can end up disappointed or, worse, unmotivated to pursue learning any further.

  1. Expect to work. You won’t magically learn the language just because you’re using the best learning software money can buy — you’ll have to work to develop your abilities, just like when learning martial arts or calculus or some other new skill.
  2. Expect to practice. Sitting through hours of lessons will help you absorb the knowledge. Fluency, however, comes with practice, so you’ll have to use the language if you want to really internalize the skill.
  3. Expect to reap what you sow. The more effort you put in, the more skills you’ll acquire. While the amount of time you devote to learning will matter, so do other things like planning, using tools (e.g. journals and flashcards) and sustained practice.
  4. Expect gradual improvement. No matter what anyone promises, you’re not going to gain fluency in 10 hours of lessons. Stay realistic — expect gradual improvement and you won’t be disappointed. As long as you’re better now than you were yesterday, you’re doing fine.

Are There Any Free Language Learning Software?

“How come when I look up to find language learning software online, all I keep finding are paid resources? Isn’t there anything free?”

Actually, you probably just didn’t look hard enough. Fact is, there are dozens upon dozens of free software that you can use to learn languages. Sure, some of the very best will probably require you to pay up, but a lot will be willing to help you out at absolutely no cost too. So how should you go about finding them?

Trial Versions. You probably aren’t going to find a complete language learning software for free. After all, developing those teaching modules and programming them costs a lot of money. However, many of them do offer free trial versions, especially ones that give the first two to three lessons for free, complete with audio, video and practice modules. If all you’re looking to get is a head start in language learning, these “trial” lessons will probably be very worth your while.

Vocabulary software. Similar to full language software, you can also get some of the more full-featured paid vocabulary software with trial versions. With so many good and free vocabulary software in many languages, though, we suggest trying to exhaust them first before looking to buy one. At the least, I would look for flashcard-style software and a multiple-choice testing vocabulary tool.

Word translators. Not only are many of these types of software free, you can find free online-based alternatives too.
Multilingual dictionaries. Like word translators, you can usually get this for free, unless it’s one of the less-popular languages out there.

Are free tools considerably inferior compared to paid ones? In the case of language software, free tools usually aren’t inferior – they’re just less featured and less comprehensive. For some people, that will be enough, though, so I suggest trying it out.

Language Learning Software Reviews

Should you trust website reviews when it comes to language software? My personal opinion is, yes, you should. But only to a certain degree.

Not all the information you will find on the internet is accurate. Literally anyone can put up a website at minimal cost, not to mention practically anyone can register to post reviews on Amazon. Chances are, some reviews you find will be honest and real, while others will fall either as marketing fodder, affiliates trying to make a buck, jokers with nothing better than do, or severely misinformed individuals.

If you really want to know if a language software is what you want, your best shot is to field test it. That’s why we appreciate language programs that offer trial and “freemium” versions — being able to work with the software will give you a better idea than any number of reviews would.

To save you time when choosing which software to field-test, you can use the reviews as guide by filtering them with these three questions:

  1. Is the website trustworthy? If it isn’t (or it’s unclear), you might want to look for reviews somewhere else.
  2. Does the review sound fair? We all have a good sense of when a review is legit — it sounds objective, professional and fair. Fake ones tend to show their true colors by being too focused on one side of the scale or being so poorly written you’re wondering whether some dude put it together while in a drunken stupor.
  3. Can you find information that backs it up? Look at multiple reviews and see whether they say the same thing. If they line up, there’s a good chance the reviews are legit. If they don’t, then something shady is likely going on.

Categories
Learn Languages

Guide to Learning a New Language Gradually

When learning a language, we normally recommend focused and sustained daily lessons, paired with regular practice. That’s the best way to learn, after all. For some people, however, it may not be what’s necessary.

If you don’t have a pressing need for a target language (e.g. you’re only learning for fun or for challenge), you can skip the intense study and learn peripherally instead. By that, we mean doing away with the structure of formal lessons and just following whatever it is about the language that interests you.

Some people call this process “grazing” — basically, letting your gut and your interests lead you to what you’ll learn next. Me and my friends like to call it “follow the shiny object” because you pursue whatever piques your interest, which is typically something “shiny” (in this context, we mean that to be “attention-grabbing”).

Language Learning Materials

When you learn this way, language materials are secondary. Sure, you can pick up a language software and study whatever lesson drives your interest.

