I took 6 years of Spanish, including 2 AP, back in M.S. and H.S. but I can't say that I remember a damn thing other than it got me out of taking it at UConn and I got some credits for it. I've considered buying the Rosetta Stone program, used if I can find it, to get back up to speed. It would prove to be helpful in customer and employee relations.

After that I'd like to learn Italian and German just because I've wanted to for a long time and probably Dutch since more and more seed production has been shifted to growers based in Holland even if they're contracting to China or Central America.

Plus I think it would be great for my kids, especially my 10yoS since his brain could use some exercising, to start learning other languages while they're young, it'll make things that much easier for them down the line.

Any thoughts aye or nay? Were they successful? Could you recommend another program.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

Rosetta Stone is good - but pricey. Last year I had a need to get some conversational Russian fast and inexpensively. A peer steered me over to aubible.com for some great downloads at a very reasonable price. The teaching method is like stone only they throw some real good conversation challenges in. Just popping the CD in the car during drive time for a couple weeks and I was rolling. The alphabet? - still struggling with that.

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BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

It’s what DJ used to learn Spanish. (Along with most everyone around here speaking it.)

The only problem we’ve (all except DJ herself, of course) found with it, is that it doesn’t cover turning off an English accent when speaking a foreign language such as Spanish.

If I could get a sound bite on here. Even you guys would spot from hysterics. It’s pretty funny.



(Yep - I’m dead if she reads this one.)

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

Cool, I'll check that out, too. I could probably make the Spanish and Dutch a justifiable business purchase , but Italian and German I'd be on my own. They pop up used on occasion which makes the hit a little easier.

That's the thing, I have a fair amount of time in the morning or driving that I could make productive.

Some friends of ours relocated to France for a couple years and Pratt paid for a French tutor to come to the house for lessons. They said they thought they'd get a lot more out of a CD-type program since you could do it when you felt like it any time of day. And didn't have to deal with a person.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

Yeah, it's tough to not sound gringo even while speaking the language. It's probably good for laughs once we walk away!

All of our Spanish speaking employees are from Puerto Rico. They can all converse well enough in English and can convey their point but a lot of times it would be a lot easier for them if they were given their assignments and instructions in Spanish. Even if it were butchered.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

Spanish was pretty easy to pick up. When I lived in TX we had many Hispanic friends and it sort of came naturally. CT probably does not afford that opportunity. One good thing, even when you mess up they will help you through it and like was mentioned it good for some laughs sometimes.

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BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

Don't forget to check your library system, which your tax dollars are likely paying for.
The Rosetta Stone stuff has been out long enough that libraries are getting them in.
Some places enable you to check out things from multiple libraries in a county, thought you may need to wait for a transfer of said items or take a drive.

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85' 300D No inspection, No registration fees, Cheap insurance
"If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're going to see some serious %$&^."

Damn, I never thought of that. It's definitely worth checking out. I know our library card gives us access to all of the libraries in the greater Hartford area so there's probably a decent chance.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

Swamp, I just checked E-bay and you can get it for around 150.00.

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

Ah. Though I studied the language for almost 5 years in high school and college, I still sound like a gringo who was absent the day they covered "pronunciation." ("Dawn-dee ess-tah lah bann-yo?")
.

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* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

I'm picking German up at an amazing speed in my class this semester at SCSU. From when you enter you can only speak German, its amazing how fast you pick something up when you have to. Understand or fail the class, sink or swim as they say!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Apparently "the Stig" is trying it.

I used Pimsleur (sp?) last year in preparation for a trip to Vietnam.

I learned quite a bit, but did wear a shiny spot on the "backup" button on the CD player in the car.

I bought their "intro" package for a reasonable sum ($30 or so), and quickly discovered that wasn't near enough. Popped big $ ($200+) for their full package and learned more, but still not enough.

The only problem I encountered was that the CD's teach you NORTH Vietnamese, which is phonetically very different than Southern Vietnamese, and our trip was all southern.

Vietnamese is a tricky language to learn, as it is one of the few non-symbol-based asian languages (I think that's the right term). It uses the standard letters we're used to, except there's no J and there are two D's.

They caution you at the beginning of the course to NOT attempt to pick up any printed material to "follow along", and they're right.

Learning (or re-learning) Spanish or any heavily latin-baised language like that, should be a piece of cake. Don't know about starting up a new language.

Once you speak Spanish, you can understand enough Italian to get by in a pinch. Once you speak German, you can understand enough Dutch to get by.
It helps if you know the languages fairly well, and to relax, and keep an open mind.

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It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. Robert A. Heinlein


09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D

True, an Italian freind was married to a Bolivian. He spoke to her in Italian and she responded in Spanish. It worked for them.

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With best regards

Al