 I remember my first Sony Walkman; how amazing it seemed that I could listen to whatever I wanted, wherever I was. It was also a bit overwhelming, the possible incongruities, walking through say Times Square listening to Chopin's Ballade no. 1 In G Minor. Sony Walkmans and later portable CD players allowed people to create their own soundtrack to any context, making it possible to listen to a foreign language while immersed in its culture-while sitting in a café in Paris, for example. Now, digital mobile audio players such as the iPod introduce radical new ways to refine that immersion as well as add an interactive component to preparing for travel abroad or studying language in context. iSpeak phrasebooks have 1,200 to 1,500 audio tracks, organized into various categories that allow you to communicate in all typical travel situations such as finding accommodations, eating out, or expressing your perceptions and opinions. The iPod's efficient, intuitive navigational interface allows you to quickly find those words and phrases most useful to you in a given context. Going to see some art? Review the Museums & Galleries album in Entertainment, as well as perhaps words and phrases in the Train & Metro album. iSpeak then allows you to both read and hear how these words and phrases are expressed--the most effective way to replicate native pronunciation and communicate successfully. While iSpeak phrasebooks are thematically organized for easy navigation, iPods (and some other MP3 players) also allow you to create your own playlists, which are simply lists of tracks in whatever order you choose from any Artists/Albums in your library. Thus in preparation for an evening out on the town, you can create a playlist of words and phrases from a variety of albums and artists including perhaps Entertainment > Planning, Travel > Bus, Food > Eating Out > Reservations and Eating Out > Ordering, as well as Conversations > Introductions and Conversations > Interests. Intersperse your iSpeak tracks with Music and podcasts to add variety to the mix. -Alex Chapin |
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