Archive for January 3rd, 2008 

Learn Spanish with Spanishpod101.com! You know, it’s very rude not to show appreciation. So, let us be the ones to show you how to do so in Spanish. Join Alan and Lisy as they entangle themselves in the verb “agradecer” (to appreciate) or (to be thankful for). And you know the drill by now, they will conjugate this verb for the present tense of the indicative mood. We appreciate you listening. But you know what you will appreciate, checking out the learning center…it’s a good thing. Sorry Martha Stewart, do you have trademark on that?

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So far, the answer is a resounding YES, as we have teams producing lessons in Lima (Peru), Madrid (Spain), Mexico City (Mexico), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and New York (USA). OK, so we took a little liberty with the last one.

How long will it take us to get a team up and recording lessons in every Spanish speaking country?

Great question! We’re hoping within the year, but only time will tell.

Why offer lessons from numerous “regions”?

Well, there is an inherent problem, when it comes to teaching Spanish. While there are standard grammatical norms that govern formal written Spanish, what we hear and speak in actuality differs from place to place. This is because Spanish is a living language. When we’re taught Spanish in school, we get one generic version, with which people surprisingly seem to be content. This has always puzzled us here at SpanishPod101.com, because we understand that language is inseparable from culture. Standard Spanish, with its universal grammatical norms, does have its place; but we feel that it is misleading to teach this without including the regional flavor and texture that makes actual Spanish what it is. So that is why we offer both.

Each dialect has its own beauty, its unique expressions and above all, its own allure. Imagine the surprise and delight on the face of a person when you surprise them with words, idioms, cultural references from his or her own regional form of Spanish!

To put this into context, if you’re an American, all you have to do is imagine a non-native speaker talking to you about cricket. Or, if you’re British, think about what it would be like to hear a non-native speaker going on about baseball.

Remember, learning a language is all about making connections. And with this in mind, we set out to introduce the world to the true beauty of Spanish: not only the grammatical norms that govern the language, but the regional forms of speech, which make it what it is.

Prior to the internet and high-speed internet connections, for that matter, the logistics and economics behind teaching EVERY regional form of Spanish were very problematic. Hmmm… actually that still may be the case, but we feel that with improvements in technology and the right team members that any obstacle can be overcome and that teaching Spanish directly from Spanish speaking countries is not only feasible, but essential.

We’ve toyed with the idea of covering all of the languages under one roof and have not ruled out that option, but, what is so revolutionary about that? Where does that get us? Where does that get our students?

As the internet and technology keeps raising the bar and pushing the limits, shouldn’t our approach to education follow suite? Don’t we owe it to our field to push the limits?

We feel that the answer is YES, and this is why we have decided on this revolutionary and challenging approach.

Please remember what you see at SpanishPod101.com is an experiment in progress. We are challenging the status quo and setting out on a journey to bring the world a valuable asset. We are well aware that we can’t do this alone, and that’s why we’re asking for your help, feedback, participation and understanding as we try to change the way Spanish is taught.

So, this is our pledge to you:

Join us in building SpanishPod101.com together, and your voice will be heard. You will have a direct impact on the shape, vision and end result of what we become! We want to do this together with you! We’re looking forward to growing and creating SpanishPod101.com together.

Muchos saludos,
Team SpanishPod101.com