Pronunciator is an online service that features lessons in 80 languages! And it's free to Bossier Parish Library patrons!
Since this is a new service, we thought we would do a review and instructional post in one.
To reach the Pronunciator site, click on the link on the Bossier Parish Library website. There is an icon on the right hand side.
Pronunciator will ask you to register the first time. Enter your email and seconds later receive a confirmation email.
This email also assigns you a student name and password. The only downside we found when registering was that you do not choose your own student name and password - they seem to be random letters assigned to each user. While this may make it difficult to remember, it does make it more secure.
Once you have received your student name and password, you can sign in to the Pronunciator website. An entry code is not required.
When you have logged in, click "Launch Pronunciator" and it will bring you to the page were you can choose what language you would like to learn. There is also an option for people who speak language other than English.
Once you have decided which language you would like to learn - and with 80 languages available this may take some time! - you decide what course you would like to take. There is the general Pronunciator course or more customized courses, such as the 8 Week Travel Prep and learning levels like beginner, intermediate and advanced.
After choosing your lesson, you're ready to begin! In this example, we choose 8-Week Travel Prep Course. Each course is divided into weekly and daily lesson. The lesson shown below is Week 1, Day 1. The first lesson includes saying hello and goodbye.
The first part of the lesson is to listen and repeat the word or phrase. You can replay it as many times as you need and even slow it down, if necessary. We found that slowing the audio down came in very handy when we moved on to longer phrases. It shows you the word in the language, a pronunciation guide, and the English translation of the word. When you feel you've got a handle on the word, you can click next. The lesson is self-paced, which means you can move as quickly or as slowly as you like!
After you've completed the audio portion of the lesson, it's time to move on to flashcards! It shows you the same images that were on the audio portion and gives you the chance to fill it in yourself. When you think you've got the answer, hit the "Reveal Answer" button to see if you're correct!
Even though the lessons are divided into days and weeks, because it self paced you can move through the lessons as you want to - if you feel you can do more than one lesson in one day, you can. Or if you feel you need to spend several days on one lesson, you can do that too.
The Verdict:
Even though Pronunciator may not have all the fancy bells and whistles of other language sites, it is very straightforward and easy to navigate. We definitely recommend!
