Archive for August, 2008
Will Rosetta Stone Make You Fluent In A Language?
Posted by: | CommentsBefore buying Rosetta Stone, many people wonder how far Rosetta Stone will actually take them in achieving fluency in a foreign language. Of course, this is an important question to ask since one usually wants to reach a high level of proficiency in a language and Rosetta Stone supposedly takes you to that point as quickly as possible. So, is it true? Will Rosetta Stone make you fluent in a language?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Rosetta Stone will not make you fluent in a foreign language. Rosetta Stone simply does not teach nearly enough vocabulary to get you fluent. Using Rosetta Stone, you will reach a very basic proficiency. You will be able to make simple conversation and get the gist of most things going on, assuming you go through every level of Rosetta Stone (which is quite expensive!)
Also, Rosetta Stone does not teach nearly enough grammar structure either. Many grammar points are not even yet included in the Rosetta Stone program so the truth is, you will have a lot of outside studying to do to make up for this lack of grammar if you plan on reaching a high level of proficiency in your target language.
The bottom line is that Rosetta Stone is a nice piece of software in its interactivity and an interesting way to use the computer to help you learn a new language but it will not get you anywhere close to being “fluent” in a foreign language. In order to reach fluency, you will need to do a lot of studying outside of Rosetta Stone. For this reason, many people question the cost of the Rosetta Stone software since it is so expensive yet does not actually teach you that much.
So, if Rosetta Stone isn’t the answer to reaching fluency, then what is? If you’re interested in becoming fluent in a foreign language as quickly and as efficiently as possible, I highly suggest taking a look at the book I’ve written that covers these topics in depth.
If you want the fastest method to learn a language so that you will become fluent in a foreign language in a matter of months, learn thousands of words without worrying about forgetting them, master grammar and do all of this in an enjoyable, painless manner then you need to read Learn That Language Now!
When Will I Be Fluent?
Posted by: | CommentsI often get this question… how long does it take to reach fluency in a foreign language? When will I be fluent? The answer to this question depends on mainly two factors.
The first factor is how difficult or how different the foreign language is from your native language English. Also factoring into this is any other foreign language you may have learned. For example, knowing Spanish will make learning Italian much easier. Or, having studied several foreign languages before will make any new language easier.
Remember that the following hour counts are basic estimates and not exact. They are merely to give you an idea.
For basic proficiency in an “easier” language like Spanish, Dutch, French, Swedish, Italian, etc. it takes about 200 hours of study time. Obviously to get to a more advanced level, a lot more study time is needed but for basic proficiency, 200 hours should get you well on your way.
Basic proficiency in harder languages that are more dissimilar from English like Russian, Polish, Greek, Hindi, Thai, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Czech, etc. will take perhaps 300-400 hours. Again, reaching a higher level will take considerable more time.
Even “harder” languages like Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese will take even longer. It may take you 500+ hours to reach the same level as someone who has studied 200 hours in Spanish. For higher levels of proficiency, even more time is required.
The second factor in determining how long it takes is the method you are using. If you are not using your time efficiently and not advancing in the right manner, it make take you even longer. On the other hand, if you are using a very good method and correct system, it may take you even less time to learn a language than I have put down here.
So, how do you know if you are using the right method or learning in the correct way? I highly recommend you pick up a copy of my book where not only do I cover the quickest method to fluency but I also cover this topic of how long it takes to reach fluency in more depth.
If you want the fastest method to learn a language so that you will become fluent in a foreign language in a matter of months, learn thousands of words without worrying about forgetting them, master grammar and do all of this in an enjoyable, painless manner then you need to read Learn That Language Now!
Top 5 Free Resources To Learn Spanish
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re interested in learning Spanish, you should know that there is a great wealth of Spanish material on the Internet for you to use to improve your Spanish abilities. Here are the top five Spanish learning resources.
Wordreference Spanish-English English-Spanish Dictionary
I have used the wordreference online Spanish dictionary for years. It always gives good translations of words and the site is nice and concise. Furthermore, if there is an unusual word that you look up, like some Spanish slang, even if it’s not in a standard dictionary, chances are someone has translated it in the wordreference forums which will come up when you search. This way, you not only have access to the Spanish dictionary on the site but also the knowledge of Spanish speakers around the world.
Study Spanish Grammar Explanations
This is a great site for Spanish grammar. If you need to review a certain point in Spanish like the subjunctive case or want to learn something new, this is the place to go. It has clean definitions and a lot of Spanish sentence examples for you. The site covers pretty much every topic you will come across in your studies.