For the most part, though, you can use any resource you want

  • Language blogs
  • Phrasebook
  • Subscription language learning website
  • YouTube videos

It’s all about finding something that interests you in the language and then pursuing that with a singular mind, whether it be a 3-minute spiel you saw in a movie, language you can use when shopping or, everyone’s favorite default, all the cuss words in the target language.

You Can Do This Free

For the most part, you can do this for free. The internet is a veritable playground for this unstructured type of language learning, allowing you to get the information you need without any additional expense than what you already spend on your existing connection.

Say, you think it would be fun to learn how to talk to cab drivers in Paris. You can go to Google to look up websites with survival phrases for that situation or search YouTube for videos of similar interactions. Same when you suddenly have it in mind to learn Spanish pronunciation. You just go to YouTube or DailyMotion, then search for language learning videos that cover that subject.

The Path to Language Fluency

Can you ever get fluent doing this? Probably not in a long time. What it will do with a good likelihood of success, however, is make you conversant on things that actually interest you. For many adult learners who aren’t studying a language for a pressing need, that might actually end up being more effective than traditional modes of learning, like memorizing vocabulary from the ground up, studying grammar and working on comprehension.

Language Learning Is Often Boring

Unless you find it particularly thrilling to memorize long lists of vocabulary items and grammar rules, you’ll probably find traditional lessons boring. That’s because most language lessons are structured to teach you the same way you were taught in school. And we all know how you felt about sitting through those numerous hours of lecture at the time.

A lot of language learning is really just boring. You sit through an instructor blabbing in front; you park in front of a computer reading text and listening to audio; you sit with a book and read through gobs of paragraphs about how to form proper sentences. If you’re the type of person who isn’t too thrilled with those, you’ll probably love this approach, since it strips all the structure away. Instead of coming across a big lump of information that you have no control over, you pick up one thing at a time with no pressure to follow a prescribed path towards a goal.

Oh yeah — goals. That might be the biggest casualty here. It’s tough to set goals when you don’t work with a structure. Since you don’t know what you’ll be studying from day to day, it’s hard to be working towards a single goal. That’s the big trade off. Basically, you’re relying on gut to let you know whether you like how you’re doing, rather than having an external metric to base success from.

Exposure To the Language

Even if you plan to take formal language classes or software lessons, this type of learning can be very helpful as a way to acquaint yourself with the target language. If you haven’t quite gotten around to picking up that French training software or signing up at the Alliance Francaise, this could work as an effective introduction even when done within a short period of time.

This exposure, unstructured as it is, gives you plenty of context for experiencing and understanding the language. You’ll be surprised, in fact, at how much easier language concepts during formal lessons will become after you’ve gone through a pace of just chasing language elements as you feel like it.

You Manage Anxiety Much Easier

It’s much easier to manage anxiety and pressure when you learn in this manner. Since you aren’t striving for any concrete goals, you’re free to just enjoy the process. There are no lessons to finish, no tests to pass and no lists to exhaust — you just learn at your own pace whatever element of the language piques your interest at any given time.

The result is you’re able to learn without any pressure (whether from external sources or from yourself). As such, you might actually be able to pick up some amount of the language without actually (gasp) giving yourself unnecessary stress.

You Will Notice Patterns Organically

Through frequent exposure, you’ll begin to notice the patterns: how certain words are used, when specific inflections are made and so on. As a result, you learn how to use various language elements much more organically — a far cry from the heavy memorizing that more structured language lessons often rely on.

Again, we’re not bashing on structured learning. If you need (“need” being the operative word) to be conversant in Chinese or Italian within four months, in fact, we’d highly urge you to pick up a language software and work through it, fighting through boredom, stress and whatever other negative emotions you conjure about studying. This is for those whom a pressing need isn’t in the discussion — these are the type of folks who could truly benefit from this pressure-free type of learning.

Spaced-Repetition Language Learning

“Spaced-repetition” may sound like a daunting name for a system of learning.  It’s implementations are a lot less scary, though.  In fact, you’ve probably used one of the most popular spaced-repetition tools many times in the past: the good, old flash card.

For rote memorization, there are few tools that offer better convenience/effectiveness ratio than a simple flashcard.  Whether in physical or software forms, you can rely on it to commit many elements of language to memory.

