- Most North Americans, despite childhood lessons in French or Spanish, remain unilingual. I blame the internet. With podcasts, internet radio and free lessons on zoodles of websites, learning just about any language has become too easy. Where's the glory in it? The quiet guy in the next cubicle is probably already doing it.
- Lately I've been trolling the internet for intermediate Spanish sites. I’ll listen to anything: grammar, reggeaton, cultural chit chat, scientific blurbs, news and politics... I've even found a podcast that teaches nasty jokes and slang but I'm not endorsing it -- too many canned laughs and chipmunk-pitched voices. Podcasts designed for native speakers are too challenging for me but I have found a gem, produced in Madrid.
- I refer intermediate Spanish students to my favorite language podcast: SSL4You. The author, Teresa Sanchez, teaches Spanish via cultural anecdotes. Her weekly monologues, on topics such as getting lost in Madrid, her 'stolen' car, Pamplona’s running of the bulls and Spanish wedding customs are entertaining and instructive.
- After each monologue, Teresa explains the complete text in simpler words, enriching listeners' vocabularies with useful synonyms. For those who like to read the text, her notes to the program include the complete script of the monologue for consultation on your ipod or computer.
I don’t know Teresa but it’s hard not to like her charismatic, non-commercial podcast:
http://ssl4you.blogspot.com/
Cereal Girl
Labels: Podcast, Spanish