Being able to communicate in more than one language has always been an invaluable skill in both work and life. Unlike students in traditional schools that are required to at least take one foreign language class, homeschoolers may not get a second language under their belts unless their parents are bilingual or they sign-up for a class (maybe at a community college).
Alas, fellow homeschoolers, fear not...
Transparent Language may be just the answer for you.
Transparent Language is an online "language portal" with software and resources in over 105 languages from Afrikaans and Albanian to Yiddish and Zulu...and literally everything in between.
Since everything is available directly on the Internet, Transparent Language works great on either PC or Mac. No matter which language you choose, the layout for the webpage is fairly standard and easy to get around.
My wife and I decided to give the "learn to speak Spanish" module a test ride.
The site was well-organized into six tabbed sections:
Blog - On the day I logged in, the blog explained the difference between the prepositions "por" and "para" in Spanish giving lots of examples for clarification. There was also a list of common "verduras" (or vegetables) like "la alcachofa" and "el brocoli." Subscribe to the feed if you want to be notified whenever the blog is updated with more lessons.
Products - Transparent Language offers several software and audio products for those of you who master the freebies on the site and want to pursue a more in-depth study of the language. Their cornerstone product is the "Complete Spanish Learning Suite" that retails for $119.95. Homeschoolers may find the "KidSpeak Spanish" software of particular interest with its combination of animation, fun activities, and interactive games...a bargain at $29.95!
Overview - This tabbed section provides an interesting overview of the language. I didn't know that "Spanish is the most widely spoken Romance language in terms of the number of speakers and the number of countries which claim Spanish as the official language."
Cool Stuff - Transparent Language packs a lot of freebies in this section, including games and quizzes, Spanish survival phrases, and other Spanish resources. There's enough here to keep anyone fully immersed in the language for hours.
Downloads - You can download a free copy of the "Before You Know It (BYKI)" Lite software that gives a nice taste of the paid product version. We had a blast trying to master the key words and phrases under topics like "At The Restaurant," "Meetings and Greetings," and "Polite Conversation." I found the toggle button that reduces the speaker's speed (and appropriately labeled with a turtle) the coolest feature. Definitely a high-tech version of those old flash cards from school.
WOTD (Word Of The Day) - Click on Word Of The Day and hear it perfectly pronounced by a native speaker and even used in a sentence. Click on one of the icons on the right and have the WOTD sent to you by email or feed...very clever.
Once you master Spanish, move on to learn to speak Italian or learn to speak French. Give Transparent Language a test spin and open the door to a world of languages.