The basic modus operandi for using flashcards to learn a language is:

  1. One side of the flash card has a question (e.g. an English phrase), the other side has the answer (e.g. the French equivalent).
  2. You read the question side.
  3. You recall the answer from memory.
  4. You check the answer side to verify if your recollection is correct.

If you can manage it, we highly recommend going with software-based flashcards for a variety of reasons:

  1. They’re more convenient.  Unlike physical cards, you can’t lose question and answer pairs you’ve made once.  Unless you wipe them off the database, they’ll simply sit there for future use.
  2. They offer a better scoring system.  Some flashcard software I’ve seen can rate your guesses from a range of 1 to 5, with “1″ being totally off-mark and “5″ being perfectly on-point.  Your recollection can be almost perfect (“4″) or barely missed (“2″), after all.
  3. They can track your progress.  A software program can easily monitor how well you’re memorizing specific flash cards.  That allows you to invest more time working with the phrases you’re struggling with.
Categories
Languages

How To Nearly Guarantee Language Learning Success?

Almost every language course being sold talk about their “guaranteed successful” methods. While we understand the need to hype a product in the prospect’s eyes, you should take such claims with a grain of salt. There are no guarantees when studying anything — we’ve seen people speak impressively in six months and others struggle after years of study, all while using the same language program.

So, You Want To Succeed

If you want to guarantee success, the material you use is only one part of the equation. Your environment will also affect you, as well as the experiences you end up having. The bigger chunk, however, rests upon you: the extent of your natural ability to pick up new languages, the attention you’re able to give to the endeavor and the effort you eventually end up putting in.

Real talk: it’s going to be difficult to guarantee success even if your heart is 100% into it. There are just way too many variables that play into your results. However, there are ways you can stack the odds in your favor, maximizing your chances of seeing positive gains in language learning.

Stacking The Deck

1. Use the best Language materials available

While good language learning material is key to learning, using the consensus best software or enrolling in the most highly-recommended school won’t always guarantee your success. What they do is further increase your odds of successfully learning the foreign language, though, so choosing language resources that suit your requirements is very important.

2. Stick to your Language material

Whether you bought that Language software or enrolled in a course, make a point of sticking to your material. Too many heads can literally spoil the pot in this case, especially when those different resources have different ideas about how you can best learn. Instead of hastening your progress, going that route will likely impede it.

3. Study Language Materials everyday

We can’t stress this enough. You see those guys in the gym with ripped bodies, six pack abs and muscles where you didn’t think people can have muscles in? Those aren’t the guys who go to the gym three times a week for a 45-minute workout like you see mentioned in every other fitness article. In reality, those guys are the gym rats who spend upwards of three hours in the gym six days a week all year round. Seriously.

Language learning is the same way. If you confine your lessons to twice a week classes or thrice a week sitdowns with a language software, you’ll get some results, but they’ll be nowhere near the fluency that you’re hoping for.

We’re not telling you to make language learning the center of your day. However, be prepared to give it a good chunk of your time every single day if you really want to guarantee success.

4. Review Language Materials regularly

Take notes during your lessons and review them. Set aside some time every day for this purpose alone, preferably separate from your daily lessons. Going over your past lessons, even just by reading through them, will help etch concepts in your mind, maximizing your chances of absorbing the information.

This will be especially important once you’ve gone over a big chunk of material. You’ll likely forget a lot of things, so these review sessions can be your only chance of restoring the knowledge bank.

5. Learn passive Language skills first

Before jumping into the pool, try lingering around the poolside a bit. That is, don’t dive directly into language lessons your first time. Instead, devote one or two weeks before that to developing your passive skills.

Listen to the language being used in songs, movies and other readily available content (the internet is your best friend). Pick up a magazine in the target language and flick through the ads, acquainting yourself with the written words. While you may feel like you’re gaining no useful skills in doing these, you’re actually picking up bits and pieces of the language that will come in handy later on.

Doing this makes the transition to learning a foreign language a little less drastic, since you have a bit of exposure to it. You’ll have some idea of how sounds are pronounced, how people pace their sentences and other important elements that will make actual lessons a lot less troublesome.

6. Start from the Language basics

Don’t rush it. The basics create the foundation of your skills in the new language, so take the time to learn them properly. The stronger your foundation, the easier it will be to build upon it further down the line. Do all the early lessons and perform all the suggested exercises. Try to avoid going forward without completing lessons in their entirety — that’s the best way to ensure your basics are tight.

