Need some advice
Published by Kyso Kisaen January 19th, 2008 in AdviceI’m off to Europe this summer to spend 3 weeks apiece in two different countries doing some sciency type things. I have about four months to reach a level of fluency in two different languages that will allow me to identify food, find bathrooms, and use public transportation with a minimum of tears. These are not overly common languages (Portuguese and Hungarian), so I won’t be finding private lessons in my area any time soon. Does anyone have any recommendations for language learning software or CDs?
I’m using Rosetta for learning Dutch. It works great for quickly working up a vocabulary - if you’re willing to invest the time. I’m spending 30-45 mins every day. It doesn’t have a dictionary and zero grammar, but for quickly learing everyday expressions and phrases I think it’s fine. Unfortunately the only Eastern European languages they support is Polish and Russian, and their Portuguese is the Brazilian version - no idea how different that is from European Portuguese. Enjoy!
I know Parlophone is a major brand, and I think the lessons focus on tourist-related stuff fairly quickly, but I couldn’t give much of an opinion beyond that.
I know it comes a bit close to being the obnoxious Brit abroad, but I have found that sometimes it’s enough to be fluent in a common language like German.
We have a couple of Brazilian Portuguese speakers in our program and they say it’s pretty different, but I’m not so sure it’s so different that if I learned one I wouldn’t be able to get around in the other.
I dunno, I thought Portuguese was actually pretty common…I’ve had several Brazilian coworkers in my time, to the point where I can say all kinds of insulting stuff about the American soccer team in Portuguese as well as all major holiday greetings. Also, and please don’t say this to anybody who speaks Portuguese as they will totally kick your butt, if you can speak Spanish, you can understand and make yourself understood pretty easily in Portuguese.
Feliz Anniversario!
Lisa
Might want to check out your local public library - mine has the entire Rosetta series available online, and you only need a library card to access it.
I spent 3 months in Hungary back in ‘91, and I managed to get around just fine on my own with a little Berlitz book and the cassette tape that was included with it. At least back then, the second language of Hungary was German, so any mad German skillz would help (I didn’t have any). My only remnant of my time there is an ability to say “Edam cheese”, “bread”, “Big Mac meal”, and “Please watch for the closing doors” in Magyar.
My HS Spanish teacher used to tease a Brazilian exchange student that Portuguese was just Spanish spoken with mashed potatoes in your mouth. She would try to refute it in Portuguese…which did sound like muffled Spanish. I would think that any Spanish skills you have plus key Portuguese terms (bathroom, beer, etc.) could probably get you through.
I like Pimsluer, but Rossetta Stone is also good. Also I see Rossetta about more than Pimsluer.
Pimsleur is good–if you do the lessons. It’s all listen-and-repeat. I used Pimsleur (and later a similar competitor-whose name fails me) to learn Brazilian Portuguese. European Portuguese sounds more like Columbo speaking Portuguese, I think.
Rumor has it that the Portuguese are the most sensitive in Europe about pronunciation but not having lived there, I cannot corroborate.
Just shack up with a local in each country you visit, so during sack time you can express your pleasure in the local dialect!