[Travelandtourism] Question About Blind People and Language Imersion

[Peter Wolf]

Hi Chris - and anyone who wants language learning info:

 I'm a good person to talk to about languages because they have always come easy to me, and I've tried different methods.  Prior to the recent onset of my vision issues I did the regular classic book/classroom learning.   I have traveled a lot, and managed to speak the host language in all countries except a few without speaking English there.  When I was a kid about 22, I rode a bike across Europe after college, with walkman headphones in my helmet (that's when helmets were a new idea and headphones weren't yet a no-no)...  In the couple of weeks in one country, I'd learn enough language while cycling on the roads to have learned enough survival level language of the next country, coming on line as I crossed the border.  Let's see...French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, a start on Hebrew...

Since then I have had brain injuries which have produced functional (cortical) blindness, which has really screwed reading.  All the more then, audio courses have been a fantastic way to go.  I'm not totally blind, but it has pretty much wiped out reading as well as well as walking (white cane).  So I have good perspective of "before and after" info for you, and methods.  And the verdict is in - that learning by audio for me is just fantastic as much so now as it ever was, even as it has become necessary due to the vision issues.  Audio is where it's at: people don't speak conversationally in written print or braille either!  Learning language can be very easy - if - you get the right course format for you.  I will lay out three.  Here are some specifics:

First, figure out what kind of person you are for learning.  There are three basic kinds of audio courses in my experience.  They are:
1.  Bare bones, material like a small pocket phrasebook
2.  Bones with some development and context
3.  Interactive conversational courses


Let's break each down:
First:  If you are a straight linear learner, like you can hear and remember "stacks" of information, and can "brain map" it out for yourself, then it might be ok to use a Berlitz course.  I am not that kind of thinker, so I personally find them disjointed and ineffective for my learning style.  They pretty much stick to surface traveler's phrasebook needs.  And they jump from one thing to the next without what I perceive as much connection.  If you want to advance to the next level, Berlitz and almost anyone's course will sell you the next advanced levels.  But Berlitz for me was just to sketchy.  In English a Berlitz lesson would go something like this, first the English, and then the language response, like:

Where is the bathroom?  (then language response).
Hot (language response).
Cold (etc).
Where is the nearest restaurant? (etc).
Where is the center of town? (etc).
Where is the nearest doctor? (etc).
Etcetera, etcetera.  

That kind of thing, I personally can't string together well to remember and learn language coherently in a way that sticks.   l like more of a natural progression, and even more, some actual situational context, like real conversation.

Second, here is a course that is still in English, with the same kind of repeating the foreign language in the same fashion.  A good course for this is called "Living Language".  Why it is better than Berlitz, is that there is more depth and connection of material, and it works in better and more related progression through it.  If you make it all the way through one of the Living Language courses, which typically has 20 lessons, you'll have much more than disjointed phrasebook parroting.  It will give you some language structure.  You should be able by now to get almost any language through them.  But again, it is a "this, that, this, that, this, that" style of repeat learning.  It's a bit to me like a freight train, clacking right by.  I'm either on the train, or once I've fallen off, it's a hell of a run to get back on.  But there is much more natural progression and more material to go through it and make sense of than Berlitz.  Berlitz to me is a bag of bones, good luck putting it all together.  Living Language at least gives you a skeleton.  And in some cases, you can find cartilage and ligaments that hold one bone to the next.

But then, third, (drum roll please):  There is the king of language learning programs.  It's the whole body.  And it talks with you.  Pimsleur language courses.  No, I don't work for them or own their stock.  But I've only mentioned the other courses above (many of which I still own) to give you perspective on types of courses.  I'd say, don't waste your time with anything above - just get Pimsleur!  Why?  Because they are coherent, progressive, and based in actual interacting conversational language.  They supply the context for learning very easily.  And they structure it with complete guidance and spontaneous quizzing, which is also in context.  They get you completely involved, as if you are sitting trying to work into an actual conversation with patient people who are willing to repeat it for you and finally include you.  A lesson unit goes something like this:

1.  They say:  Here is a conversation.  See if you can pick out any words or phrases, or meaning, and listen to the tone as well:  (it plays the conversation for you).
2.  Then, they say:  This was a conversation about (subject).  How you say (something) in this conversation is...(and they they tell you).  
3.  Then, they say:  Go ahead and listen through it for the phrase we've just taught you.  (then they play it again to hear)
4.  Then, they say:  How would *you* say it?  (what they just taught)
5   Then, they say:  Ok, now listen to the whole thing over again, and follow through.  They then break it down, and quiz you on what you've been hearing anticipating, and interacting with, asking, "how would *you* say...    And then they come back on you regularly not only for this particular learning unit, but also in future learning units - to ask you these spot questions on how to say something that relates.  They set you up to learn; you just can't help it.  It's just fantastic because it is an interactive, natural progression that does not ever come across as disjointed, has more depth than phrasebooks, and makes it really fun.  That for me is in part because I discover that despite myself I have absorbed and catch myself reflexively responding correctly - which is how they've planned it all along!  Far enough through one of their languages, and I start to catch myself thinking in that language!

Pimsleur courses that give more than bare bones introduction can run a few hundred bucks.  My vision issues are only 5 years old at this point, and as I've been getting my assistive tech stuff going it's really only been about 6 months that I have been reading again -thank God.  I'm using Bookshare and running books through voice dream by ipad primarily so far.  But so far that's just books and the occasional PDF.  I don't know yet if or where a library system we'd use has Pimsleur courses.  You can tell I'm "over the top" about their courses I'm sure.  I tell you, next language I want to learn, if I can't get it through a library loan, I'd absolutely shell out money for it.  They are almost "autopilot" learning, and great fun too.  In a short time, you'll be shocked at how much you've learned. 

Hope this helps.  Have fun!
Best wishes,
Peter


Life-Skills
Connecting with the Wisdom of the Earth
Tracking, Survival and Nature Awareness Skills 
www.wolfskills.com












Life-Skills
Connecting with the Wisdom of the Earth
Tracking, Survival and Nature Awareness Skills 
www.wolfskills.com




On Nov 25, 2014, at 9:43 PM, Chris Jones via Travelandtourism wrote:

> Dear Listers:
> My name is Chris Jones and I am wondering if anyone has had experience in being imersed in a foreign language and how you may have gone about it as a blind person.  I am totally blind and a fluent Braille user.  I am hoping to go on a mission trip to Krakow, Poland and I do not know any Polish.  Years ago, I learned French, but I am not fluent in it now, and I know a little German, but, again, these are very different languages than Polish.
> If anyone has any relevant experiences, I would very much like to hear from you.
> Should you prefer to respond privately, my e-mail address is clj1 at cableone.net.
> Thank you for your time.
> Chris Jones
> _______________________________________________
> Travelandtourism mailing list
> Travelandtourism at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/travelandtourism_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Travelandtourism:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/travelandtourism_nfbnet.org/pwolf1%40wolfskills.com
>