|
|||||||
| TRAVEL Hints and Tips Post your TIPS to travellers - all the interesting little tidbits you learned on the road about packing, where to get stuff, and how to cope with problems. Please make sure the subject describes the tip clearly! |
ALL HU Travellers Meetings now open for registration. We hope to see YOU at one of them this year!
Germany Meeting May 17-20,
HUBB UK May 30-June 2,
Montenegro Meeting June 27-30,
Ireland Meeting July 12-14,
Colorado Campfire July 12-14,
North Carolina Meeting Aug 8-11,
CanWest Meeting Aug 22-25,
Kyrgyzstan Mini-Meeting Aug 31, Ontario Canada Meeting Sept 12-15,
Queensland Australia Meeting Sep 26-29,
Victoria Australia Meeting Oct 11-13,
California Meeting Oct 24-27
 |
|
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
|
#1
19 Feb 2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
Learning the language before you go
One of the things that struck me when I went to Morocco was how bad my French was, when I came back I set about learning to speak correctly so that I could at least make myself understood when buying food etc....
Today I've discovered this service from the BBC I had no idea existed! Anyone tried it is it any good ? Got to beat paying £80 for a course!? BBC - Languages - Homepage
__________________
------------------ http://thelondonbiker.com/blog Watch some of my camp cooking videos AIM: mattcashmore SKYPE: matthewcashmore MSN: matthew@matthewcashmore.com 
|
|
#2
19 Feb 2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
If I had to learn a language before I went anywhere I'd never get out of South London!
 It is a good helpful link you provided Matt
__________________
'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'  Officially now in a minority living in London! 
|
|
#3
19 Feb 2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
#4
19 Feb 2008
|
|||
|
|||
Best of all, learn the language in the place you're going. This gives you a chance to meet some local people, is much cheaper and, all in, is a far more pleasant cultural experience. Whole towns in Mexico and Guatemala make their living this way. I would choose a place away from the learner favourites myself - who wants to be surrounded by westerners abroad?
Every town, however high its hick status, will have plenty of teachers keen to take you on. They may help you finding reasonably priced short term accommodation too. Simon
__________________
Simon Kennedy Around the world 2000-2004, on a 1993 Honda Transalp
|
|
#5
19 Feb 2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
__________________
------------------ http://thelondonbiker.com/blog Watch some of my camp cooking videos AIM: mattcashmore SKYPE: matthewcashmore MSN: matthew@matthewcashmore.com
|
|
#6
19 Feb 2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
We've been living in France for 6 months now and my French is still far from bon.
I've used the Michel Thomas CDs which are not free but I find them very useful. I've also used the BBC which I don't find as good. But I have just signed up for a "proper" French course. By all means try the BBC, it cost nothing so nothing to lose. There are other courses around as well though which google should find for you. Good luck.
|
|
#7
19 Feb 2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
 I'm going to give the BBC German course a go. Been years since I first did German at school and college and I don't seem to be able to get on with the CD course I picked up. I think most of my trips in the foreseeable future will be Germany, Austria and the Italian Dolomites so should come in handy.
|
|
#8
19 Feb 2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
I do find some of the free podcast courses quite good - search for them in iTunes - some of them even come with vocab sheets etc...
French For Beginners m
__________________
------------------ http://thelondonbiker.com/blog Watch some of my camp cooking videos AIM: mattcashmore SKYPE: matthewcashmore MSN: matthew@matthewcashmore.com
|
|
#9
19 Feb 2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
Spanish
One of the best, fun and accessible resources I've come across:
Learn Spanish with Notes in Spanish Podcasts! : Notes in Spanish - Learn Spanish with Podcast Audio Conversation from Spain. Very "Spanish", though.
__________________
How much does a man live, after all? Does he live a thousand days, or one only? For a week, or several centuries? How long does a man spend dying? What does it mean to say “forever”? - Pablo Neruda
|
|
#10
20 Feb 2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
[QUOTE=mattcbf600;175439]One of the things that struck me when I went to Morocco was how bad my French was, when I came back I set about learning to speak correctly so that I could at least make myself understood when buying food etc....
I had exactly the same experience four or five years ago and set about improving my French (or trying to). There are evening classes at various levels in my area but they are horrendously expensive (£200 per term for my wife and I to go) so I started with the Michel Thomas discs to try and get some base level of ability before mixing with others. I must have gone through the 12 CDs about 20 times each to the point where I can now repeat them parrot fashion and it has enabled me to hold my own in the evening classes. Three years on no one is going to mistake me for a native and I still can't follow French film's without the subtitles but for someone with no linguistic ability I'm amazed how much I'm now able to do. I was recently given the German and Spanish discs! Matt, presumably you'll be doing video review of the BBC stuff - in French of course.
|
|
#11
20 Feb 2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
I've been using Radio Lingua Network | Learn Spanish online with free podcasts, good if you live in the place you can practice as they give you 15 minute podcasts as the lessons. So listening to a couple a day is easily possible.
The bonus for Scottish people is that (being produced by a Scottish guy), they include Scottish examples in the language lessons.
|
|
#12
20 Feb 2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
 Not sure how that would work - except maybe if it was extensively sub-titled! Really interesting to see all the resources people use to learn the language... please keep it coming I've got a whole list of places to try now :-)
__________________
------------------ http://thelondonbiker.com/blog Watch some of my camp cooking videos AIM: mattcashmore SKYPE: matthewcashmore MSN: matthew@matthewcashmore.com
|
|
#13
20 Feb 2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
[quote=backofbeyond;175652]
Quote:
|
|
#14
20 Feb 2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
Other websites I've come across which may or may not be of use -
Learn Spanish, French, Italian, German and 58 other languages with BYKI software. which I haven't actually tried, French - free worksheets for French verbs and vocabulary, English-French + French-English and French TV BBC - Languages - How can I watch French TV programmes?
|
|
#15
21 Feb 2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
Yay!!
Matt!
I've been FURIOUSLY, studying in the past 6 months trying to improve my French in prep for our trip next year... (Me and Gigi agreed that she will worry about GPS and I'll learn the LANGUAGE!) I've done the BBC courses (got it tutored at a local evening college) and its good for basic knowledge...to get you started. I've got loads of other resources too -- will dig them out for you. HOWEVER --- the problem is, its really not good enough to have 'basic French' because... its just even MORE frustrating.... The key is in PRACTISING it, SPEAKING it with others... Maybe we can practice on each other?? Lets start a French thread in the Bar!!!
|
|
«
Previous Thread
|
Next Thread
»
| Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 1 guests) | |
| Thread Tools | |
| Display Modes | |
Linear Mode
|
|
Similar Threads
|
||||
| Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
| Overcomming the language barrier | McThor | sub-Saharan Africa | 19 | 17 Oct 2007 15:58 |
| Language skills | Fet600 | Sahara Travel Forum | 5 | 24 Aug 2007 10:41 |
| Arabic language course CD? | tmborden | Sahara Travel Forum | 6 | 25 Jul 2004 23:33 |
| language to learn | DaveSmith | Travellers' questions that don't fit anywhere else | 2 | 30 Apr 2003 12:01 |
| Second Language | IndyOutrider | Travellers' questions that don't fit anywhere else | 1 | 14 Aug 2001 10:16 |
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 14:18.
