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Posts Tagged ‘Learning’
Old Man learning French in Tehran
Sunday, March 7th, 2010Learn French Downloads – Fast Learning With French Language Software
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009Traditional French language learning has generally been of the “listen and repeat” type, either in class or by way of the old tape systems that I’m sure some of you remember (I certainly do). Although more recently we’ve have CDs and DVDs we’re still presented with the same old methods on them. Now however, at last we have more advanced interactive French language software and in recent years French lessons you can download straight to your pc.
But are they any good or is it just technology for the sake of it?
Like everything else there’s some and some. If you search for free French language software you’re going to probably restrict yourself to a few MP3s you can download. No bad thing in itself as it’s always good to have something to listen too. Every little helps.
You might also find a few mpeg clips that you can view online and why not? If they’re free, what have you got to loose?
The problem is that sooner rather than later you run out of useful information. Not surprising really, most of these guys are trying to make a living so they’ll give you a free taster in the hope that you’ll buy the main French software product. Nothing wrong with that, that’s good business sense, but sadly for us it means we’ve got to put our hand in our pocket!
So do we get good value once we’ve done so? Well for a start there’s plenty of choice from kids ages upwards. There’s also a big price range, from around dollars to several hundreds, and from what I’ve seen so far, you get what you pay for.
At the bottom end you’re not getting much more than the free stuff. In the mid-range things get more interesting and at the top you have to say you’re getting pretty comprehensive French language tuition. Most of these are going to come on CD or DVD although there are a few learn French downloads now available that you just pay for and copy straight from the server to your computer. No waiting for the mail and in at least one case a considerable saving over competing products – around $100 instead of $250 or more.
But $100 is not cheap. You can get quite a few books or basic old-fashioned CDs for that money. What makes this course so superior?
Well really we can forget about books straight away. If you’re an advanced French learner then there are books for verb conjugation and grammar that will prove useful but for the beginner you need to actually hear the language, to hear a French person speaking. You just can’t get that from a book.
What about audio CDs though, you might ask, you can hear people speaking on them. Well yes, but it really is just the listed-and-repeat style learning that most people soon find quite tedious.
Modern French language software downloads really involve the student. You have the audio tracks that you always have had (and which you can still copy to a CD or MP3 player) but now you also have illustrated interactive lessons and vocabulary and word games. The software is constantly challenging you and responding to your answers. As a result you feel involved and your rate of learning accelerates dramatically.
We can’t really criticize the old tape systems. Back then, that’s all there was. To translate them to CDs was really a bit of a cop-out. Fortunately some companies have taken advantage of the technology to provide truly immersive learn French downloads that vastly increase our ability to absorb whilst greatly reducing the time it takes us.
Basic French Language – Learning Basic French Can be Fun and Fast
Saturday, December 19th, 2009When you’re looking to get a good grip on the basic French language the last thing you want is to be bored. What you want is to get to learn a few things quickly. Initial success will encourage you and make you look forward to the next bit of French learning, and the next, and the next. Before you know it you’ve got a good grasp of the French language and the confidence to use it.
So what you’re probably asking now is just how fast can you learn. Of course that depends on you, and the time you can give it, but basic French language can be acquired very quickly if you’ve got the right material. There are interactive courses that boast that they can provide you with a reasonable degree of fluency in as little as eight weeks, and I have to say they’re quite right!
Modern PC based French learning systems are a long way from the dusty old text books of my youth! Systems provided on CD or by direct download give access to huge resources. A good basic French language course will also have the benefit of a native French speaker, not that dull old teacher we used to have who would probably have rather been doing something else!
You should be able to find entertaining games for learning French words or verbs, exactly the sort of thing that makes language learning fun and if it’s fun, it’s almost always fast too. It’s pretty unlikely you’re going to get bored when you’re tested by something that reacts to you, prompts you and stretches you just a little and modern French learning can be just like that.
In addition to PC based French lessons you should also find that the best software allows you to download French audio to MP3 or CD so you’ve got lessons you can carry around with you wherever you go. With all these attributes is it any wonder you can get a grip on the basic French language so quickly?
Of course you might expect there’s a price to pay for this sort of excellent in-depth teaching. In truth there are packages to suit every pocket from just a few dollars for the very basic to the eight week course offering a money-back guarantee for under $100. That’s a truly remarkable price considering the content available.
I know some people might be put off by the thought of learning basic French language via a computer. Well don’t be. If you’re reading this article you’ve got all the skills necessary. I’m “pushing fifty” (as my dear wife reminds me) and in no way a computer expert, so if I can manage, so can you!
Why Learn French: Benefits of Learning French Language That You Just Cannot Ignore
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009French is a business language: Today, MNCs have over 2,000 subsidiaries in France, and French companies have over 600 subsidiaries in the United States. Major corporations with headquarters or subsidiaries in the United States and France include Du Pont, Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Apple Computer, Michelin, Renault, Bic and many more. The French economy is one of the strongest in the world and is increasingly a leader in technological innovation. Why learn French? It’s because it is the language of the future.
Scholarships and Preference in worldwide Universities: Most graduate schools require knowledge of at least one foreign language, and French remains the most commonly used language after English. Proficiency in French will significantly improve your chances of being accepted to the university and to graduate school. High school students should consider studying at least four years of a foreign language. College students should seek to earn a minor in French or have French as a primary or secondary major. By joining French classes in Mumbai, you can increase your preference. Many researchers and human sciences workers have their works in French. Even before they are translated into English for the rest of the world they are known to French speakers. One has immense scope in science research work. In mumbai, French courses are taught in many prestigious schools.
Improve your skills: Learning French develops your critical and creative thinking skills, because progress is very easy to measure, you can quickly take pride in your new abilities. It helps to improve your interpersonal skills as well. At our French language classes in Mumbai, it is ensured that you learn and improve your ability to adopt new language. Our French language institute in Mumbai focuses on improving these skills.
Language enhancement: Learning French can help you to understand your own. French has contributed to the development of English, so learning French will teach you where words and even grammatical structures are from, and augment your vocabulary to boot. Also, in learning how another language differs from your own, you will increase your understanding of your own language. For many people, language is innate – we know how to say something, but we don’t necessarily know why we say it that way. Learning French can change that. French speaking classes in Mumbai will surely enhance your fluency of speaking.
French language skills are Social Bonus! Knowing French is definitely a social bonus. There’s definitely a steep hill to climb between being presented as someone that doesn’t know any foreign language whatsoever against being presented as a polyglot. Another case when knowing a foreign language can be literally a social blessing is when meeting a foreigner whose language you can speak. They’ll be extremely impressed by your ability to talk with them through their own native tongue, although you’re on home grounds and this fact can single handedly create an impression around you.