Has anyone heard of Mark Frobose, the language guy and his method. In his video at his website, he claims to be fluent in 5 languages. He seems to be an effective simplifier. “If you can say SOS, you can speak Spanish” he says.
Anything that simplifies language learning is a good thing. I think that he might be the American Michel Thomas.
I am always wary of methods that have you speaking right away. I think it is misleading to think that you can do any more than order a beer or find the bathroom. Once I grab a hold of a language I want to be able to read, understand, and communicate in a number of situations. But maybe most people just want a smattering of the language for that next trip to Paris or Mexico.
4 comments on “Mark Frobose , the language guy”
Comments are closed.
Like you said, the effectiveness of a program all depends on what people want to do with it. I’ve run into speakers ranging from those that want to pronounce French dishes correctly to those aiming to pass for native (not many of those though…and even that can be faked to a degree with a good accent.) The majority of people though just want to be able to order in a restaurant and impress their friends. He does seem to be a decent marketer though, which is something that I think is relatively new in the world of language learning programs and services. This is the first time I’ve seen a personality (very important these days) sold along side a learning method.
I agree with you Megan. I am impressed with his marketing approach. Of course, as someone who speaks 11 languages, has written a book on language learning, maintains a blog on the subject, and has a channel on Youtube, I am also trying to market my personal experience and a specific language learning methodology, LingQ. Obviously I am doing this much less effectively than he is.<br> <br>Thanks for commenting.<br><br>Steve<br><br><span style="color: black;"><div dir="ltr"><div><br><br> <a href="http://www.lingq.com/?referral=steve"><img src="http://www.lingq.com/goodies/ru/steve/badge/blue.jpg?width=160" border="0"></a> <a href="http://www.lingq.com/?referral=steve"><img src="http://www.lingq.com/goodies/pt/steve/badge/green.jpg?width=160" border="0"></a></div><br><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10px;"><span style="color: gray;">— @ <a href="http://my.wisestamp.com/link?u=ckktr4xvyc8htpsy&site=www.wisestamp.com/email-install" style="color: gray; text-decoration: none;">WiseStamp Signature</a></span>. <a href="http://my.wisestamp.com/link?u=ckktr4xvyc8htpsy&site=www.wisestamp.com/email-install">Get it now</a></div> </div></span>
Branding is tough. Taking specific language experience out of the equation, anyone who has goals of a higher level of language ability would favor experience over image, but I don’t believe most people really believe it’s possible to learn another language as an adult…let alone being attracted to the concept. That’s why his "rags to riches"/I’m a regular guy/not an academian pitch seems to be selling. It really is a shame, but I think the attitude can be changed.
Branding is a very expensive business. We are hoping that the Internet can help us get our message out there. The market for language learning is very large. Our appeal has to be to people who want to follow through on their language learning, since we do not just sell a package to people who may never use it. <br> <br>There are a lot of serious language learners out there, we just have to find them. We also have to convince other people that they can learn. I agree with you that many people do not think they can become fluent in another language. It is partly the fault of how languages are taught,and there I agree with Frobose.<br> <br>Steve<br><br><span style="color: black;"><div dir="ltr"><div><br><br> <a href="http://www.lingq.com/?referral=steve"><img src="http://www.lingq.com/goodies/ru/steve/badge/blue.jpg?width=160" border="0"></a> <a href="http://www.lingq.com/?referral=steve"><img src="http://www.lingq.com/goodies/pt/steve/badge/green.jpg?width=160" border="0"></a></div><br><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10px;"><span style="color: gray;">— @ <a href="http://my.wisestamp.com/link?u=ckktr4xvyc8htpsy&site=www.wisestamp.com/email-install" style="color: gray; text-decoration: none;">WiseStamp Signature</a></span>. <a href="http://my.wisestamp.com/link?u=ckktr4xvyc8htpsy&site=www.wisestamp.com/email-install">Get it now</a></div> </div></span>