LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE-BEST WAY?

Best way to learn is to visit the country.. you HAVE to learn it then.

 

Tapes are good for building vocabulary and memorizing sentences, but I've found it hard to learn grammar that way.

Take a course as well and meet with native speakers. Ultimately, immersion of some degree is the only way to real mastery. Whether that is dealing only with one language all day (in the US), or actually going to a foreign country for a period of time (at the least weeks or months), it is what you have to do - at least for a real second language.

The hurdle is the second language. Once you sort out how they work in your head, you'll find that picking up more languages gets easier and easier.

BTW, you're right on with Chinese, Arabic and Spanish.

 

So sometimes it is better to see the movie than read the book?

 

Yeah, it's faster.

Hands on experience is best.

 

Ya think?

 

No substitute for visiting the country.

Second best alternative, "a sleeping dictionary" = date someone from the country of interest.

 

I do.

So true! That worked for me.. my Spanish is MUCH better.

 

You really need a class, and since you're looking at Spanish, you should have lots of options. From my experience, visiting a country can serve as a motivation, but won't be especially helpful with language acquisition until you've attained a fairly good grasp on the language already. (You'd probably rely on english) I can also add that I've tried learning Japanese from a computer program, and it wasn't very helpful. I've used an Arabic computer program in conjunction with an Arabic class, and found it to be helpful for practice only.

Since you're busy, maybe you can put an ad in the paper for a Spanish tutor who could work around your schedule.

I'll be in the same boat when I get home. I want to learn Urdu, but I'm not sure how to go about it.

 

I have heard good things about this software:

http://www2.rosettastone.com/en/?a=b

I've seen a demo, and it seems well designed. A friend swears by it - he learned (passable) Italian and French with it.

 

Fall in love with a foreign girl ..

 

Mail order bride

 

LMAO.. my Spanish isn't too shabby.

 

Get a girlfriend that speaks that language. She'll turn you into a cunning linguist.

 

I am an anglophone who grew up in Montreal, Quebec - trust me, immersion is by far the best way.

 

Hahahahaha!!! That was good.

 

I'm using Rosetta Stone to learn Japanese. It is very well made and so far has been easy to use.

 

www.google.com/translate

We do a lot of business with Italian, Chinese, French, Russian, and German speaking clients.

Oddly enough sometimes rough translations are done by both ends using google.

Price, wiring instructions, and shipping addresses are the most important, which really don't need much translating, so it doesn't matter if a few words get butchered.

Oh yeah, I even post and read www.watchbus.com, which is all in chinese using Google.

 

Thats a great idea! Quit your job, leave your family for about a year and go to the country that speaks the language you want to learn. That way when you come back to the US, youll be ahead of the game.

If you want to learn Spanish or Portugeuse, just move to Newark, NJ. At least you dont need a passport.

 

Haha.. You actually made me laugh out loud at work.

 

Check out the Pimsleur Institute language courses.

http://www.pimsleurapproach.com/

 

I saw that Rossetta Stone software at Costco last week for ~$50 or less. I almost bought the Italian one for my trip this summer.

 

Hire a nanny........ or foreign exchange student.....