Foreign language software advice, please

[gsabc]

We are looking into getting BD some Spanish language learning software. Unfortunately, her high school foreign language courses were French. Spanish, as uly reminded me, is a bit more important for CA schools. Maybe not necessarily the ones on the base, but certainly for the schools in the region. Written is good, conversational will be better.

Does anyone have experience with specific brands of the foreign language software? I know there's Rosetta Stone, Berlitz, Pimsleur ... what else? What have you tried and how well did it work? If you have experience with more than one brand, which one was better? Thanks!

[Bob Juch]

I've not bought it, but of all the ones you mentioned, RosettaStone seems to be the best. That's exactly how you'd learn a foreign language if you were "immersed" in a country where it's spoken.

[Catfish]

I got Rosetta Stone Italian for my birthday, and I'm having much fun with it. I highly recommend it.

[silvercamaro]

I've discovered at

http://www.rosettastone.com/tv

that you can get 10 percent off the purchase price; you can choose from 31 languages (no Slovenian, darn it), and you can check out a free demo via CD or on-line. (You also can do the courses on-line for less, although you wouldn't then have the disks for review, if necessary, down the line.)

Anyway, the demo might help BD decide if this will be an approach she likes.

I feel as if I've just done a commercial. They should give me 20 percent off!

[peacock2121]

Before she goes through all that - you might want to have her look into whether speaking Spanish really will increase her chances of getting a teaching position.

Given that PSM says English is the official language of California, I wonder if the teachers do speak Spanish in class. I wonder if they might just hire Spanish speaking aides to work with the students until they learn the language.

[Bob Juch]

Before she goes through all that - you might want to have her look into whether speaking Spanish really will increase her chances of getting a teaching position.

Given that PSM says English is the official language of California, I wonder if the teachers do speak Spanish in class. I wonder if they might just hire Spanish speaking aides to work with the students until they learn the language.

My sister is a high-school History teacher in Fremont, California and doesn't speak Spanish.

Spanish is a good language to know - no matter where you live.

[peacock2121]

Before she goes through all that - you might want to have her look into whether speaking Spanish really will increase her chances of getting a teaching position.

Given that PSM says English is the official language of California, I wonder if the teachers do speak Spanish in class. I wonder if they might just hire Spanish speaking aides to work with the students until they learn the language.

My sister is a high-school History teacher in Fremont, California and doesn't speak Spanish.

Spanish is a good language to know - no matter where you live.

I agree with that - just wondering if she needs to spend time now learning it.

[MarleysGh0st]

Spanish is a good language to know - no matter where you live.

I agree with that - just wondering if she needs to spend time now learning it.

I wouldn't think so. If she wanted to be a teacher of Spanish or ESL, she'd probably need certification that she couldn't get from a self-study set of CDs. For any other teaching position, would some casual knowledge of Spanish give her an edge?

[marrymeflyfree]

Another rec for Rosetta Stone here.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

Before she goes through all that - you might want to have her look into whether speaking Spanish really will increase her chances of getting a teaching position.

Given that PSM says English is the official language of California, I wonder if the teachers do speak Spanish in class. I wonder if they might just hire Spanish speaking aides to work with the students until they learn the language.

Most classrooms in my school district are English only. Teachers don't need to speak Spanish to get a job.

Some parents opt to have their Spanish Speaking kids in Spanish only classes. There is a huge debate about this issue.

When I was in school, about 1/3 of the kids took German, 1/3 took Spanish and 1/3 took French. Jeff and I both took German. Many of the high schools in our area no longer teach German because there isn't that much of a demand for it. Spanish has become a more practical language to learn. Maddie is in her third year of Spanish and Emma will be starting Spanish next year in Middle School.

Jeff had to learn Medical Spanish to deal with many of the people who come to the Emergency Room. (He can tell people to bend over and pull down their pants so he can stick his finger in their anus very well...)

[silvercamaro]

With an offer like that, no wonder the emergency room is crowded!

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

With an offer like that, no wonder the emergency room is crowded!

My friend Sylvia worked for an OB. She can tell people to pull down their panties and spread their legs in Spanish.

I hang out with interesting people.

[TheConfessor]

My friend Sylvia worked for an OB. She can tell people to pull down their panties and spread their legs in Spanish.

I'd like to think that might come in handy some day, so I got a translation at freetranslation.com. I hope I can remember this at the appropriate time:

Baje sus medias y esparció las piernas.

[TheConfessor]

And when I go to Oslo, I'll need to remember this:

Dra ned din dametruser og spre din bein.