Audio Jigsaw Puzzle

Pimsleur Digital Foreign Language Audio Programs - An Ideal Way To Learn A New Language

Learning to speak a new language nowadays has become so much simpler with the development of technologies like downloadable foreign language audio courses, iPods and smartphones, podcasts, fast streaming audio and other online and electronic resources.

Learning a new language can benefit you personally and professionally. It is a useful way to broaden your mind and your horizons and gain new perspectives and insights about things. Learning to speak a new language also facilitates travel, meeting other cultures, living abroad and interacting with people of different backgrounds.

Learning a new language can also be a fun way to challenge yourself and is an ideal resolution to make for the new year. Even though the first few weeks or months spent learning a foreign language can feel very slow at first, you will make rapid advancements if you commit to regular periods where you simply immerse yourself completely in the task. This may include watching movies, reading magazines or listening to audio books and radio broadcasts in the foreign
language, going out to eat in a foreign cuisine restaurant, frequenting parts of your city where people speak the language you are trying to learn, and of course, making plans to travel abroad.

There are a range of great audio courses available to help you learn a foreign language. One of the most established and proven programs available is the Pimsleur Method, published by Simon & Schuster. The Pimsleur method can help anyone learn a new language in as little as 30 days and uses the same learning techniques employed for many years by the FBI, CIA and many frequent travelers. You can easily search online for these courses - just type something like "Pimsleur Method" into Google.

About The Pimsleur Method - Structure And Underlying Principles

The Pimsleur courses are comprised of different phases and lesson units. They are designed to be taken in order, starting with Unit 1: each successive course after the first builds upon the teachings of the previous course. It is generally recommended that you start with Phase 1 of any given language course.

Pimsleur courses also come with accompanying reading lessons. Although some courses are designed for the reading lessons to be completed after studying the course, in most cases how you choose to use the reading lessons is totally up to you. You can do these along with the lesson units, use the readings after every other unit or so, or decide to wait until you've completed the course, then do the readings all together. For certain language programs like japanese, 'culture notes' are used in place of reading lessons.

It's also useful to know that each of the Pimsler language audio courses contains around 500 new vocabulary words per phase. The goal of the Dr Pimsleur courses, however, is not to teach you a lot of disjointed vocabulary words, but to enable learners to use and manipulate the language, to understand the structure and develop the ability to formulate their own sentences. The Pimsleur method is based on the belief that once you acquire a strong structural foundation, adding vocabulary words becomes a natural process.

Pimsleur Digital - A Convenient Way To Learn A New Language

Recently, Pimsleur introduced a new line of downloadable language learning audio programs called Pimsleur Digital. The new Pimsleur Digital foreign language audio program series offers one of the quickest and most effective ways for people to learn a new language fast. Pimsleur Digital language courses work on any portable player including iPods and smartphones. Over 50 languages are currently available in downloadable format.

Some of the more comprehensive language courses available as a Pimsleur Digital download include:

• German
• Vietnamese
• Chinese (Mandarin)
• French
• Thai
• Italian
• Spanish
• Arabic (East)
• Modern Green
• Armenian

Whether you decide to learn one of the more popular languages like Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, or Chinese, or become a fluent speaker of a more exotic language like Dari, Albanian, or Ojibwe, Pimsleur digital language audio downloads allow you to retain new language skills that will have you not only speaking a new language in no time at all, but also be able to begin to easily understand the language. The Pimsleur audio foreign language courses are designed to meet the needs of world travelers, busy executives who simply don't have months to spend learning a new language, people who need or want to learn a new language quickly, or individuals who simply have a passion for learning new things.

Pimsleur Digital (Downloadable) vs Pimsleur CD Versions

With the Pimsleur digital products, all downloadable audio language courses are identical to the CD version, including all accompanying reading lessons and culture notes. The printed booklets that normally come with the CD version are also included with the download version in PDF format.

Because the courses are distributed electronically in downloadable format - which eliminates much of the cost of manufacturing and handling physical CD sets - they cost a lot less than the CD version.

Pimsleur downloadable courses have been carefully transferred to MP3 format from digital masters. This means that you can expect 'near-CD quality' when listening to the audio files. As well as the high quality, crystal clear standard MP3 format, the Pimsleur digital foreign language courses have no Digital Rights Management or license codes to deal with.

In terms of audio quality, it's important to understand that audio quality can vary depending on a range of listening conditions. These include:

- Listening in noisy environments, such as when driving in cars, riding in trains, subways, etc.
- Using poor quality or defective headphones or earbuds.
- Using earbuds that do not fit comfortably in the ear, or that have inadequate sleeves that allow sound to escape.
- Using weak batteries to power your MP3 player or portable speakers.
- Listening through mobile phones that play MP3 files. Depending on the model, some cell phones have great audio playback quality, while others have poor audio quality.
- Listening through Bluetooth headsets. Although Bluetooth headsets generally offer great audio quality, it is better to listen to audio content through headphones or earbuds that cover both ears.

Downloadable Language Audio Courses - Additional Useful Information

If you're considering purchasing Pimsleur Digital courses, keep in mind that downloadable courses take up space on your hard drive or portable device. Thirty lesson courses require on average around 500MB each of hard drive space. Download times for the audio files will vary depending on your internet service provider and a range of other factors. If using a high speed Internet service for downloading, on average, you can expect a 30 lesson course to take anywhere from 15 minutes to 50 minutes or longer to download.

Although hard drive space is required for storing the files, the advantages of purchasing a dowloadable course should also be taken into account. One of the main benefits of learning a foreign language using the Pimsleur Digital products is that you can access it immediately after purchasing. You can also download it later if you prefer, but it's recommended that you download your course within 6 months of purchase and make a backup copy of the course onto a CD, DVD, or flash memory stick for safekeeping.

An interesting point to note is that according to Dr. Pimsleur's research, a key factor in learning a new language is to rely on one's listening ability to input information while avoiding the use of written materials. Therefore, when learning a new language, it is generally advised that you not take notes or refer to written material while doing the Pimsleur programs, even if this appears to be counter-intuitive.

So, can learning a new language be as easy as speaking your own? Yes ... with Pimsleur downloads it’s that easy. Learn on your own time, at your own pace, and wherever you choose, using the convenience of an iPod, MP3 player, smartphone, or even just while driving around in your car or going for a walk. All it takes is just 30 minutes a day!

For more information on dowloadable Pimsleur language learning audio courses, go here: Pimsleur Digital
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