Skype can be a great tool for finding and making Spanish speaking friends around the world. It originally started as an online voice chat tool but can be used easily to find Spanish speaking people around the world who are interested in making conversation. Through Skype, you can easily improve your Spanish by talking to native Spanish speakers at any time of the day. The best part is, if you don’t like the person you are talking to, there are always plenty more Spanish speakers on Skype at any time!
You can now listen to native Spanish radio online at any time. This site has links to over 600 Spanish language online radios categorized by country! This is a great way to get your Spanish listening comprehension up. Also, you can turn it on and leave it on in the background as you do your normal browsing. That way, you can practice your Spanish at the same time that you do everything else online! Online Spanish radio is a great way to passively practice your Spanish listening abilities while also enjoying programs from Spanish speaking countries.
If you’re interested in getting visuals, as well, then Spanish television online might be for you. You can access this Spanish television at any time and begin practicing your Spanish comprehension immediately! You can get a taste of each country’s television culture and see visuals that will help you understand the Spanish being used. This is a great way to learn Spanish while also doing something enjoyable at the same time.
These five free Spanish resources should have you on your way to Spanish fluency. However, if you’re interested in the fastest method to learn a language so that you will become fluent in a foreign language in a matter of months, learn thousands of words without worrying about forgetting them, master grammar and do all of this in an enjoyable, painless manner then you need to read Learn That Language Now!
How To Learn A Foreign Language By Playing Video Games
Posted by: | CommentsIf you want to learn a foreign language, playing video games may be a good way to do it. What, no textbooks, classes or annoying homework?! That’s right. Let’s go over why…
Video games have an advantage over classes and other traditional forms of language learning because it is a fun activity. Chances are that you are more likely to spend more time doing fun activities than doing activities that you find boring. For this reason, when you are playing video games, you will also be spending more time immersed in the language. Not only will you have more exposure to the language’s vocabulary and grammar structure, but you will more likely run across a word that you want to look up in order to understand the game better. For this reason, you will be learning the language without it feeling like a hard task.
Now, you could just go on playing video games and through exposure over a long period of time as well as looking up words every now and then, you will begin to get better. In fact this alone may be better than taking traditional learning methods because you will likely put in more hours in the language which is a key to learning a new language.
However, if you want to take it a step further, I would suggest using the video game as a tool to language study. When you come across sentences with words that you don’t know, you should write them down or keep a list of the vocabulary. This way, you can go back later and study the points that you didn’t know. Since video games tend to have vocabulary repetition, it is likely you will come across the same words again thus reinforcing the words even better into your memory.
There is a lot more I could say at this point about how to use the video game for language learning after you’ve begun playing but it is out of the scope of this article. I have however written a book that covers all these issues and you can learn more about it by clicking on the link below. The point I want to impress now though is that language learning doesn’t have to feel like a hard task. You can, in fact, use enjoyable material to learn a language and this is probably a better route anyway since you will likely end up spending more time “studying” the language.
If you want the fastest method to learn a language so that you will become fluent in a foreign language in a matter of months, learn thousands of words without worrying about forgetting them, master grammar and do all of this in an enjoyable, painless manner then you need to read Learn That Language Now!
Learn A New Language
Posted by: | CommentsSo, you want to learn a new language? You may have questions like how long it will take, whether classes or self study is the best way or perhaps, how you can find native speakers to practice with. While I am unable to go over all of these topics in this simple post, I do cover all this information in my book, Learn That Language Now which you should definitely consider purchasing if you are setting out to learn a new language.
To help you out right now, though, I want to give you two tips so that you will be successful in your endeavor to learn a new language. These two tips will hopefully prevent you from wasting precious study time when learning a new language. Let’s jump right into the first tip…
Tip 1: Set aside study time everyday. When you learn a new language, it’s important that you study everyday, even if for just a little bit. It is much better to study 10 minutes everyday than to study for an hour once per week. By studying everyday, the language is kept fresh in your mind and you will be less likely to forget it. Also, studying each day keeps you on track… if you study infrequently, it is likely you will forget a session or begin to lose steam in your studies of the new language. So, right now, make a pledge to yourself that you will study everyday, even if only for 5 minutes.
Tip 2: Bring fun items when you learn a new language. Using just textbooks or classes can be boring and you will soon lose motivation to learn your new language. To counter this, you should do something you enjoy in your new language. For example, buy a magazine in the new language that pertains to a hobby of yours. Or, play a video game in the new language. Or, better yet, find a new friend that speaks the language. Any of these fun things will keep your motivation up and will make you learn a new language without realizing it since you’ll be too busy having fun or being interested in the item at hand.
