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| Testimonials |
"This way of learning a language made complete sense to me. Working with the SpeakEZ German course, I was able to understand more in 2 weeks than in five years of German in school!"
-- Asbj�rn Finsnes
"The way in which this method is presented provided me with language that will suit me in a foreign country instead of a collection of unusable vocabulary words.
Those who have studied languages realize that looking-up individual words cannot convey a language in the correct manner. Becoming fluent means being able to verbalize ideas ; not learning technical rules and identifying the Past Predicate Indicative.
The audio part of this method has been my favorite portion of the learning process. Not only is the pronunciation slow and clear, but it is presented so that I remember the flow of sentences and concepts.
Thank you for the opportunity to work with this amazing program; it has been a blessing for me."
-- Destiny Yarbro, College Student
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Check Out These Audiobooks!
by Nathalie Fairbanks
Ordering foreign language books can be an arduous, frustrating and long-winded process, especially if you're learning one of the less common languages. I removed that first obstacle to reading for you by compiling a list of on-line bookstores that covers a wide selection of languages.
German: German About.com
French: French and European Publications
Spanish: My Libros
Asian and Eastern European languages: Mipp International
Other: Aims International Books and International Book Centre
For classic literature in many languages that you can download at no cost (much faster than procuring the 3-D version!), I also recommend:
Project Gutenberg and Many Books
Now, to get even more benefit out of your book, find the audiobook that goes with it. You'll get to listen to a native speaker with a very clear pronunciation--over and over if you want!
Audiobooks are easy to find nowadays. Just click one of the links below and download your audiobook for under $10:
English & Spanish: English & Spanish Audible
German: German Audible
French: French Audible
Detective stories are good, as the vocabulary is pretty basic and there's plenty of dialog. You'll have a headstart if you already know the story, so having the book in your native language is a big plus. This will also save you time in looking up words.
Once you have all of that stuff, what do you do with it?
1. Spend a great deal of time on the first few chapters. Listen to them first, and find any "dark spots."
2. Check out those passages that at first sound like mumbo-jumbo. Refer to the book and--voilà!--you have a way to figure out what it means.
3. If that doesn't do it for you, go ahead and find these passages in your native language version of the story. That way you REALLY understand what it means, plus, you won't have to look up so many words.
4. Listen to these first chapters a few more times, until you're confident that you "get" it. Depending on how much of the language you already know, this might take some time.
It's time well invested, though, as an author exposes his/her vocabulary within the first 30 pages or so of a book. Expressions particular to that author will likely be repeated in the book.
5. The rest of the book will be an enjoyable ride!
Listen and learn to your heart's content!
© 2008 Nathalie V. Fairbanks
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? You may, as long as you include this blurb with it: SpeakEZ Languages publishes "Language Learning Express," a free bi-weekly e-zine for language learners who are eager to discover the secrets of efficient language learning, transition seamlessly into a new culture and have fun on the way. Get your FREE subscription and your FREE e-book now at http://www.SpeakEZLanguages.com.
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