Has anyone tried Mango for learning a language?

I was discusssing the possibility of learning a new language recently with a friend, and while the usual suspects were mentioned (Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone), someone mentioned that I should look at Mango as well (Mango Languages).

I had never even heard of it and to be honest it seems like new companies crop up and don't last because of the staying power of the others mentioned. I was just curious if anyone has tried it, purchased it, etc. and can give me any opinions. The website it a very cleanly designed one and the demo looks clean and straight forward as well, but I'm not going to spend a few hundred dollars for it if my return isn't that great. I would rather stick with known language courses like Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone. BTW it does say you can sign up for a free lesson so I might try that and report back to this thread.

Mango Languages

 

I will Steve. I'm going to start this evening and try to give an honest critique since I've tried Pimsleur in the past. Pimsleur is great for driving on long trips, but I like the idea of interactive learning so I hope Mango produces.

 

Whatever the heck happened to Berlitz? They were the gold standard for a long, long, time.

 

Ok, so I tried the free course and it was incredibly short. Essentially, it consists of slides that show you the words in both English and the language you are learning (I picked Spanish). You then pronounce the words and it takes a few slides where it describes why you are using certain tenses and words in a formal and informal setting.

It appears that this company set up these courses for people looking to travel because it also goes into detail about local customs as well. In my opinion, unless I'm missing something, this does not appear to be designed for children because it really goes into some detail concerning grammar rules. My estimate would be that some older children would benefit from this, but not someone just beginning to learn. Of course I'm not an educator so take this as simply an uninformed opinion.

Overall, the course is engaging and cleanly designed, but I'm not sure how it really sets itself apart from Rosetta Stone. Also, maybe the demo course is just too small of a sampling to really give a good review. I might purchase the first course just to give it a better and more fair review.

 

I still see their CDs and books at the library and bookstore.

If plunking down $80 on a class, I, too, would probably still with Berlitz or Pimsleur or some long-trusted name.

The Mango iPhone app does look interesting. But, it appears there's no free trial of that.

There are some good free Spanish apps for basic learning.

Duolingo is a free app and website for basic language learning. It has it's flaws (you can't skip around to different topics, and have to fill in the blanks on sentences to move to the next step). At least it's free.

 

I played with Mango in the early days when the site first went up (and everything was still free). It seemed pretty basic then and did not capture my attention. After testing it for an hour or so, I gave up and moved on to other things.

If you do not require a set curriculum or lots of graphics to entertain you during the process, my personal recommendation is LingQ.com. The core part of the site is free. What does that consist of? For your target language, you can get texts and Mp3s. The idea is to read and listen from Day 1 to Spanish, Swedish, Mandarin Chinese or whatever language you decide on at LingQ and slowly allow your brain to make sense of what is provided. If you hover over the words in the text, you'll get suggested translations for individual words or phrases from other users. If you want, you can make up to ~200 "lingqs" (digital flash cards) for free, but you will have to pay to create more than that. If you want a tutor or other services, you'll have to pay. The materials are provided at different levels, so I think it is pretty easy to create a curriculum of your own.

What it really comes down to is motivation and drive to continue working with the language (written texts, audio, conversations with a language partner, etc.), whatever program you do choose in the end. Best of luck to you!

 

SpanishHour.com is another option.

Not my favorite, but it's free and pretty decent for basic to intermediate skills.

 

If you wish to speak a language quickly, while simultaneously learning the grammar required to begin constructing your own sentences, I would highly recommend the Michel Thomas CDs. I've tried the intro German series and nearly all of the Basic and Advanced Dutch series. No homework or notes required. Just sit and actively listen to the CDs. That's it!

Het was goed besteed geld!

 

I love it

Mango has undergone significant updates since then. They released their new version in 2009. I use it and love it. It teaches both grammar and culture, which is very hard to find in most learning systems.

Mango Languages also offers an interactive learning system for children through a partner called Little Pim. This is also freely available through some public libraries. You'll have to call up your library to check. It's great for children.