7. Set Language Goals

Goals give you a target to work towards, allowing you to turn your focus towards something that’s tangible and specific. Without goals, it’s like walking without a specific destination — you could end up going around in circles just wasting time.

When you have goals, your activities gain some structure. You immediately have a filter when deciding whether to do something or not. If it will further your goals, then go for it. If it won’t, then why bother?

8. Find ways to keep encouraging yourself

There will be points during the process that you’ll question your own progress. Sometimes, your growth will be rapid. Other times, it take on a tortoise-like pace. That latter one is crucial — find ways to keep encouraging yourself during those down times, so you don’t end up throwing in the towel.

9. Practice the Language Materials a lot

Devote lots of time for practice. If you’re not in a foreign country, use the internet to meet and chat with people who speak the language. Many times, you’ll be able to find people who will practice with you in language learning forums, often as an exchange deal — help them practice their English and they’ll help you practice on your target language. Take advantage of these situations.

The more practice time you can get, the faster your progress will be. Count on it. People who sit through lessons all day without applying what they learned will have a hard time truly integrating it into their available skills, so consider practice a required course, rather than an elective.

Categories
Learn Spanish Language

How to Learn Spanish Language Fast? (6 Tips)

Here are 6 tips to help you learn Spanish quickly. In a nutshell, they are: Create a habit… select a program… and listen to Spanish in the background. Now for the details:

1. Create space in your life for the habit of practicing Spanish. 

Fifteen minutes every day is a better start than an hour once a week, because you are more likely to do it! Spend a little time right now to reflect on how to include learning Spanish in your life.

Here are some possible times to study Spanish:

  • Before doing your email
  • During one of your breaks at work, or during lunchtimes
  • Right after dinner
  • With your first cup of coffee… hey, that gets it done early!

If none of those work for you, you get the idea… tie in your time to learn Spanish with something else you do every day. If you try a time and you find that you don’t do it then, no problem, just choose a different time.

We tend to do things that have become habitual, and this one simple tip could easily make the difference between success and failure in your learning Spanish!

2. Select a Spanish Language Program

The point here is that you need a systematic way to learn.

The programs I have rated highly emphasize conversation and let the grammar come along with it naturally. This is way more fun, and more effective for learning, than hitting the grammar right away. Some community classes are okay but many are not really going to help you learn to speak Spanish.

3. Listen to Spanish Language Audio in the background.

This helps you learn Spanish faster because you’ll be immersing yourself in the language to a degree and picking up little bits. It can also help keep you motivated.

When you’re at home, there might be Spanish television programs, or see what you can find on YouTube.

You could listen to Spanish when you’re out and about by listening to parts of the program you are using or to Spanish music in your car.

4. Use your English to learn Spanish Language. 

This approach draws on the most current linguistics research into how adults learn foreign languages. Around 12 or 13 years of age, our brains shift and we are no longer “hard-wired” to learn in the way children are. (By the way, this seems to be part of why it is harder for adults than kids to learn new languages without an accent.) 

You may have read that the best way to learn Spanish or any foreign language is to put yourself in a situation that is entirely in Spanish. Chances are, reader, that you are past the age where this is true for beginners.

Nonetheless, one of the programs I review on this website, the famous Rosetta Stone program, is set up this way.

Of course, once you are getting to be at home in Spanish, then it can make sense again to speak only Spanish at times.

One benefit of learning Spanish when you already know English is that you can draw on your vocabulary and on the fact that you know how your own language is constructed.

I find this point to be true all the time in Mexico, regarding vocabulary. Often, I don’t know the exact word I want but if I say, “In English we say…” and then use the word, the Mexican person often recognizes it.

5. Review what you have Spanish Language learned

When you are learning something new, it takes some repetition to become familiar with it. The best of the Spanish-language programs builds a lot of repetition into each lesson. They also construct subsequent lessons to use what you learned before.

Reviewing what you have learned, ideally the same day you learn it, will help move that material from short-term memory to long-term memory. Even then, more review later is called for.

6. Use mental rehearsal to learn Spanish Language

This method kind of grows out of reviewing the material, but takes it a step further.

Mental rehearsal means practicing in your mind. You can do it while sitting quietly but you can also make use of many times during the day, such as when you are waiting or doing things like cooking that may not require a lot of attention.

You can learn to speak Spanish much faster by incorporating mental rehearsal (sometimes also called visualization) into your habits.

