Language Tapes/CD's/ Courses
 

What are the best tapes/cd's or language courses that you have used and what language did they help you learn?

I've tried a lot of different tapes for Italian and French, but found that I do better taking a class at my local community college. I imagine it's different for everyone, though.

IMO the Pimsleur tapes are very good. I'm trying to learn Spanish and have tried these and several others as well as many languages courses. I've had 5 classes at our local junior college and 2 of the teachers are really good, the other 3 just so-so.

Right now I've also made arrangements with a young woman from Mexico who works as an aupair here to do one on one lessons once a week.

My Spanish is still poor, but better than it was a year ago! And hopefully will be alot better when we go back next year!

I think Pimsleur tapes are excellent! Particularly if you are trying to learn the conversational language as opposed to a few key phrases to get through hotel booking and restaurant ordering.

I borrowed both French and Italian tapes from the local library before my trips - otherwise they are very pricey.

I also recommend Pimsleur. I have been using the Russian ones to prepare for my up coming trip. As background, I did study one year of Russian in high school. What I remembered from that could fill a thimble!

I started by buying only 8 CD's of the first series because I did not want to pay for more than I would use. If you buy a few CD's and then decide to spring for the full series and order directly from Simon & Schuster there is a big discount. I got the 8 CD's from amazon and then bought the full set of Russian 1. I found I played each CD 3x before moving on to the next lesson unless it was largely something I already knew (as in the first 3 or 4 lessons). I am now almost halfway through the Russian 2 series and hope to finish it before my trip next month.

When I get home, I will be starting on Spanish because that is the language I really need to learn for work. I will save the Russian CD's to use again as I probably will take another trip to Russia at some point. I would review all the Russian I already learned for this trip and purchase the Russian 3 series.

What I like about Pimsleur is I do not have to take a class at a set time every week. I am absolutely rigorous about playing the CD's every time I am in the car. You must use them every day to make progress and, by using them in the car, there is no wasted time.

The only language I really speak with any fluency is French (I minored in it in college). I should have enough Russian to order in restaurants, bargain with tourist junk sellers and the like. I will not be able to discuss Pushkin!

Boy, do I ever miss PBS radio!

You are WAY better off with Barron's "At A Glance".

For one thing, most language tapes emphasize conversations irrelevant, especially if you've booked a tour or package.

The Barron's guide include PHONETIC pronunciations - essential - along with lots of other useful information.

Unless you endeavor to spend many, many hours, ahead of your travel, "learning the language", there is truly no "quick study". Even if you figure out, for example (and you will likely have such a completely un-understandable mispronunciation of everything) how to ask a question, you are not likely to be able to understand the answer.

But, with a good translating guide, you can POINT in that to what you need, and then a local will be able to assist you.

Calamari, if you have the time before your trip, I also recommend taking a course at your local community college. I did this before my first trip to Italy, and really focused in on learning as much vocabulary as possible, and found it very helpful while on my trip. I also used a Berlitz language CD/book combo, but found that less useful.

Pimsluer is my choice but it does help if you speak with a live person to really see the mouth movements as an aid to pronounciation.

I have had success with the "Get by in ..." series. Did the Italian before we went to Italy and the Portugese before we went to Portugal. In both cases I learned enough in a couple weeks to get by--I wouldn't have been able to have a conversation with anyone but I could order coffee and understand what the desk clerk was asking me.

Actually, I have an acquaintance who is Russian. He has NO trouble understanding me when I speak. The think Pimsleur is best at is teaching you prononciation. I have found it a very worthwhile investment of time. As I said before, it is a system to help you get around and ask tourist type questions. It is not going enable you to discuss Pushkin or politics. It gets you into the mind set of how the language is structured--which is very different from English or the romance languages.

If you don't have the time and your trip is imminent, I would just bring a phrase book. Something is better than nothing.