Customer Reviews

Spanish 101 (The Travel Linguist)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've tried the community education classes and the audio tapes in my car but this dvd taught me best. Its production is very simple with no nonsense to get in your way of understanding and speaking the top phrases. It was perfect for my mexico vacation. I enjoyed hearing, seeing and reading all in one tool. A must for those who don't know any spanish and are planning on traveling abroad or just down the street to your mexican market.

I am a Spanish teacher. There is no book, cassette tape, software program, or DVD that will teach you to speak another language. You must speak it regularly with someone. But if you do not have that chance then this DVD will introduce you to native Spanish accents and you will learn a few words while you listen. You probably should also get a book or something else if you want to become fluent. (Note: I had a problem with my DVD and the company answered my question by e-mail within 5 minutes and sent me a replacement DVD by overnight delivery free of charge. Great customer service!)

Everything about this DVD is cheap, except its price, which is outrageous. It must have cost a handful of beans and a jug of tequila to produce. The sound is poor and the graphics minimal. The 'Word and Phrase Guide' insert is a derisory single sheet with FOLD HERE inscribed down the center. Who in their right mind would take that with them instead of a proper phrase book?

There are supposed to be 6 categories. My DVD had 5. 'Travel' must have traveled. After 'Shopping', it drops; no return to menu or anything -- the DVD simply stops.

Two native speakers, a man and a woman, sit and say the words and phrases to camera. Both have an 'I should really be playing in daytime soaps' attitude. The woman in particular has a grim, unsmiling presence, which would suit a dominatrix more than a language coach. The so-called 'Three Levels of Learning' all have the same words, spoken by the same two soulless speakers.

Latin American Spanish language DVDs are surprisingly scarce, so I'm afraid I can't recommend a better one. But neither can I imagine a worse.

I am trying furiously to learn Spanish and have bought at least 20 books, tapes, software programs, and this DVD in the last 6 months. Plus I have a private tutor! So here are my pros and cons of this DVD compared to other products I've bought.

Pros***

1. Focuses on 101 "survival" words. Every language learner has to begin somewhere and I like how these people have given us 101 words and phrases to start. Some reviewers seem upset they only learned 101 words but that's the whole point of this DVD. If you are looking to learn more than 101 words initially, then you might look to something like Rosetta Stone or Pimsleur tapes for $200. Personally, I usually want to know how to find the bathroom before I know how to argue about wine. So I was fine with just learning 101 words and phrases.

2. Value at under $20. This is somewhat subjective but I think $19.95 or less is a good value.

3. Word booklet. This was a nice touch. It includes a word booklet that you can use to study elsewhere or even take with you while travelling. I actually keep mine in the wallet and have used it a few times.

4. Can see people speak while listening. This is why I bought the DVD. I don't care how many times you read a book or listen to a tape it doesn't compare to actually engaging in conversation. If you can get a private tutor, that's the best. But this is nice.

5. Money Back Guarantee. I like how this company offers a guarantee. I had a question and they e-mailed me back right away and told me if I didn't like the DVD they'd be happy to refund my money. Most companies on Amazon don't do that.

CONS*****

1. Production value isn't Spielberg for sure. I actually bought Italian from the same company and the production quality was much much better. I e-mailed the company and they told me that Spanish was the first one they did in a different studio. So if you are looking for something that looks high-def you might be disappointed. But it's not that bad.

2. Actors and actress look a little scared. This company claims they hire native speakers rather than Americans. That's great but these people are a little nervous at first. They get better though as the DVD progresses.

3. Somewhat monotonous. Almost every book and tape I have bought fails in this regard also. Learning a language is tough and hard work and sometimes boring. It would be nice if someone found a way to make language learning truly fun while also productive. I have some CDs that teach you Spanish by music. They are fun but they don't teach anything. So I don't know what is worse - boring but effective; or fun but worthless.

CONCLUSIONS ******** This DVD can be a nice tool in your toolbelt of learning Spanish. I don't think it will be everything for you. Personally for software I like Rosetta, for CDs I like Pimsleur, and for books there are a bunch of them. I'm happy I bought this DVD but you have to be realistic in your expectations.

Easy to learn language basics for the travler.

Has a pocket phrase card thats handy.

Pure garbage. The quality of the DVD is so poor that I have a hard time playing it in most DVD players.

You really will not learn much from this DVD. To teach these 101 `phrases', the Spanish text is displayed on the screen, and a man and then a woman staring into the camera say the Spanish phrases. Some of the things that really bothered me: 1) often, the man and woman pronounced the phrases, such as accenting certain syllables, differently; 2) there were a few times that what was written in text was not what was said by the Spanish speaker (for instance, 'esta' was part of one phrase, but 'es' was said...how much does it really take to check 101 phrases before issuing the DVD?), 3) it's not an effective way of teaching (uninteresting & does not build on prior items taught); and 4) expends a bunch of no-brainer phrases as part of the 101. For example, one of the phrases the DVD felt a need to teach was `no'.

A half hour of mostly one-word phrases? Sure, it says 90 minutes, but they run through the same 101 phrases 3 times to get those 90 minutes.

Standard Deviant's DVDs, even with the poor ratings, is a better alternative than this DVD.

Unfortunately, there are no great DVDs out there for Spanish. My recommendation would be to go audio CD and try 1) Pimsleur Quick & Simple, which has an effective teaching method, but introduces new words & phrases at a very slow pace; or better yet 2) Behind the Wheel Spanish. The Behind the Wheel CD sets may be slightly more, but they will teach you vastly more within just the fist 2 CDs.

I had to go to Mexico City for a week. I bought this for the plane ride over. The DVD teaches you 101 words and that's it. No grammar. No sentence structure. Just words and phrases. I enjoyed it but can see why some people might want more. Still for less than $20 I thought it was a good deal. It also came with a phrasebook that I lost. The company was nice enough to send me a replacement copy free.