posted by Travel Cat on May 20
Having been trying to learn a new language for the past few months, I have tried a few different courses along the way.
They both had very different approaches for beginners, yet both seem to work well for my style of learning. So below I have put together a quick review of each one to see if they could be of use to you too!
Course 1: Pimsleur Language Program: Quick And Simple Course.
Format: 4 Language CD’s – plus 1 CD for Course Introduction.
Style:
This course was all about the listening and repeating of parts of the language. For example, the narrator would say listen to the following conversation (conversation in the new language), than you would repeat sections of it out loud to such an extent that you would then be able to string simple words together, and then string these sentences together in a conversation similar to the original one.
There were 8 courses as part of this introductory course, but they were all quite similar in content. So as a result, I didn’t really learn a whole lot of actual ‘new words’ throughout the 2 days it took me to complete it – however I did complete the course quite easily, and felt very confident with the words and phrases I had learned.
Overall: 5/5
Course 2: Teach Yourself Instant ‘Whatever’: Holiday Basics.
Format: 1 Small Paperback Book – Accompanying CD is optional.
Style:
This course was used completely visually, so you did need a basic knowledge of pronunciation before setting off into Unit 1!You could get a copy of the accompanying CD if you wanted which plays out the conversations, but none of the exercises rely on the verbal content.
Basically, you are given 6 Units to complete. Each Unit starts with a full page conversation in the new language on the left page and an identical conversation on the right page in English, so you can instantly see what you have been saying. After the conversation part, you get a few basics on grammar and translations as well as several short exercises, followed by the Unit Test at the end. All answers are in the back of the book as well as some cut out and keep double-sided flash cards – which are great fun!
The problem with this course was that although I easily completed it and had great fun along the way, I had actually just learnt all the new words as part of the sentences – basically like learning words to a play. So I could complete the exercises only by remembering where the words where on the page rather than actually learning what the words were on their own. And, after several attempts at the course - I actually managed to memorise the answers as well!
Overall: 4/5
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