Learning the local lingo

Many holiday destinations have it all: constant sunshine, beautiful scenery and great food and drink.

On the other hand, plenty have a distinct lack of English speakers. Even something as simple as being able to say “please” and “thank you” to waiters can make a holiday more fun and relaxing ­ yet the idea of learning a language might summon up bad memories of dull vocabulary and grammar drills at school.

Don’t worry, though. Computers can make learning a language much more fun, with audio and video demonstrations aimed at the enthusiastic holidaymaker. They can also be used to breathe new life into existing audio courses.

Converting tapes or CDs means they can be easily played in the car, train or on board the plane. There’s no need to spend a fortune on personal tuition, either, as there are plenty of inexpensive programs and useful websites that provide free help.

Electronic learning
Computers are great for learning languages because they offer so much more than books can. There is no guesswork when it comes to pronunciation because difficult words can be replayed out loud as many times as required. Some programs can even record your pronunciation to check if it is correct. A single DVD can hold the equivalent of more than 50 audio cassettes, plus video examples. Electronic dictionaries are faster when searching for individual words and can be integrated into other programs.

There are all kinds of language courses available to buy, ranging in price from budget titles to rather more expensive options. They also vary in the depth that they cover. If you have yet to decide where to go, Teaching You 31 Languages of the World from Focus Multimedia (£10) might be the best software to buy.

We gave Teaching You 31 Languages of the World a Buy It award back in a review. Each language can be installed separately, saving space on the computer, and the package includes various exercises to help improve written and aural skills. Grammar rules and references are also included for those who want to get into the nuts and bolts of the language. With plenty of languages to choose from, it is ideal for those who want to experience as many countries as possible.

We looked at Teaching You Spanish from Focus Multimedia, which costs £10. It includes two titles: Survival Phrases for Spanish and A Spanish Adventure with Andres. Both include reading and video exercises with information on word meanings and grammar. There are word games that involve unscrambling or finding missing words, which can be customised to use only words that have been learned.

So far, so good, but not much more than could be accomplished with a book. What sets the software apart is the ability to rate your pronunciation by recording your voice and comparing it with a native speaker. A gauge moves through red, yellow and green as the pronunciation improves. It cannot offer practical advice in the way a human tutor could, but it helps to prevent basic mistakes.

The software also allows you to take part in scripted conversations. These are available in various difficulty levels, so you can choose to be given a literal translation of each phrase or a more general prompt. The pronunciation gauge is also included here.

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