I have an odd question maybe someone out there has tackled. I'm in the early stages of planning a trip from Alaska to SA and I'm blessed with being fluently bilingual (English/Spanish), unfortunately, my buddy who is planning to ride with me does not speak a word of spanish (aside from ordering steak). We've tackled several ideas and I've assured him one spanish speaker should be enough but he is determined to "pull his weight". He's thinking of picking up a Spanish Pimsleur course and listening to it on the long stretches. Has anyone tried this or something similar? He figures that the language course along with practice with the locals should do the trick. Personally, I'm a little hesitant to try any language program but I've heard Pimsleur is good/effective and worth the money. Has anyone had good results with this?

On a related note, reading some of the border crossing stories, would you suggest it would be easier to fake not knowing spanish at the borders to avoid unnecessary "fees & delays" or, in your collective experiences, have you found speaking the language to speed up crossings? I also happen to have my original passport (Nicaraguan) and a U.S. passport (I'm a naturalized citizen), which would you recommend using? I know U.S. makes visas easier/non-existent but I haven't really looked into traveling as a Nic. citizen since it may become harder to get visas. Any inputs?

NOTE: Pimsleur is a language learning method that focuses on auditory conversational methods to facilitate conversational fluency in most situations while avoiding grammatical hang ups. I understand this is the method used by the CIA & the U.S. state dept. to train foreign operatives/representatives in a short time.

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I've purchased but haven't yet tried Pimsleur Spanish. You can get it cheap on audible dot com if you sign up for a month membership.
Sean

I don't know about Pimsleur but I've used the Michel Thomas courses to good effect. Similar approach - concentrates on conversation rather than formal grammar.
I've found the spanish one pretty good.
The boxes have a two hour taster course and an eight hour std course.

Firstly, credit to your friend for wanting to learn the language of where he'll be visiting. In my experience it enhances a trip in so many ways.

The problem I've found with attempting to learn a foreign language when at home is simply finding the time and/or the motivation. I'm coming round to the idea that the only way to obtain fluency is to live where the language is widely spoken.

As a start, I've found a combination of the Rough Guide and/or Lonely Planet phrase books (haven't tried any other publisher's) and having the confidence to use them goes a long way. Even if it takes you ages to construct a sentence or understand what someone else is saying, it's better than sitting there silent. I've found that non-English speakers can be very patient (at least in Europe and Africa).

To practice, having a friend who's a fluent speaker of the language can also help.

I haven't tried the Pimsleur courses but have found those by Michel Thomas quite useful.

Your friend may also consider a college or university course. I've recently started a part-time degree course, half of which will be devoted to learning French, this in anticipation of spending a large amount of time in Africa.

I've used Michel Thomas and Pimsleur but find Pimsleur much better. Using it at the moment and learning much faster than with Michel Thomas.
Christine

I think you always get a warmer welcome if you at least try to speak the local language. Unless you been stopped for speeding!!

Out of interest, Has anyone tried the Rosetta Stone products?

I've been trying the Pimsleur meathod, and although i've had a hard time finding the time and motivation to complete the course, i can clearly remember everything that i've been taught up til now. I'm convinced that if i apply myself, it would be a worthwhile course. Just a note on Pimsleur Spanish 1. This is Castilano, from Spain, which is quite diferent than Mexico and S.America, although i've been told that this will not be a problem, the dialects are slightly diferent with Castilano being more formal. I would definately say the Pimsleur meathod to be very efective for me, but all people are diferent. As for the high price, i had a buddy download it for me. I'm missing the books, but i think i can do without.

Just an additional note on pimsleur - as I mentioned in a previous post I think it's effective - however, I'm also having converstion practice with a guy from Chile and he sometimes laughs at what I say as I apparently sound extremely formal. I think the pimsleur is a tad formal in places but overall I also remember most of what I've listened to.

Christine

If you sign up for a month membership at audible.com ($15) you can get the Pimsleur Spanish audio book for free. It supposedly retails for about $140.
Sean