Knowhow-Now Article

A few months ago I decided to invest some time to identify the most effective, practical and useful way to learn a second language – in my case, Spanish. I initially went down this path primarily as a professional requirement, but also because I have a genuine curiosity about languages and how people communicate.


As I began to shop online, one of the first things to hit me was that I’m not as impervious to mass consumer marketing as I thought I was. Well known companies with large budgets and celebrity endorsers (i.e., Rosetta Stone) are hard to resist as the “safe choice” for language learning. They have plenty of satisfied customers, and a well deserved reputation for excellence.


I have a contrarian streak, however, that sometimes gets me in trouble (just ask my lovely wife), but also leads me to study lesser known competitors and whether their approach is more suited to my needs. Also, 25 years of business experience has shown me very clearly that bigger isn’t always better – even the best of companies occasionally slip into a “one size fits all” market approach.


So, I found myself “walking” into two online language learning “stores”, News in Slow Spanish (www.newsinslowspanish.com) and Notes in Spanish (www.notesinspanish.com), for many of the same reasons I’d walk into a “bricks and mortar” shop. Their websites are interesting, clean inviting, and engaging – and I felt welcome to go in to browse. In particular, the Notes in Spanish landing page is uncluttered, the website didn’t overwhelm me with choices, and I wasn’t bombarded with sensory overload.


Both News in Slow Spanish and Notes in Spanish evoke a feeling that, “if you want to learn Spanish, let’s find out how much, how fast, and what works best for you. Now, let’s jump in and have some fun doing this!” Both providers, but particularly New in Slow Spanish, also made me feel that I was being invited to join a language learning language community - versus being convinced to buy an (expensive?) software curriculum. Notes in Spanish is also very clever in illustrating language rules (boring!) through humorous personality types and other innovative approaches (fun!) that help retention.


News in Slow Spanish, on the other hand, offers some very useful features, at no charge by the way, that I find very handy – particularly as an adult. They provide weekly 45 minute podcasts, and leverage Spanish Radio Online to deliver serious news content from around the world. News in Slow Spanish also lets me easily download this content (at no charge) to flash cards for future listening at my convenience.


While Notes in Spanish is clearly the more expensive of the two (specific prices vary based on choices), both of these providers are excellent values that allow you to purchase incrementally. Based on my personal preferences, News in Slow Spanish was the clear choice for me, but you may find otherwise. Bottom line - if you want to learn Spanish effectively and comfortably, you can’t go wrong with either of these choices.


The author is a student, with a keen interest in languages, learning Spanish on his own.

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