I hope this article has helped you. There is much, much more to learning a new language and I share all of my tips, tricks, techniques and methods in the book I have written. If you want the quickest method to learn a new language so that you will become fluent in a foreign language in a matter of months, learn thousands of words without worrying about forgetting them, master grammar and do all of this in an enjoyable, painless manner then you need to read Learn That Language Now!
6 Good Reasons Why Rosetta Stone Sucks
Posted by: | CommentsYou’ve seen the Rosetta Stone TV commercials. You’ve read the Rosetta Stone magazine ads. You’ve even walked by the Rosetta Stone kiosk at your local mall or airport. Rosetta Stone is the end all language learning program that will take you to fluency faster than any way possible, right? Well, not exactly…
While Rosetta Stone may have its good points, I’d say it’s far from being the best language program out there. Here are six good reasons why Rosetta Stone sucks.
Reason 1: Rosetta Stone’s vocabulary learning is too slow.
If you have a few years to learn a language and don’t mind learning at a snail’s pace, then Rosetta Stone might be for you. I don’t know about you, but personally I’ve always wanted to learn a language quickly so that I could get on to the fun parts and start using it in real life. You probably don’t want to sit around while it repeats phrases like “The cat is large”.
Reason 2: Rosetta Stone is unclear.
Showing you vague photographs while repeating the foreign language does not necessarily make the word’s meaning clear. Does the photo for the word mean an article of clothing? Or, does it mean a type of shirt? Or, does it mean that specific kind of shirt in the photograph? Or, does it refer to something completely different like the pattern on the shirt? You need to learn the real meaning of a word or you will waste time wondering about its meaning and be afraid of making a mistake in real usage.
Reason 3: Rosetta Stone requires supplements.
Rosetta Stone will not get you anywhere near fluency. It just doesn’t teach nearly enough words and grammar structure. If you want to become proficient in your new language, you are going to need more than just Rosetta Stone or else your ability in the language will be stunted. Rosetta Stone is like a map that shows you 1/8th of the way to your destination. It may be fine for the first bit, but it will leave you lost and stranded on your path to fluency.
Reason 4: Rosetta Stone is lacking in useful phrases.
Rosetta Stone stresses teaching unnatural phrases like “The cat is large” or “The woman is wearing a yellow shirt”. It does *not* teach you useful phrases like how to introduce yourself or even how to say “hello”! Think about this past year. How many times have you said, “The cat is large” and how many times have you said, “Hi, my name is…” Do you really want to be spending all your time learning sentences that you won’t use and not even learn how to say “how are you?”
Reason 5: Rosetta Stone tries to fit every language into a cookie cutter formula.
The truth is, human languages vary widely. One language may be particularly hard in its verb conjugation but easy in its adjectives. Another language may be easy in its verb conjugation but difficult in another aspect like its noun cases. Rosetta Stone does not address the special issues of any one language. It gives equal time to all categories. Furthermore, it simply tries to force each language into its pre-arranged photos and sentences. For this reason, you are missing all of the specifics of the language that are most likely to be different from English and therefore are most important to learn properly!
Reason 6: Rosetta Stone is just plain expensive.
It costs a lot and I’m just not sure if the cost is worth what you are getting considering the problems I’ve outlined. There are cheaper and faster ways of learning a language. If you’re interested in learning about these other faster and cheaper methods, just continue reading below.
As you can see, Rosetta Stone does have its problems but I do admire Rosetta Stone for its innovative use of computer technology to teach a foreign language. It is a nice concept despite its lacking execution and inability to efficiently teach a foreign language. However, its emphasis on interactiveness is a (small) step above textbooks and I would like to see future software products expand on this interactiveness and try to do things right.
That being said, if you want the fastest method to learn a language so that you will become fluent in a foreign language in a matter of months, learn thousands of words without worrying about forgetting them, master grammar and do all of this in an enjoyable, painless manner then you need to read Learn That Language Now!
Foreign Language Learning
Posted by: | CommentsForeign language learning is a rewarding activity. It can offer new job opportunities, new friendships and the opportunity to travel to new places.
If you are into foreign language learning, you probably want to know the best way to go about aquiring a new second language. I have studied foreign languages for a long time and I want to pass on some information that you can use so that you do not lose any time studying like I did. Soon you will be learning a new foreign language very quickly!
Firstly, let’s see some common problems. I will go over three of them and then I am going to cover something that I think is the most important to keep in mind when studying a foreign language.
Problem 1: Word lists. Many foreign language programs, books and textbooks have long word lists at the end of each section. While it may seem like having a word list to memorize is what one should do to learn a language, it is actually a very large waste of your study time! Unfortunately, these word lists lose the context in which these words are used which is the very process by which humans best acquire new language and in your case, a new foreign language.
