FREE foreign language training

[CameraMan]

The U.S. Foreign Service Institute teaches foreign languages to government diplomats and personnel for duties abroad—and its courses are available online, for free. Which means you can access audio, texts, and tests in 41 different languages.

FSI Language Courses. (http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php)

I played with the Hebrew course a little, seemed very comprehensive. Also, did I mention it's free?

[Charlie410]

Thanks for the tip on this website! :cool: I've been procrastinating to finally learn Spanish and this site may just the one to help me do that. Heck, I live in Texas and there are significant numbers of folks here who only speak Spanish! Muchas gracias!:D

[Sytx]

This is a excellent resource. Thanks allot :D

[CTEXSEC1]

Awesome Resource. However, I always wonder why Sign Language is not mentioned as a foreign language. It is its own culture. Ah well :)

[N. A. Corbier]

Awesome Resource. However, I always wonder why Sign Language is not mentioned as a foreign language. It is its own culture. Ah well :)

Considering there are multiple sign languages, and each has its own culture, and then the Deaf Culture, you'd think it would be.

[Sytx]

Serious question... has anyone ever run into a deaf suspect? I'm sure they are out there but I haven't ever had one. I had one victim but we were easily able to communicate via writing on my notepads and she read lips.

I was just reading this and thinking of a potential scenario... your running up to them telling them to stop (say assault with a large iron crowbar) and then use force to make them following the rule of three (ask, tell, make) for compliance but they honestly couldn't hear you. Then again I don't see it as the officers fault, just a odd situation.

EDIT:Spanish (Real Mexican Spanish) is much the same way, it varies from one area of Mexico to another in various ways. Border security patrol officers know this one all to well from their extensive training. Most languages are, you can tell what part of the world they are from by just listening to their voice. Like French in Louisiana (Well I don't think it's really French, creole perhaps) Someone in New Orleans can only understand about half what someone in Lafayette is saying, and Lafayette only half of Lake Charles but if you drag the distance out New Orleans can't understand almost anything of Lake Charles. It's more local dialect than anything else.

[Curtis Baillie]

Serious question... has anyone ever run into a deaf suspect? Yes, I've had two that I can remember while working in LP and one, suspect in a homicide, when I was in LE. In all cases, communication was not a problem. In the case of LE an independent translator was available throughout the case.

[CTEXSEC1]

Serious question... has anyone ever run into a deaf suspect? I'm sure they are out there but I haven't ever had one. I had one victim but we were easily able to communicate via writing on my notepads and she read lips.

I was just reading this and thinking of a potential scenario... your running up to them telling them to stop (say assault with a large iron crowbar) and then use force to make them following the rule of three (ask, tell, make) for compliance but they honestly couldn't hear you. Then again I don't see it as the officers fault, just a odd situation.

EDIT:Spanish (Real Mexican Spanish) is much the same way, it varies from one area of Mexico to another in various ways. Border security patrol officers know this one all to well from their extensive training. Most languages are, you can tell what part of the world they are from by just listening to their voice. Like French in Louisiana (Well I don't think it's really French, creole perhaps) Someone in New Orleans can only understand about half what someone in Lafayette is saying, and Lafayette only half of Lake Charles but if you drag the distance out New Orleans can't understand almost anything of Lake Charles. It's more local dialect than anything else.

No, I have never run into a deaf suspect. However, I have run into deaf people who were lost, confused, etc and needed directions. My training helped alot.

Also, Mexicans don't speak "Spanish." They speak "Mexican." The "Spanish" you usually learn in school is Castillian, a very formal dialect. In Texas and along the border they speak Tex-Mex, which is neither Spanish, Mexican, or anything else, but a strange combination of Texan-English and Mexican.

[HotelSecurity]

In Texas and along the border they speak Tex-Mex, which is neither Spanish, Mexican, or anything else, but a strange combination of Texan-English and Mexican.

Like Franglais here in Montreal.

[5423]

Like Franglais here in Montreal.

Oh, so sort of like New English, spoken by natives of our Northeastern corner states?

Speaking of which, just WTH is a "frappe"? Sounds like something a plumber would find on a Bad Day at work... :eek:

[N. A. Corbier]

I've had this conversation with quite a few deaf people. Most of them already have a plan for interacting with "law enforcement," which is to mean anyone in authority (to have a gun and hurt them) including security guards.

They are aptly aware that not being able to hear commands will get them beaten, tasered, pepper sprayed, or shot. At least, that's what some of them think. :)

The best way to deal with a deaf subject is to ensure that you can see them, and they can see you. Some will tell you they are deaf verbally, others will make obvious hand signals.

[HotelSecurity]

Oh, so sort of like New English, spoken by natives of our Northeastern corner states?

Speaking of which, just WTH is a "frappe"? Sounds like something a plumber would find on a Bad Day at work... :eek:

It’s more like using french words in place of english ones like: - the dep - instead of corner, variety, or convenience store; from dépanneur
- the guichet - instead of bank machine, even when all ATMs are labelled "ATM";
- stage - apprenticeship or internship.
- dossier instead of file.

We also say things tranlated from french like:
Close the TV - Turn/shut off the TV.
Close the door. - Lock the door.
Open the light. - Turn on the lights.
McDo instead of Micky D.

Frappé comes from the french verb to hit or beat.

[N. A. Corbier]

Close the light would probably stop me dead for a minute trying to figure out wtf someone means.