It seems that everywhere we turn we are seeing articles on keeping our minds active. Reading
I struggled with French when I was in college and my efforts to learn Spanish as an adult have been rather feeble. I have tried a number of the audio instruction tapes from the public library but the majority of them were just plain too hard for me. After a promising introduction they all leap right into the lessons based on the premise that you already have a vast vocabulary and understanding of the subject matter, but still I am optimistic.
An article by Jeanette Borzo (The Wall Street Journal on Saturday/Sunday, February 3-4, 2007) called “Talking the Talk,” sounds much more promising.
Language-instruction software sounds much easier because you hear it, read it, and write the language of your choice. She writes that computer technology is making self-instruction more plausible and enjoyable.
Three major software programs for learning a foreign language (Auralog, Transparent Language, and Fairfield Language Technologies aka Rosetta Stone) are reviewed, tested and compared. The three programs were tested on three tasks: freshening up on a language that you have already studied, learning a language from scratch, and learning a language that uses a non-Roman alphabet.
Recognizing that setting aside a regular time for practice is the biggest hurdle, all three programs offer instruction in small chunks of time.
The prices are comparable or less than the audio tapes that I have investigated. All three of the companies get good review, but the author leans toward Rosetta Stone as the best overall approach. I am pretty excited about giving this instructional method a try.
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