Problem 2: Foreign language grammar rules. Language textbooks love grammar rules. While these grammar rules are easy to teach, by learning them, you will not become a fluent speaker. More important is to learn real phrases that are used by native speakers. Learning grammar rules will only insure that you know grammar in the language. You will not gain fluency or the ability to really speak and understand the foreign language.
Problem 3: Useless sentences. Foreign language learning programs often try to get away with teaching you sentences that you probably won’t be using anytime soon. They give you sentences like ”The horse is in the barn” but do not teach you real sentences that you will use like ”Let’s go get something to eat after this.”
Now for the number one, most important point when foreign language learning: full, complete, natural phrases. Unfortunately, many programs and textbooks will teach you language that you will not end up using very often in real life situations. If you use these resources, you will find that you will be unable to understand the language when you go out into the world and you will only be able to say phrases like “The cat is large” or “How do you do? My name is Joseph Smith. I am pleased to meet you” which will have native speakers laughing at your stiltedness.
If your goal is to speak the REAL language, then you should focus your energies and efforts on the REAL language. Don’t waste any time on language that only exists in textbooks. Furthermore, do not waste any money on these textbooks or programs. Real, natural phrases will get you used to the natural rhythm of the language and immediately begin to condition you to sound like a native speaker.
I hope this article has helped you. There is much, much more to language learning and I share all of my tips, tricks, techniques and methods in the book I have written. If you want the fastest method to learn a language so that you will become fluent in a foreign language in a matter of months, learn thousands of words without worrying about forgetting them, master grammar and do all of this in an enjoyable, painless manner then you need to read Learn That Language Now!
Learning Languages
Posted by: | CommentsIf you are into learning languages, you may be interested in knowing more about how to go about learning them. Learning languages is a fun experience that can improve your mind and lead to new opportunities in your life.
While learning languages is a fun activity, one also is probably interested in getting the most bang for one’s buck. That is to say, you want to learn your new language as quickly as possible and make sure your time is not going to waste. For this reason, I am going to share some tips with you so that you do not end up wasting your time like I did in the past. This way, you can be learning languages as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
I’m going to present three problems that often arise in learning language materials. Then, I will show you what I consider to be the most important thing when studying a foreign language.
Problem 1: Vocabulary lists. Many language learning books and textbooks work by having a long, boring phonebook-like vocabulary list at the end of every chapter that they expect you to learn. Using rote memorization to learn these long lists is not only a waste of your studies, but not very fun for you, either! Unfortunately, long vocabulary lists lose the context that makes the words important and humans learn language through repeated contextual examples; not a list of one to one translations of single words.
Problem 2: Grammatical rules. Explanations of grammar tend to be the meat of a lot of learning language programs. Unfortunately, learning these rules won’t make you a fluent speaker. It is much more important to learn natural phrases that you can use at a rapid rate. Learning grammar rules will only insure that you know grammar in the language. It will not give you the power to speak fluently or quickly.
Problem 3: Wasted language. Foreign language textbooks and programs will teach you phrases and words that are not necessarily useful for you at the beginning. What they teach you are words that are better suited for their grammatical explanations and word lists. They teach you sentences like ”The ball is behind the sofa” but will not teach you real phrases you might use like ”Want to get a bite to eat later?”
Let’s look at the most important point in learning languages: full, complete, natural phrases. It is unfortunate that many language programs would rather teach you unnatural language that is rarely spoken. If you use these resources, you will find that you will be unable to understand the language in real situations and you will only be able to say phrases like “The cat is large” or “How do you do? My name is Joseph Smith. I am pleased to meet you” which will have native speakers laughing at your stiltedness.
If your goal is to speak the REAL language, then you should focus your energies and efforts on the REAL language. Don’t waste any time on language that only exists in textbooks. Furthermore, do not waste any money on these textbooks or programs. Real, natural phrases will get you used to the natural rhythm of the language and immediately begin to condition you to sound like a native speaker.
I hope this article has helped you. There is much, much more to language learning and I share all of my tips, tricks, techniques and methods in the book I have written. If you want the fastest method to learn a language so that you will become fluent in a foreign language in a matter of months, learn thousands of words without worrying about forgetting them, master grammar and do all of this in an enjoyable, painless manner then you need to read Learn That Language Now!
Learn A Foreign Language
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’ve chosen to learn a foreign language, good for you! Learning a new language can be a wonderful experience that leads to many opportunities including better travel, better job prospects and new friendships.
