Hi everyone. My fiancee got here last week and she is liking it here very much. She does want to further her English. She can speak English and I can understand her and she can understand me and all, but its hard for herto talk to other people who can't understand her. She wants to get a program for the computer that can help her. The one that came to mind was Rosetta Stone, but when I read the reviews on it, it says it teaches "basic" English. Has anyone had any good fortune with any other programs that we could try?
She is from China, if that makes a difference as to which rogram is best. Thanks again!

We're looking at www.auralog.com
They have a free trial. Looks pretty cool.

The best place for you to ask this is on A Candle for Love.

http://candleforlove.com

Uesful post there:
http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...c=24081&hl=

A little more searching of that site will get you all sorts of advice Chinese/English

Thanks for the info guys!

Another good idea would be to try to get her into a community college. In my state we have state-sponsored english classes all the way up to level 5 or 6. They are freeeeee, and you get to meet new people, share your immigrant stories. I made my husband sign for the summer semester and although that was only a conversation English class it was very cool. He made new friends from several nationalities, and I think overall you get more out of a classroom than from a computer.

But if you don't have that option I did hear that Rosetta Stone you mention is good.

p.s. I hear skype has english classes being broadcast if she wants to practice with others.

Hi Gains,

That's great that your fiancee likes living here in America, and wants to improve her English. English is definately something she can work on, as it is the main language here used for communication, so it is very important for her to learn this skill. After all, one of the first steps in moving into a new country, is to learn its language. For several years I used to volunteer at a local community program to teach English to immigrants of all ages in Canada. I can tell you that it is quite the interesting experience all the students and the teachers. In my opinion, the best way for your fiancee to learn English is:
-In answer to your question about computer programs, the computer program that we used was "AutoSkill" http://www.autoskill.com/ It is a program that teaches English up to a high school/12 grade level, with lots of fun activities to do, like puzzles and games. Though geared towards children, we found that the adults liked the program too. The main emphasis of the computer program was on phonics and pronouncation of words. I'm not sure if they sell this program to individuals, but you might be able to find a community group in your area that uses this computer program to teach its students English.
-Have her take an English class in your community (through a school, community centre, learning centre, etc) where she can learn basic English skills. It would help her to see that other people are just like her, wanting to learn English. As well, this is a good opportunity for her to meet new people in America (especially new immigrants who, like her, want to learn English too).
-Since you mentioned that she is from China, make sure that when she speaks, that she practices her "r" sounds. I found that with the Chinese language, the pronouncation of "r" in words can be mistaken for "l", as there is no "r" in the Chinese language. Also, have her emphasize articles found in the English language (for example, "a", "an", "the") as again, in the Chinese language there is a lack of these articles. For example, in English one would correctly say, "I saw the cat", and in Chinese, one would incorrectly say, "I saw cat". Lol...
-Last but not least (and the most important of all): Practice, practice, practice!! Have her speak to people in English, and to write her thoughts and ideas in English. I found that when I taught students English, they learned the best by talking in groups with basic conversation (for example, talking about the news, weather, cultural differences, etc.), and by writing in journals/composition books about their life experiences.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your fiancee in her English learning endeavours!

Ant

Hey Ant, you're back! Haven't seen you around for a long time. How was your Labour ("labor"...) Day weekend?

Anyway, just want to point out that in Chinese, there's actually a very complex system of measure words that serves the same purpose as articles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_measure_words

This confuses the heck out of non-Chinese speakers...

Oh yeah, to the OP: I'm using Rosetta Stone off and on now for Spanish, and I agree that it teaches you only the basics (its focus is on vocabulary, so flashcards can be a cheaper alternative). Definitely supplement whatever language-learning software/CDs your fiancée plans on using with actual classes, because full immersion in the language and interaction with classmates help so much!

Junior colleges usually have a Learning English program, you might check into that too.

Hi Em,

Likewise, I haven't seen you awhile online too. The main reason why I came back on VJ was that a friend of mine needed some help with their immigration situation, so I was posting some questions online, hoping to find some answers here on VJ. How was your labo(u)r (yes, Canadian/British English spelling is better than American English spelling) day? As for me, the highlight of my labo(u)r day weekend was being stuck at the Peace Bridge for 1/2 hour, then being stuck on the QEW/401 for an hour, driving for a total of 6 hours, and feeling nauseous on the way there and back. Lesson learned: I'm done with visiting Canada (especially Toronto), especially on a holiday weekend! Oh well, labo(u)r day isn't much of a holiday, and there are other holidays to look forward to in America...

