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I think if it were feasible to learn a language in 15 minutes, a lot of companies would be out of business LOL More people would speak more than one language. They do say if it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is. I think this is one very classic example. I personally wouldn't be able to learn anything in 15 minutes, maybe just one or two expressions.

I'd always been interested in French, but it was never available to me to learn until I started my degree in Linguistics. So I snapped up the chance to do it as a minor. So for me it was just out of interest and a passion for languages.

Lena, I'm glad that this method has really worked for you, and congratulations on your English. It looks to me like you're doing really well. I think a lot of people, especially those who are a bit short of money, learn languages through this method. I think it also helps that these days you can also join free online classes to supplement your independent learning. This is a route I think I'll initially go to, to get back into my language learning, because if I wait to have enough spare money for lessons, I may never ever do it.

That's definitely me, too. I find that learning even one language is stressful and demanding enough on its own, without adding one on top, let alone 4 more. I bet if there's anybody who's able to do this, they don't have much of a life, because they have so much going on. How they're able to keep the languages separate without mixing them up is beyond me. It'd be interesting to have experts look at their brains to determine how they're able to do this. There can't be that many people who're able to do this!

The use of post-it notes all over the place is another method that definitely works for me. There's certainly great psychology behind it, because for me the more I see it, the more it sticks in my head, too. The other thing I sometimes do with my French friends is text them in French. I'm a lot more comfortable writing than speaking, so my friends are always at the ready with advise, a pat on the back and any corrections. But on the whole I get good feedback. They know I speak some French but are often shocked by the level of knowledge I display in my writing. I guess I just need to drum up more courage to actually speak more!

JMarie, how did the lesson go? Was it a one-off lesson? You did say it was a demo lesson, so I guess it was just a marketing tool to get more people in? Well, I hope that your Mandarin lessons are going well. Kudos to you, because I've heard it's not the easiest of languages to learn!

I've never heard of this school, let alone its reputation. But I do hope that you find the most suitable school for your language needs and one that suits your budget. You must be so excited, the time's flying and before you know it, it'll be time. I wish you all the best

I'm so glad that things changed for the better for you, Trellum! I also hope that you've made strides in your Dutch learning since we last discussed this. I just get this feeling that you'll be just fine as you seem very passionate about learning languages. All the best, mate

When I was learning French, it was mainly through a lot of practice, reading, listening and the traditional classroom setup. It was different when I was learning Italian. I went and spent time in Italy, staying with a family who spoke very little English. I mainly used textbooks and music, and as I was forced to speak the language, I felt I learnt a lot faster. I never had any formal lessons of my Italian.

I just remembered that one other site that seems popular and reputable is iTalki. I have seen it recommended time and time again on many of the discussion forums I'm a member of. I've yet to personally try it, but I reckon it's popular for a reason.

I agree that taking on so many languages all at once would compromise some of them. I appreciate that there are people with a very high aptitude for languages, but I just feel that you'd be taking on way too much. You may end up disgruntled and demotivated to go on as progress would be seriously affected. You would seriously have to live, breathe, eat and sleep language learning, taking the fun out of it. For this reason, I wouldn't attempt it. The most I'd take on is maybe two, and no more.

I just read up a little bit about the concept and it sure sounds interesting. So I'm not surprised that it's proving to be very popular. Although I'm not sure if it would work for me because I learn better through taking notes, it's well worth trying out just to see how I fare. After all, I don't have anything to lose

Hehe you guys are so funny LOL I just saw the discussion around the word 'peculiar" and I couldn't help but laugh It broke up my afternoon very nicely. Welkom, I just want to say thanks a lot for helping with the pronunciation. Honestly, I think I have phobia of that word. But I will definitely try to say it as per your suggestion. My English husband has tried and failed to help me with it. I guess it also doesn't help that we always end up laughing hysterically over it LOL

You couldn't have put it better, Trellum! The tragic thing is that some people buy whatever they say, line, hook and sinker! If you don't mind me asking, how many languages do you speak and which ones are those? I don't know why, but I get the feeling that you have quite a few languages under your belt! -and I'm ever so envious LOL

turtledove, this is what makes me nervous about that! I would probably end up learning the basics to all the languages and be stuck at that level and not be able to progress beyond that. That's why I admire anyone who's able to do it, if they're not a young child. I say kudos to them

My first love has always been French. But then when I started learning Italian, I found a greater love. Both of these has gone rustic for me because as we all know, practice makes perfect, and I haven't been utilising those skills for ages. My plan is to go back and take lessons in both in the near future. The idea is to get up to speed on conversational level, at least. I find that it's always easier for everything else to fall in place when you've laid that "foundation". I just have a few other things to sort out before I get to that

Wow, things have certainly moved right along since I last learnt a foreign language! I can honestly say this is not something I've heard of, let alone tried. But I'm always open to suggestions, so I'll definitely be looking more into it. It sounds interesting, and anything that helps make the learning process easier is all good to me. Thanks, Trellum

I would also the same thing as Welkom. Practice makes perfect and the more you listen, the more it'll get better and easier for you. You may very well have to eat, live and breathe Dutch for a while. So watching some Dutch TV as well as listening to the radio, should help a lot. It doesn't sound like much, but I honestly think listening to some of the music could also come in handy. I know it worked for me when I was learning Italian. The music wasn't my favourite type of music, but it did the job

No, I've never heard about the TED OTP project before. I just had a quick read via your link, and I'm very impressed by the initiative, I think it's brilliant! Wow, 300 translations in 40 languages is amazing. Kudos to you also for being one of the presenters. You guys are doing a great job.

I totally agree with you there, Trellum. Sometimes we have to be careful what we take from these bloggers, because it's their subjective opinion. What they prefer may not necessarily work for the next person. This is why I steer of the prescriptive types. I always think it's best to suggest, rather than to cite a certain way as the gospel truth, or even as the one only method that works. Some people even prefer the most unconventional methods, which may not make sense to others. So yes, it's all about what works for you as an individual

Hehe it was probably you, Trellum. I wouldn't really remember, it was so long ago! I agree kids have this ability to just dip in and out languages that's so amazing to watch. -and you're right, it's also up to the parents to encourage them. This is why I worry about some modern mothers here who don't care about their children learning their own mother tongue. It seems to be fashionable to say their kids don't speak their own language. Truly mind boggling.

I agree that it also ties in with passion and a deep seated interest in languages, actually wanting to learn. It's also true that some people are very fortunate to be exposed very early on in their lives to different cultures and languages, so that it becomes almost inevitable to learn all the languages around them. They are so lucky

I would second that, from the stand point of easing yourself into the process. I think if I were in your position, I'd want to go in order of ease of learning, that's why I voted for Italian, Dutch and lastly German. I have learnt Italian in the past, and it's a gorgeous but easy language to learn, in my opinion. I'm not familiar with Dutch and German, but from my discussions with friends, German is pretty hard. If you started with Dutch, which is considered the easier language, I feel like it could sort of give you a good foundation to learn German as I understand that there are some similarities between the two. This will probably boost your confidence and spur you on All the best!

Ok, thanks for the very enthusiastic introduction to Lingustion LOL It sounds very interesting and since it's free and I have nothing to lose, I'll go over and see what you've got t offer. I'll be sure to come back here and give you some feedback. I'm mainly interested in Italian and French, so I hope they're among the languages that you offer

I think this is a brilliant opportunity, if you can get your hands on it. Thanks guys for posting links to the online resources, some of which I've had recommended to me. I'm always promising myself to try some of them out before I consider paid, classroom based lessons, but I'm just so busy at the moment I can't seem to find the time