For example, you could be making up an imaginary conversation — taking both parts — where you are buying some fruit in a street market, asking how much it costs, and getting much more comfortable with using numbers in conversation.

¡Buena Suerte! (Good Luck!)

Categories
Learn Spanish Language

Best Spanish Language Software Review

Fluenz Spanish Review

Fluenz Spanish is one of the best programs I have used for learning Spanish. I really admire their way of thinking about language learning and their methods of applying that to their courses. I also think that the multi-media aspect suits the popularity of computers. The programs also come with mp3 files you can listen to on a computer or with any mp3 player.

Here’s a list of Fluenz Spanish programs currently at Amazon, though for some reason a few other things are on the list too. No matter, this will show you all the different levels and combinations of levels, along with their prices.

Fluenz Spanish is for both Windows and Mac. It guides you step-by-step through a relatively small vocabulary but one that you know well by the end and that you know how to combine.

Here are the product features of the package that includes the levels from 1 to 5:

  • 150 sessions of up to two and one-half hours each — the most comprehensive software application covering the first five levels of Spanish anywhere. Fluenz Spanish 1+2+3+4+5 will guide you in English through the challenges of Spanish with a proven system.
  • Language tutor Sonia Gil guides you on video every step of the way, recreating a one-on-one tutoring experience, utilizing explanations in English, placing you in real-world contexts, and immersing you in the culture.
  • Fluenz blends beautiful full-motion video with a range of engaging, interactive workouts to improve your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills including a recording engine to perfect your accent.
  • Fluenz’s unique approach is currently being used by elite units of the US Navy, senior personnel at the UN and UNICEF, executives of Fortune 500 companies, and students at Harvard Business School and other leading universities.
  • Includes Fluenz Spanish 1, Fluenz Spanish 2, Fluenz Spanish 3, Fluenz Spanish 4, and Fluenz Spanish 5 DVD-ROMs, five audio CDs for additional learning, exclusive, downloadable podcasts for further practice, and the handy Fluenz Navigator for on-the-go referencing of important words and phrases.

Rocket Spanish: Review

Rocket Spanish is a “learn Spanish” audio course, well-known for giving you a good start in conversational Spanish. It comes with a variety of useful add-ons, but I’d say that the heart of the program is the 31 mp3 files which you can listen to, on your computer, on CDs, or on mp3 players.

I’ve taken the course and say more about my experiences further down this Rocket Spanish review page.

In short, it is a practical, easy-to-use method to learn Spanish fast — you can get a lot of the basics in just a few weeks. I like it.

I think it’s especially good for you if:

  • You are planning a vacation in a Spanish-speaking country and want to be able to talk some with people there.
  • You are “on the go” or have more time to learn from mp3 files on an ipod (or other mp3 player) than by sitting in front of a computer.
  • You aren’t a big fan of intricate computer software, or your computer is kind of an antique.
  • You want something you can start today.
  • You want something clear and straightforward, teaching you the words and phrases you are most likely to need in conversation.

So What Exactly IS Rocket Spanish?

Its core is the audio course of 31 Spanish lessons, each one about 20 minutes long. The discussions are between Mauricio Mauricio Evlampieff who is from Chile and Amy Waterman, whose first language is English but speaks a far better Spanish than I ever will!

At first I thought, “Gee, I’d rather hear two native speakers,” but as I worked with the course more, I realized that Amy became a kind of role model for me. This was useful in motivation, and she has a great accent.

An accompanying e-book gives you the actual transcript of the dialog, along with further comments and vocabulary.

There are several more e-books as well. The beginning and advanced grammar books are actually fun to read, as they are attractively laid out. A lot of care obviously went into making the  lessons enticing.

There are also some enjoyable ways to enhance your vocabulary, an online forum, email support, and a 60-day money back guarantee.

Consider These Points About Rocket Spanish

  1. Rocket Spanish is very easy to use. Basically, just listen to the audio files, practice out loud, and do a bit of reading in the e-books.
  2. Because it’s easy to use, I would guess that people are more likely to do the Rocket Spanish lessons than they are to do some of the more complex computer-based programs out there. It’s easy to fit into your life, with no computer hassles.
  3. The add-on vocabulary building is very useful, as is the online forum where you can get your questions answered.
  4. If you download Rocket Spanish, you can have the whole package just a few minutes from now… or from whenever you purchase.

