Rocket Spanish - Leading a Quiet Revolution in Language Learning

The times they are a changing! Recent changes in technology, learning methods, lifestyles and costs now make it faster, easier and less costly to learn another language than ever before. This article explores what is going on, how it affects traditional problems and barriers and how it affects you. Something to think about...

The tendency of our ancestors to group up, go off in diferent directions and each develop their own languages has played a large part in most of the major wars of our times.  Different languages mean that one group of people cannot understand another group. What we don't understand, we mistrust. What we mistrust we dislike.

What we mistrust, dislike and don't understand we come to fear.  What we fear we come to hate.  And that mistrust, fear and hate are all too easily used as the justification for doing something violent and distructive against the other group of people like ourselves, that just happens to speak another language.

All this has been recognized by thinking people for a long time.  Attempts have been made to find a common language. But every existing language has its group of nationalistic advocates, who insist on "their" language as a matter of pride and tradition.  Everyone seems to want the world to learn and use their particular language.

There are emotional, historical and nationalistic ties to one's mother tongue.  Also, in the past, learning another language has always required a major effort. 

But a quiet revolution has been taking place in language learning. A revolution based on technology, learning methods and lifestyles that is making it easy to be multilingual.

Traditionally, we have learned by sitting, face-to-face with our teacher, and listening to what the teacher said. This the same way that the students of Plato and Socrates learned, sitting under an olive tree in Greece, some 3,500 years ago.

Technology, learning methods and lifestyle changes are changing all that, and building a new reality in language learning. 

Technology. The development of high-fidelity sound and picture recording, manipulation and playback media and devices have removed the necessity of the teacher and student being face-to-face, in the same time and place. Miniaturization and portability have meant that anyone can easily carry gigabytes of text, audio and video files around in his or her briefcase, purse or pocket.

Learning methods.  Interactive audio learning methods have been developed that follow the natural way to learn languages. You start with basic conversation, learn a few words and phrases, then expand and go on from there. 

Sound bites that can be replayed at will mean that students can repeat the exact words, accent and expressions of native speakers over and over again until they get it just right. 

These innovations mean that it is actually faster and easier to learn to speak another language than it ever was in traditional classrooms.

Lifestyles.  Today's society is such that people are constantly on the move, and they carry their iPods, CD players and other handheld electronic devices with them.  So anyone can study or brushup on language skills at almost any time and place.  

Cost factors.  One of the effects of technological advance is that costs of delivery of information materials has come down drastically.  The Internet has meant that you can download text and audio files in a few minutes, maybe seconds.  The cost for the producer to make another copy is practically zero. There are almost no inventory or delivery costs, so complicated intellectual products on digital media can be sold at extremely low prices.

Result?  Today you can buy a language learning course for $100, download it in less than 10 minutes, then learn to speak another language in a few weeks, working at times and places, and at a pace of your own choosing.  And you can emerge from this training speaking the language perfectly, like a native, and do your part to increase world understanding and avoid future international conflicts...

Rocket Spanish, a highly successful pioneer in language training, is leading the way.  Isn't it time you learned to speak and understand Spanish?

By Jorge Chavez

An earlier version of this information, in an article entitled, "Rocket Spanish - Quiet Revolution in Language Learning" is a currently published article written by Jorge Chavez. To open a new page to view the earlier article at ezinearticles.com, Click Here.