Posts Tagged ‘Vocabulary’

Be A Master In Spanish Language With “Rocket Spanish”

December 31st, 2009

Spanish is one of the easiest languages to learn. Many of the words are similar to English and they often sound the way they look. The grammar is easy as well. It is completely possible to learn Spanish in less than 8 weeks. But you canâ??t do this in a classroom or on your own. The only way to learn Spanish really quickly is by doing the online Rocket Spanish course. The Rocket Spanish software offers more features and functions than any other kind of Spanish softwareâ??by far. And youâ??re told accurately what to do each step of the way. I truly believe that this is the easiest and best way to follow any foreign language course available today. Rocket Spanish is far less expensive than hiring a tutor or taking a Spanish course at a local college. And itâ??s much more affordable than some of its competitors. In fact, Rocket Spanish was designed to offer the most value for your money. First it neatly sets out a step by step method to master the language. Further deep you go into the course the more interesting it turns out to be. So it is very easy to learn. Rocket Spanish is an interactive course in which you get the opportunity to learn speak the language from the beginning of the course itself. That is how you master the spoken language so quickly. The audio tracks provided as part of the course help learn the sound and tone of the spoken words as it is used by the native people. The main part of the Rocket Spanish learning program is 31 audio lessons. They familiarize you with the spoken language. It has conversation course, grammar lessons and plenty of exercises. With this you will acquire some vocabulary. When you go further you will learn more of grammar and vocabulary. For this purpose the Beginner and Advanced Grammar lessons and Mega Vocab Software Game are provided. Actually it is fun to learn the Mega Vocab Software Game. To understand the spoken words of Spanish the Rocket Spanish has the Mega Audio Software Game. For the new learners of any language the hardest part of acquiring proficiency is to know how the word is correctly delivered in the spoken form. There enters the audio software game. This tool is very much user friendly so that no competing package can come anywhere near it. There is another very useful facility provided by the Rocket Spanish package buyers. The Learn Spanish Forum provides a twenty four hour service. If you have any questions you may send it to the Forum by email or post. There is a team of expert Spanish language teachers always ready to answer you queries immediately. So there is no delay to interrupt your studies.

Adjust Your Own English Communication to Meet Other Language Levels

December 25th, 2009

I first moved to a non-English speaking country almost 30 years ago. I did not know how much I would change my own way of communicating. My own English. And it has really changed. The Difficulties Of A Non-Native English SpeakerI think most people who learn English as a second language go through more adjustments in learning English as a foreign language than English speakers learning a second language. Foreigners often tell me English is an easy language to learn. It should be. There is just so much of it around. On the radio, the internet and very often in the workplace. Foreigners think English is easy. But there is a variety of English communication. There is a big step in thinking you know a language and in being a good communicator. Good cross-cultural communication takes some adjustments. Both parties need to make an effort in finding a common understanding. The Native English Speaker’s JobWhen a native English speaker is in a foreigner’s home country, often the native English speaker does most of the adjusting. If the native English speaker has traveled before, this usually happens naturally. He instinctively knows how to make it easy for his foreign listener. Non-native English speakers do not always realize how much the English speaker will adapt his conversation to make it easy for him. English speakers adjust their communication in several ways to make it easier for non-native English speakers: Slang Strong accents Different dialects or country specific vocabulary Awkward grammar Difficult vocabulary Different communication stylesThe Adjustment ProcessI can easily forget the years of adjusting my conversation I went through. This is what I remember I did: Pay attention constantly to make sure everyone understands the same thing. Backtrack the conversation as soon as a little doubt came up or if I was surprised by any reaction or remark Explained I was tired, when I was and finding the effort too much. I remember feeling as if I was doing all the effort in making the conversations work. I remember being surprised at many misunderstandings. I was also surprised at how and why they happened. Everyone has their own perceptions of their cross-cultural communication. There is no right or wrong. There are only effective and enriching cross-cultural exchanges. Native-English speakers communicating with non-native English speakers are in a situation with many different and uncontrollable perceptions. Some perceptions are based on the person or culture, and others on workplace specific conditions. It is important for native-English speakers to remember to adjust their own English communication during their first cross-cultural encounters. Practice Makes Productive Cross-Cultural CommunicationIt takes practice to smooth over the hurdles caused by these communication differences. The more conversations you have with non-native English speakers the more you pick up receptive, productive and interactive cross-cultural communication skills. Seasoned English speaking international professionals end up constantly using a reduced vocabulary. They have to adapt to so many different language levels. This makes it very easy for their non-native English-speaking partners to understand them. The non-native speakers feel flattered. This reinforces their opinion that English is a very easy language to learn. I have lived in a non-English speaking country longer than I have in my native English speaking home. Adjusting my own communication is permanently on automatic. My own day-to-day English is very simple and direct. I rely on creating pictures with words to get specific points across. Sometimes I get frustrated at limiting my own vocabulary. That’s when I hunt down stimulating conversation, or reading. And even writing. Language is important. How you use your language to communicate with others is also important. Adjusting your English communication to meet the language levels of others is part of an effective communication process. Are you committed to speeding up your international sales cycles?Learn how to combine cross-cultural marketing tools and international sales strategies for faster sales. Join us on the International Sales Road MapWould you like to develop your international business? Are you a beginner at international sales and marketing? Read the Beginners Guide Discover Your International Business