My Experiences Testing Rocket Spanish

My husband and I were both pleasantly surprised by how nicely Rocket Spanish is put together. We listened to a number of the lessons on a long road trip from  central Mexico to the US. We picked up quite a few phrases and grammatical points, rather to our surprise. (The Rocket Spanish team was kind enough to provide me with a review copy of the program. My Spanish would not be called anything like perfect, but I am at a pretty advanced level, and I wanted to do a Rocket Spanish review here on the site.)

rocketlanguages.com/spanish/

Pimsleur Spanish

Pimsleur Spanish is a tried-and-true method for learning conversational Spanish. It’s essentially an audio course of half-hour lessons, developed by Dr. Paul Pimsleur based on his research into how people learn languages. The Pimsleur Method is available for many languages, and millions of people have used it successfully.

You can learn Spanish — at least basic conversational Spanish and likely even more — with Pimsleur. Recently a friend came to visit us in Mexico. He had never before spoken Spanish, and I was amazed at how well he was doing immediately in conversation with Mexicans. His secret? Pimsleur Spanish, repeated many many times.

(He had taken high school Spanish several decades ago, and he thought that helped some too.)

I used Pimsleur myself to review my rusty Spanish before coming to Mexico over five years ago, and found it particularly good for pronunciation.

Pimsleur Spanish Pros and Cons

Some Pros:

  • It’s audio, so you can take it with you on an ipod or whatever, and listen to it anywhere.
  • It repeats the same vocabulary a lot, so you really learn the words.

Some Cons:

  • The Spanish it uses is too formal in some cases. For example, “Encantado” instead of the more popular “Mucho gusto” for Good to meet you.
  • It’s relatively expensive.
  • The vocabulary is not really large.

What is the Pimsleur Method?

The Pimsleur Method is based on four ideas about learning language:

  1. Anticipation — instead of just repeating what an instructor says, you have to think of what to say, just like in real conversations.
  2. Graduated interval recall — Review the words you know at increasingly longer intervals.
  3. Core vocabulary — learn the most commonly used words, and learn them well.
  4. Organic learning — learn by listening.

These four concepts are worked into the programs.

Rosetta Stone Spanish Review

Rosetta Stone Spanish has been around a long time and it’s  worth considering when you choose a program for learning to speak Spanish. It may well be the best-known Spanish language program.

Rosetta Stone is based on the idea that we adults can learn languages in the same way that we learned our first language as very young children. But current research shows that once past puberty, we don’t learn in the same way.

What this means in practical terms is that their software uses NO English to help you learn Spanish. In fact, everyone in the world who is learning Spanish via Rosetta is using the same program, no matter what their native tongue. The program uses images and Spanish.

Rosetta Stone uses the word immersion about their method, but the word is more commonly used to mean living in a foreign country at a school where you only speak the language you are learning.

Some Rosetta Stone Pros:

  • Many people really like this program and learn well from it.
  • It is easy to use.
  • It is well known.
  • It is said to have good voice recognition software that can correct your pronunciation.
  • It has a Latin American version, all the way through its 3 levels.
  • Clearly a lot of work went into designing it.

Rosetta Stone Cons:

  • Many people find its method to be boring and frustrating.
  • It is expensive.
  • People say that it did not really prepare them for conversational Spanish, that the words and phrases they learned first were not that important.
  • No English exists to explain things.
  • It is mainly meant to be used sitting at your computer.
  • Users of the program at Amazon have posted reviews detailing problems they have had in dealing with the company.

How Does Rosetta Stone Spanish Compare with Other Programs?

I personally would choose Fluenz over Rosetta in the category of multi-media programs, but we are all different of course, and you have to go with your own sense of what will work best for you. I used to prefer Rosetta over Tell Me More, but I have been told by the Tell Me More people that the latest version is much improved.

www.rosettastone.co.uk/learn-spanish/

Categories
Learn Japanese Language

TOP 10 Myths About Learning Japanese Language

1. Japanese is near-impossible for English speakers.

If you’ve been around enough multi-lingual speakers, you know this just isn’t true. While Japanese is definitely difficult (especially for English speakers), it’s not impossible to learn. Granted, you’ll have to learn a lot more concepts (especially grammar rules and new pronunciations) compared to if you’re learning Spanish or French; that just makes it more challenging and definitely not out of your reach.

