Anne Emerick thinks so, and has developed a new language-learning method designed to be effortless.

As frustrated language learner Anne Emerick looked for a totally different way to learn Spanish, she developed a new method: “No-Work Spanish.”

But is it really possible for adults to “pick up” a foreign language without working at it?

The new method appears to rely on one tactic: listening to stories that alternate English and Spanish. “By carefully alternating between English and Spanish, the [audio book] stories help the listener interweave English and Spanish concepts and before long, the listener is able comprehend short spoken Spanish passages,” reports a September 3^rd press release.

This is all well and good. But the product’s website starts out by comparing the experience to native language acquisition: “Remember when you learned your first language? …What if you could learn a second language the same way?”

First, no one learns a first language by listening to audio books that speak a sentence in one (somehow already acquired) language, then in another. The very principle is a contradiction in terms.

Second, the method sounds fine for reinforcing or acquiring listening skills, but what about the three other essential language skills – speaking, writing and reading?

Finally, although learning one’s native language may not take a lot of “work,” it certainly takes a lot of time – years, in fact, of constant exposure and opportunities to communicate. How many years do you want to spend listening to audio books?

As the method’s website suggests, No Work Spanish could very well be an excellent tool to acquire basic comprehension skills, or to help students prepare for listening exams.

But, as in any field, beware of heady promises and magical solutions.

Betty Carlson

See Also

• Language Translation, Inc.
  A leading language translation and interpretation service provider for more than 20 years.