1) We have split up the lessons to make them shorter as this has been requested by a number of users. So we offer now 105 lessons in the Professional version and 60 lessons in the Standard version. The previous unit ‘phases’ with lessons [...]]]> Today we have released the Personaltrainer Version 3 with two major improvements:

1) We have split up the lessons to make them shorter as this has been requested by a number of users. So we offer now 105 lessons in the Professional version and 60 lessons in the Standard version. The previous unit ‘phases’ with lessons on common phrases has been integrated into the 105 lessons. Therefore it is now easier, as you can just follow sequentially through the lessons.

2) We have also rectified an issue with the audio. On some operating system, the audio stopped after some time of use. We hope this is fixed now. In case you still experience problems with the audio, please drop us a line.

First and before I explain how we treat Quality at L-Ceps, [...]]]> Three days ago, I received an email from a prospective customer commenting that many language learning programs available -and especially some delivered through the internet- contain many spelling errors. He was then asking us whether our Product, the Personaltrainer series, also has the same problem.

First and before I explain how we treat Quality at L-Ceps, I would like to point one thing out: “I totally agree with him”. From my experience with language learning software, there are often programs out there that have many many spelling mistakes or sometimes also the audio is of poor quality or the speakers use some kind of strange accent. What I found most striking is that I also found these problems in some of the biggest companies selling language learning software (especially I found errors in not so popular languages they offer). Sometimes it is very helpful to read online reviews about the software that you like to purchase (I find the ones at Amazon for instance quite good) in order to find out if the software is of good quality.

So how do we ensure quality at L-Ceps?

Let me point out a few things that we have incorporated to minimise the possibility of errors:

• Selection of Translators: In most cases we use certified translators with excellent references that reside in their native country. We do not like to work with translators that have been outside their native country for some years, because naturally they loose being in touch with the day-to-day developments in that language. All our translators have college degrees.
• Selection of Speakers: We take great care to select speakers that speak accent free standard dialect of the respective language. We also ensure that the speakers have a clear and good sounding voice and we give the speakers a special training before recording.
• Quality during recording: We have developed a special software for recording in which the speaker directly records the sentence into the computer. We also use the Samson C01U USB studio condenser microphone in order to ensure high audio quality.
• Checking and Testing: I think we spend around the same time checking and testing the final language learning product than we spend developing it. We hire natives of the respective language and let them go through each of the words and sentences of the final product in order to ensure everything is perfect.

So does that mean, all our products are totally error free?

No of course not!

We have found few errors also in our software. But if we find them, we quickly rectify them and update our product. I think no company can guarantee a 100% error free product, but from what I have just described you can see that we have (1) the processes in place to minimise possible errors and (2) the attitude to quickly rectify any errors once we get to know them.

Well it is true that the sales of Burmese are a fraction of the sales of other languages like Mandarin or Thai and [...]]]> Some days back, I was in an email conversation with one of our customers and he was wondering, seeing that we offer languages like Burmese, if that is profitable.

Well it is true that the sales of Burmese are a fraction of the sales of other languages like Mandarin or Thai and we were very much aware of this. So why did we still produce this language. Well firstly, one day also the Burmese product will break even (although it will take considerable longer than the other languages) but more importantly there are hardly any comprehensive language learning software products for learning Burmese so we wanted to also give learners of this language the opportunity to use enhanced technology. We also think that the Burmese language is a very beautiful language (from the script and pronunciation) and we also wanted to produce the Burmese version because of that

It is interesting that we get sometimes emails not really connected to the language learning software that we are selling. Once I got an email asking about where in Switzerland to learn Arabic and as we take pride to help anybody who contacts us I digged out some addresses and emailed them back.

Today I got an email from someone asking how long it will take to speak Chinese Mandarin like a native. Well my first thought was to reply “You will never be able to speak Mandarin like a native” but then I thought that would be a little bit too harsh and probably discourage him from starting to learn Mandarin and I answered him a little bit more indirectly. But please let me explain why this was my first thought.

Speaking a language like a native –what does that mean? It would mean to have completely inherited the language. It would mean not only to speak absolutely accent free, use correct grammar at all times and more importantly using of correct colloquial language which requires a deep understanding of the culture of the language. Most of us at L-Ceps have travelled extensively and lived in foreign countries for many years but from the thousands of people that we met, the only ones that could speak a second language like a native were actually bi-lingual educated persons. I have met many people that could speak a language perfectly, could negotiate complex contracts in that language but still from the 1^st sentence they spoke it was apparent that this language is not their mother tongue.

I remember one guy from Finland with whom I have studied in the UK many years back. His parents were in the diplomatic corps and he grew up in Spain and Italy. When we once met other students from Spain what amazed me most was not only that he could speak that language like a native but his whole body language was that of a Spanish guy. That day, I realized how hard it is to master a language.

Well now you probably wonder why we are selling language learning products and at the same time in our blog tell people that they will not be able to learn a language like a native. This is because we believe that this is not important. We believe that it is important to learn a language the correct way, to step-by-step improve your language skills until you are able to speak the language on a high level and be able to have complex conversations but why would you like to sound like a native –if you are not a native? Leave the native language to the natives!

Learning a language is hard work and takes time and I sometimes get amused when I read advertisements like “Learn Spanish in 30 days”. But I will write more about this and my own experiences in learning Asian languages in another blog entry.