What gives Japanese such a nasty rep as a difficult language? For the most part, it’s because Japanese is genetically unrelated to English whatsoever. You know how you can rely on cognates when learning German or Spanish? Not gonna happen here. Think you can use English-style grammar with Japanese? Nope, you’ll have to learn a new one entirely. Plus, you will likely discover some concepts that just don’t exist in the English vernacular.

Is it harder than other Romanic languages? Of course. That, however, just gives it a higher learning curve and, basing on the people I’ve seen who have learned Japanese, it really isn’t that steep.

2. Japanese writing is impossible.

While I can relate to the “overwhelm factor” of learning the Japanese writing system, “impossible” is an exaggeration. Sure, it’s mindblowing, especially if your only exposure thus far is to the Latin alphabet. I won’t kid you — it will take time and commitment (more so than learning the spoken language), but it can be done.

In fact, once you get around the initial shock, the top-to-bottom and left-to-right writing orientation should make it easy to pick out individual characters. Even with just knowledge of the basic hiragana and katakana, you can do reasonably well discerning grammatical structures. Sure, you might miss out on some of the central elements of the sentence, but that makes it very achievable.

3. You need to be young to learn a language as difficult as Japanese.

While I do believe a new language is easier to absorb while you’re young, that doesn’t make it impossible for the more advanced among us. In fact, it’s about as hard as studying anything new at whatever age you are, whether it be chemistry, drawing or writing bars for rap songs. Like we said above, spoken Japanese actually isn’t that hard once you learn the core sounds, so there’s really no valid basis for this myth.

4. Japanese words make no sense.

Of course, it doesn’t make sense — you don’t know the language. It just sounds as gibberish to you as English probably sounds gibberish to them. Spoken Japanese, in fact, is quite easy to make sense of early in your language learning — there’s only one final consonant, five vowels and very few sounds.

Japanese has a very simple phonology with a very small phoneme inventory. Even better, the sounds should be very familiar to English speakers with no exotic elements. There’s no tone (unlike Chinese) and while there’s a pitch accent, it rarely matters during actual conversations (yes, people can understand you for the most part).

5. You need to learn to speak very fast.

Life is fast-paced in Japan and when you listen to native speakers talk, they might sound like they’re rushing to spit words out of their mouth. In reality, that’s a testament to the simple sounds used throughout the language: you’ll likely be talking the same way once you gain some amount of fluency. Japanese is just like any other language — you can talk in a more deliberate pace without losing meaning.

6. Learning the language takes a lifetime.

Let’s be real: mastering any language probably takes a lifetime, too, even your native vernacular. But who among us is really learning a second language to become a national authority on it? Yeah, I thought so. If all you’re after is a reasonable level of skill in Japanese, a few months to a year is more than enough period to get there if you put in the time and effort.

7. You can learn Japanese from watching anime.

This is a strategy embraced by many people who want to use their anime fandom as a means to actually learn the language. Will it work? To a degree, I guess. I have a friend who did just that, although he mixed it in with some basic lessons he found for free online, especially during the early stages. He also got a translation dictionary and a basic phrasebook, which he would study sporadically. I’m not exactly sure how long he went from absolute zero to functionally competent at understanding the language, but he did make it. He can barely speak, but he can understand and read most of the anime content in the native language. To make it short, any skill he picked up isn’t likely to be of much help when actually conversing with people, but it’s better than nothing.

8. Japanese sounds ugly.

While it doesn’t have the grace of French, I don’t find Japanese ugly at all. Sure, there are some speakers who sound bad when using it, but Japanese can actually sound pleasing to the ears when spoken by someone whose language skills are crisp and precise, especially if they know how to color their language.

9. Japanese is very similar to Chinese.

Sure, they both have weird sounds spoken by Asians, but that doesn’t make them similar. At all. In fact, learning one won’t automatically make it easier learning the other. From my experience with both, I’d say the biggest sticking point in learning Japanese will happen when trying to understand how to put sentences together; for Chinese, that’s a little easier, with most of the difficulty occuring with your use of tones during speaking.

10. You need to bow and show politeness all the time.

No, that’s not true, although I do understand the misconception. We’re veering into cultural territory beyond language here. Although Japanese pragmatics are definitely complex, it’s something you are likely to pick up along the way, especially if you interact with people regularly so don’t let it scare you off. Yes, politeness and formality levels are integrated into the use of language, among other pragmatics, but being observant and listening to people should clue you in on which words to use when and for whom.

Learn more Japanese Language

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