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Viewing Tips for How to Get the Most Out of Foreign Language AudioTips for How to Get the Most Out of Foreign Language Audio
By Kathy Steinemann
Audio is of vital importance when learning a new language. Any dictionary - no matter how good it is - cannot accurately express subtle variances in stress, volume, and pronunciation. The next best thing to a native foreign language speaker is a good audio recording. In fact, audio presentations are superior in many cases if they have been prepared properly. What Distinguishes Good Foreign Language Audio from the Rest? 1. Grammar and intonations will be exact. 2. Good foreign language audio will avoid slang expressions or dialect speech. 3. The best recordings will have a constant volume without extremely loud or quiet portions. 4. Ideally, there will be accompanying text that mirrors or explains the oral presentation. 5. Recordings should use contemporary speech. Although productions like 'Robinson Crusoe' are classics, the language will be outdated. This article assumes that you already have some excellent audio available to you, and explains how to use it effectively. The Ear-to-Brain Connection Most foreign languages contain sounds that we do not use in our native languages. Because these sounds are unfamiliar to our ears, our brains tend to 'translate' them to something we already know. For example, the 'ch' in the German words 'Buch' and 'sprechen' are both unknown sounds to a native English speaker. The difference is often difficult to perceive - but you may be able to increase recognition by adjusting treble and bass levels. The human ear will usually distinguish speech more easily if you turn the bass down and increase the treble when you play a recording. With appropriate software, you can even rework the settings slightly and make a new recording. Increasing treble will also help you to pick out other sounds that are easily confused - like 'm' and 'n' in words like 'mein' and 'nein', 'f' and 's' as in 'aufgeben' and 'ausgeben' and vowel variations such as 'Mus' and 'muss'. Cancel the Noise Software with a noise reduction filter may reduce extraneous noise in some recordings. This improves the quality of your recording, but it will not eliminate another sound problem - background noise. Air conditioning, snoring, traffic, and other distractions interfere with optimum listening enjoyment. Noise-cancelling headphones solve this dilemma. Shop around for the features you want, and be sure to read user reviews before buying anything. Some headphones can be very expensive. Try them before buying, if possible. Not All Recordings Are Created Equal If you have acquired foreign language audio from different sources, you probably have to adjust the volume as you switch from one recording to another. Free software like MP3Gain can normalize MP3s to a common volume level without degrading the quality. I have personally used MP3Gain on both Windows XP and Windows Vista systems - with excellent results. For Mac users: Try MacMP3Gain. You can also find software that will allow you to normalize the volume of other audio file formats. Slower is Not Always Better Adjust playback speed when necessary. Windows Media Player and other audio playback software will allow you to play a file slower or faster than originally recorded. The first few times through a recording, try to listen at the original speed - and no cheating by reading along, if you have the written version. This applies to both beginners and advanced foreign language learners. Then, increase the speed to see how much you can pick out. If you find yourself really stumped on some of the words, listen at a slower speed and pay careful attention to the pronunciation, rewinding and repeating difficult sections several times. Foreign Language Books are Also Important, but... Beginners should not attempt to read foreign language books on their own (thereby introducing bad pronunciation habits). Instead, try to find books with accompanying audio. Correcting ingrained poor speech habits is extremely difficult. Reading along with a narrator will reinforce correct pronunciation and improve reading skills. Keep Learning as You Sleep Play foreign language audio while you sleep. This boosts your daytime language exposure and helps you to learn at an accelerated rate. Amazingly, the brain functions at a subconscious level while you slumber. Reviewing text and notes for the selected audio before you go to bed, and again when you wake up, strengthens the sleep-learning process. Gestures, Body Movements, and Facial Expressions This tip may be the most important of all. If you can listen to foreign language audio in a private place, do it! Make faces, hand gestures, and body movements to accompany what you hear. For example, for the following sequence: 'Is the store over there? No it is here!' Point to 'over there', raise your eyebrows, and look 'over there' as you ask the question; then shake your head, look at your feet, and point 'here' with the second sentence. When pronouncing, exaggerate the facial movements. This technique creates a kind of 'mind imprint'. The next time you say or hear the same words, your brain responds more quickly and with better accuracy. You are training your mind to react to certain phrases in a specific way by involving more of your senses. 'Not-So-Good' Foreign Language Audio Recordings Volume within recordings can sometimes be exasperating. If you find yourself decreasing the volume due to annoying music or sound effects, and then increasing it again to hear speech, you might be better off to scrap the recording. Alternatively, you can attempt to modify it with software. Good audio software will allow you to select a portion of a file and reduce or increase the volume of only that section. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme... To be honest, I have not tried this tip myself. However, there is scientific evidence that rosemary helps to improve mental clarity, alertness, and long-term memory. You can buy rosemary-scented candles, rosemary essential oils, dried rosemary, potpourri containing rosemary, rosemary tea... The more senses you involve while you learn, the better - so this is worth a try. I intend to search for some rosemary oil the next time I go shopping. Maybe the health food store will have some tea... Get Connected - and Feel the 'Brain-Burn'! Your chance of meeting somebody who speaks a foreign language is growing rapidly as jet travel and the Internet shrink the world. If you have not already done so, please join millions of other foreign language students from around the world and - get learning! The sense of accomplishment and the resulting brain workout is incomparable. (c) Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author's note below (with active links) are included. About the Author: Kathy writes language articles and German-English short stories and poetry in parallel translation for A Language Guide. Article Source: A Language Guide - http://www.a-language-guide.com More free articles: 1st Rate Articles - 1stRateArticles.com |
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