Review of Pimsleur Method, Linguaphone and Rosetta Stone Language Courses

December 24th, 2009

This review is directed towards those people wondering what makes language courses different from one another. We will cover the strengths and weaknesses of the Pimsleur Method, Linguaphone and Rosetta Stone language courses. Each course is a top rated language course.
Advantages of Pimsleur Language Courses
1. Pimsleur is a good course to learn to speak a new language.
2. Pimsleur is audio course that works if you are on the move.
3. Pimsleur is interactive course that keeps you intensely involved while learning.
4. The Pimsleur Method makes it easy to learn a new language.
5. Pimsleur is a very simple learning course.
6. You are more likely to retain what you learn because of the Graduated Interval Recall System developed by Dr. Pimsleur, the developer of the course.
7. The courses focus on the most used words in a language. This becomes very beneficial in leaning to speak a language.
8. The combined group of techniques used in these courses makes learning easy.
Disadvantages of Pimsleur Language Courses
1. There are no written transcripts of the audio.
2. If you want to go further in learning a language than simply carrying on a simple conversation you will need to purchase a few books: grammar, verbs and a dictionary to expand your vocabulary and perhaps a workbook to learn to write. A good set of flash cards could also help.
4. The short Pimsleur courses are repeated in the more expanded Comprehensive I courses. The manufacturer uses the smaller courses to entice you to buy the larger, more expensive course. If you are serious about learning a language it is not very economical to buy one of the small courses.
Comments
Pimsleur offers 38 different language courses formatted on CDs and downloads. You can download a course directly to your computer. The cost is on the expensive side but Pimsleur is an especially good course for a beginning language student.
Advantages of Linguaphone Language Courses
1. Linguaphone offers courses that teach you to read, write and speak the language.
2. Many of the Linguaphone courses have very nice manuals with beautiful pictures and the dialog of what you are going over in a lesson.
3. Linguaphone has some courses that are all audio so you can learn on the move.
4. Linguaphone courses are based on: listen, understand and speak. This method has been used for over 100 years.
5. Many people rate Linguaphone very high on their list of language courses.
Disadvantages of Linguaphone Language Courses
1. If you don’t have a basic knowledge of the language you are learning, Linguaphone courses can be somewhat difficult because it moves along too fast, without enough repetition.
2. On some of the Linguaphone audio you will need to listen very carefully.
3. You may want to go over another language course series, like Pimsleur, and use Linguaphone to expand your language skills, vocabulary and listening comprehension.
4. Linguaphone prices range from inexpensive to expensive depending on the course.
Comments
Linguaphone has 15 language courses. Most people’s ratings of Linguaphone are positive. It covers all language core skills, oral, aural, writing and reading. Linguaphone courses are very thorough courses. People who like written transcripts of the dialog will like Linguaphone. The narrators on the Linguaphone courses are British speakers.
Advantages of Rosetta Stone Language Courses
1. Many people feel that Rosetta Stone software is very good because it integrates audio, text and images.
2. Rosetta Stone software makes learning a language both simple and entertaining.
3. The Rosetta Stone lessons are short and simple, featuring native speakers, real life images with beautiful graphics and big fonts.
4. Speech recognition is available in the Rosetta Stone software to help you say the words correctly.
5. Rosetta Stone is very thorough and covers all language core skills, oral, aural, writing and reading with good sound quality.
6. Vocabulary is a strong point with the Rosetta Stone software.
Disadvantage of Rosetta Stone Software
1. Rosetta Stone software is best used by a visual learner.
2. Rosetta Stone would be best to use along with another language course that teaches you grammar, verbs and to speak the language. It can be difficult to learn a language just by looking at pictures and repeating phrases that you hear.
3. If you are a beginner you would be better starting with another language course and then use Rosetta Stone to further your studies.
Comments
Rosetta Stone software is a great way to improve your specific language vocabulary quickly. It is very difficult to really learn how to speak a language with software alone by looking at pictures and repeating phrases. This does not help you in the real world. You need to learn to think in your new language. This is a better course for a child or pre-teenager than for an adult. Rosetta Stone Software has 3 Levels. It is a more expensive language course.