Learning Spanish

#1

kiddiedoc

Renaissance Man
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#1
Does anyone have experience learning Spanish via online or audio self-instruction? I found the Language Transfer site and it looks promising. I've also heard good things about Rosetta Stone, but it is fairly pricey.

This would be a skill very helpful to me, as I have a fairly large Hispanic population. Any advice is quite appreciated. TIA.
 
#2
#2
I know El Nino is Spanish for...the Nino. Hope that helps

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhdDeWNvvTI[/youtube]
 
#5
#5
Whatever you end up going with, supplement by binge-watching Telemundo.
 
#6
#6
I took a class at our local college here back when I worked and was supervising at the lumber company. We had a lot of Hispanic workers, and the company paid for it. I learned some, but the few guys who spoke good English taught me more than the class. They also said the words I learned were different in how they used them. In my 8 years there, they helped me a lot. Just my experience.
 
#8
#8
I took a class at our local college here back when I worked and was supervising at the lumber company. We had a lot of Hispanic workers, and the company paid for it. I learned some, but the few guys who spoke good English taught me more than the class. They also said the words I learned were different in how they used them. In my 8 years there, they helped me a lot. Just my experience.

I have a nurse of Mexican heritage that has taught me quite a bit, and I use her regularly to translate and for telephone calls. My patients adore her! Once I learn more, I'm going to have her talk daily with me in Spanish.
 
#9
#9
We are currently in Peru at a language immersion school. I learned more in 2 weeks being immersed than any program or class in the States ever could have provided. We're in week 6 now. There is just something about being surrounded by it 24/7.

That being said, I did tinker with many of the programs before we left:

Rosetta Stone: I don't get the hype. It's super expensive and is focused on teaching you vocabulary. It's also a bit boring and felt like a drag to do at least in my opinion.

Duolingo: Some people love it others hate it. It is free so it has that going for it. It is very fun and easy to come back to. Many of the words they present to you to learn aren't the ones we've learned people use in Latin America though. And the explanations on how the grammar is structured are nearly non-existent. It is a good supplement, but I wouldn't expect this to teach you the meat of the language.

Fluenz: another software. I like this one better. Instead of vocabulary based, this one is more situational based. They try to make sure you can survive getting a taxi, greeting, ordering food, etc and present to you the language in the ways you'll most likely need it as an American. It is a bit more engaging because of that. The narrator is also easy on the eyes so there is that.

Regardless of what you use software wise, try and find a CD that is meant to teach you Spanish that you can listen to in the car on the way to work. The more you hear it the better your pronunciation will become. Focus on the sounds the vowels make to start.

And as others said, find someone you can talk to in Spanish that will help correct and explain things to you. The more the better, but strive for at least twice a week.

Good luck, it is a beautiful language but learning it fully can take a bit. Normal students in immersion have the language more or less down in 6 months.
 
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#10
#10
Duolingo is somewhat helpful but also pretty annoying. They repeat the same words too often (which would be ok, but it's not even super useful words)

I kept having the word "gray" always being used for about 2 weeks. The shirt was gray, the sky was gray, etc. At first I thought it was funny, but then it started annoying me. (There were a few others besides gray, but that one stuck out to me since it was not super helpful in everyday situations)
 
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#11
#11
I have a nurse of Mexican heritage that has taught me quite a bit, and I use her regularly to translate and for telephone calls. My patients adore her! Once I learn more, I'm going to have her talk daily with me in Spanish.

That'll help you a lot! The first thing my friend ever taught me was if I walk into a room full of Mexicans and hear the word gringo, he said they're talking about you. Ha
 
#12
#12
Does anyone have experience learning Spanish via online or audio self-instruction? I found the Language Transfer site and it looks promising. I've also heard good things about Rosetta Stone, but it is fairly pricey.

This would be a skill very helpful to me, as I have a fairly large Hispanic population. Any advice is quite appreciated. TIA.

If you are doing this so that you can better communicate with clients/patients/customers, then I recommend that you find out what country largest % are from.
Then I would hire someone from that country help along with whatever lesson program you decide on.

Words that are commonly used in one country may have a completely different meaning or not exist in another.

Good luck!
 
#13
#13
I have a nurse of Mexican heritage that has taught me quite a bit, and I use her regularly to translate and for telephone calls. My patients adore her! Once I learn more, I'm going to have her talk daily with me in Spanish.

I'm going to need to see some pics of this Latina nurse.
 
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#17
#17
I've dug into both Duolingo and Language Transfer. Just getting started, but I'm encouraged by a little progress. It helps to have many bilingual patients to practice with, and my wonderful nurse! I'll report back after a few months.
 

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