If you’ve just begun to learn a foreign language, you may feel a bit lost with all of the materials out there that are available to teach you a second language. Through my language experiences, I would like to share a little information with you so that you can avoid the same mistakes I made and improve in your new language as quickly as possible.
In order to learn a foreign language as fast as possible, you should avoid the following three problems that can slow you down. Afterwards, I will teach you one tip to make sure you are on the right track to learning your new foreign language as quickly as possible.
Problem 1: Dry vocabulary lists. Unfortunately, many textbooks teach you a foreign language by providing you with a boring list of vocabulary with one side showing the words in your new language and the other side showing the words in English. Rote memorization of such lists is not only boring for a language learner, but it is a waste of your time, too! These lists do not convey any of the context surrounding the words and humans are not computers that are meant to translate word-to-word as these lists teach.
Problem 2: Grammar rules. Many programs tend to rely heavily on grammatical explanations. While these may be helpful in one sense, it is not a particularly quick way to learn the language. It is much more important to be learning key phrases that you can use at your disposal. If you simply learn grammar rules, you may know a lot of structural information about the language but you will be unable to speak the language at a fluid rate.
Problem 3: Useful phrases. Too often do I see books and programs that refuse to teach useful language from the beginning. Instead, they would rather focus on forced examples that better fit the grammar rules and vocabulary lists they are trying to push. You will often be forced to do exercises that make you learn phrases like “The vase is on the table” but you will find that you don’t know real conversational phrases like “Are you hungry? Let’s go get some lunch”.
Now, what I consider to be the most important factor in learning a new foreign language: full, complete, natural phrases. Many programs, audio courses or textbooks will start off teaching unnatural language that can only be found in a textbook. If you use these resources, you will find that you will be unable to understand the language in real situations and you will only be able to say phrases like “The cat is large” or “How do you do? My name is Joseph Smith. I am pleased to meet you” which will have native speakers laughing at your stiltedness.
If your goal is to speak the REAL language, then you should focus your energies and efforts on the REAL language. Don’t waste any time on language that only exists in textbooks. Furthermore, do not waste any money on these textbooks or programs. Real, natural phrases will get you used to the natural rhythm of the language and immediately begin to condition you to sound like a native speaker.
I hope this article has helped you. There is much, much more to language learning and I share all of my tips, tricks, techniques and methods in the book I have written. If you want the fastest method to learn a language so that you will become fluent in a foreign language in a matter of months, learn thousands of words without worrying about forgetting them, master grammar and do all of this in an enjoyable, painless manner then you need to read Learn That Language Now!
Learn Another Language
Posted by: | CommentsLearn another language can make your mental faculties better and give you a new tool to enjoy. However, before we go on learning another language, we should first consider a few factors that may determine our success in learning a foreign language.
If you want to learn another language, you need to think about the very reason that you want to do so in the first place. This one step often sorts out those who will make it to fluency in another language and those people who will give up after a few months’ time. Unfortunately, many people want to learn another language without a very good reason behind the decision. Learning another language is a task that takes a very long time and will require considerable amounts of study on your part, so we want to make sure everything is in order before we begin.
First, here are some examples of good reasons to learn another language. Let’s say that you work at a company that deals with customers in Mexico. It may make sense then to learn Spanish to develop better relationships with your customers. Or, perhaps, learning Spanish would give you a leg up in that next raise that comes along. Another good reason for learning another language is if you are going to study abroad in that country or if you are going to live there because of your job or some other reason. In these cases, you will have more than enough motivation to study as much as possible before going!
Now, let’s take a look at a weak reason. A weak reason might include learning another language because your great-great-great grandfather came from Norway. If you live in the United States, you probably won’t come into much contact with Norwegian. For this reason, you probably will have a hard time staying motivated to learn the foreign language because there won’t be much of a reason to learn it in the first place.
By this point, you have chosen another language to study and have your good reason behind it to insure your success. I must emphasize in learning another language, that one should get into real world materials as quickly as possible. The reason for this is that another language’s syntax and structure, among other things, can be picked up much more quickly and naturally this way. Textbooks are good for a start, however, out-of-date language and unnatural learning methods make them a bad choice in the long run. Additionally, many textbooks have slow language learning methods and will end up wasting you a lot of time!
These issues of language learning methods, energy and time are out of the scope of this article but I cover them thoroughly in my book which I strongly recommend taking a look at if you don’t want to waste any time in learning a new language.
If you want the fastest method to learn a language so that you will become fluent in a foreign language in a matter of months, learn thousands of words without worrying about forgetting them, master grammar and do all of this in an enjoyable, painless manner then you need to read Learn That Language Now!