That's an interesting link that you sent about Chinese articles. Lol..one thing for sure I agreed with the link: "a definite article like English "the" does not exist as such in Chinese". I could read what most of the link said and understood the point you were conveying, but the Chinese words showed up like blank squares (lol...I don't have a Chinese reader on my computer, and even if I did, I wouldn't know how to read Chinese). I agree, the Chinese language sure does confuse a lot of non-native Chinese speakers. No wonder I never really did learn the language, as it's way too confusing for me. I'll just stick with English, the common language used here in the USA.

Hope you had an enjoyable Labo(u)r Day weekend. Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Ant

P.S. How did you do the accent thing, like for the word fiancee? Is there a button on the computer I can press for that? Or do I need a French/Spanish/Other language program on my computer for that?

True, I am Faculty at the local C.C. and my wife is currently enrolled in the ESL program, to improve her English.

There are free ESL classes in my area. True, you get what you pay for (the class is likely to be rather large), but a K-1 holder is likely to have little money and plenty of time at the beginning of his/her time in the US.

Yes, just like the other two members mentioned, I teach ESL on a volunteer basis in my area. It is all free. The program I teach for is "Volunteer English Program". Check to see if your area offers something like this.

Labour Day weekend was spent with my in-laws (it was my mother-in-law's birthday ), so it was filled with food, and more food.

Why did you decide to visit T.O. over Labour Day weekend?! That's insane, of course haha.

You don't need a Chinese reader to read Chinese on the computer... just the fonts, which should come with your Windows installation CD, unless you're using Mac/Linux (which I don't know too much about).

As for the accent thing, I have set up French as a second language on my languages bar thingy... you go to Control Panel > Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options > Add Other Languages > Details > ... (I'm using French (Canada), US-international keyboard setting)... so whenever I switch to French, I can type accents very easily... e.g. é = ' + e

My wife was going for a while to free classes given by the Literacy Council of Texas. They were very good. You might check the phone book there in San Antonio.

Hi Em,

Hope you had a great labo(u)r day weekend celebrating it with your in-laws. I'm sure it must have been quite the joyous celerbation with all that food for your Mother-In-Law's birthday!

Lol...You're right, going to Canada (especially T.O.) on Labo(u)r Day is insane. Believe me, my husband and I will never ever do that again (or go to Canada again for a very very long time). Why I went is because of a family reason. I would have definately picked another day to go, and not have gotten stuck in traffic. But the person on the other end in Canada was way too stubborn-minded to realize just how chaotic it gets traffic-wise during long-holiday weekends, even though I tried reasoning with them, knowing perfectly well of the traffic conditions ahead of time. Sigh, I shouldn't have given in about that date, but that's ok that I was nice about giving in. Oh well, I'm done with that person, and I'm done with Canada, so on that note, it was a Happy Labo(u)r Day for me. A final farewell to Canada...

Oh ok, thanks for telling me about the Chinese reader. For years and years, no matter what computer I used, I still kept on seeing those odd-looking blank squares when others typed in Chinese, or some Chinese-related font. I don't know which part of the installation CD that is in (I'm using Windows XP), but that doesn't matter anyway, as again, I wouldn't know how to read Chinese even if I was starring at it in front of me on my computer screen.

Thanks for telling me about the French accents too. It makes sense that the accents would be French, as it is a language with all those accents in it (lol..I think there were different names for the accents, or something like that, that was mentioned in French class). I'll have to try that suggestion sometime, especially if there are some words in the English language, such as Fiancee (a French word that is also found in the English language, maybe because French and English have the same roots and thus share common words) that have accents on them.

Ant

A final farewell to Canada? Surely you don't really mean that! The Jasper region in Alberta's worth visiting, and I still need to visit our mutual friend R. in B.C. ... plus, I'd love to visit the North.

You're quite right -- there are names for the different accents:

é Acute
ç Cedilla
â Circumflex
è Grave
ñ Tilde
ü Umlaut/Diaeresis

There are others, but I don't know their names...

Just sent you a long email, btw!

Hi Em,

Well....as for Canada (especially Toronto), it's a farewell for now. I agree though, that the Provincial/National Parks in Canada, and R in B.C. is worth visiting, so who knows, maybe my family and I will visit north of the border someday many years down the future (though that won't be for a long time especially since it costs quite a bit to get up there, and now with the US passport requirements it's not worth it). Meanwhile, there is so much here in the USA that we have yet to see....

That's interesting to learn about those accents again. Thanks for that "refresher French lesson". It reminds me back to our old French class days. Lol...Remember DrMrsVandertramp and the Je suis/Tu es/Ill est/Elle est/Nous sommes/Vous etes/Ills ont/Elles ont conjugations too? You've certainly been keeping up with your French over the years, Em, wow!

I'll check my e-mail and see what you wrote and reply accordingly by e-mail....

Have fun surfing on the VJ website...

Ant