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Getting Language Tuition to help | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| bobby1413 Newbie United Kingdom Joined 4201 days ago 32 posts - 32 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian | Message 1 of 28 25 June 2014 at 12:02pm | IP Logged | ||
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I started learning Italian about a year ago and did so for around 4 months quite
intensely. By this I mean I lived and breathed it. I first used Rosetta Stone, then Assimil, and also used Michel Thomas. I listened to Italian Radio, bought verb books, etc... and this culminated in my eventual holiday in Florence which I still can't get out of my head... it was AMAZING. I was quite surprised how much Italian I had picked up. I could form sentences to ask for something... with some time to plan I mean, doing it spontaneously was a bit different. Plus although people understood, they may not have sounded good grammatically... however I'm not too worried about that as I was still basic. The problem came when I returned with no other visits to Italy in sight. A year has rolled past and the learning dropped off, however I still remember quite a bit, and I know it would take just 2-3 weeks to get it all back. Language Tutor I'm planning another trip to Italy in the next 3-4 months, possibly Florence again or somewhere else. It's also my Birthday (My 30th birthday!) and so I was thinking of maybe hiring an Italian Tutor once a week to help keep me on track and practicing with a native speaker. Some appear really good, and not too expensive, especially if it's just 2-4 lessons a month. I can't do a language course or groups as I work very strange shifts in work. Do you think this is a good idea? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5265 days ago 2241 posts - 6731 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 2 of 28 25 June 2014 at 1:05pm | IP Logged | ||
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Yes! If you can afford it, an Italian tutor, once a week, will do wonders for your Italian. I work with a tutor in Portuguese. We choose a topic of conversation. I make mistakes and am corrected in real time. I may phrase something awkwardly and am given a better alternative, etc.
The key to best utilizing a tutor, in my experience, is not to use the tutor to explicitly "teach" you, but to teach you through your use of the language. Between sessions, you should be exploring and delving deep into Italian by reading and watching as much television as possible, preferably a series of some kind. At the same time you should have a really good grammar book and some drills for problems (like conjugations and verb tenses). Have you looked into the "Super Challenge"? In addition to tutors, free language exchanges (sharedtalk, interpals) are possible. This is more of a "hit or miss" situation but practice speaking with natives is important. Combine this with lang8 for writing practice and you will be on to a winner. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| chokofingrz Pentaglot Senior Member England Joined 5192 days ago 241 posts - 430 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish, German, Italian Studies: Russian, Japanese, Catalan, Luxembourgish | Message 3 of 28 25 June 2014 at 1:13pm | IP Logged | ||
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You could also record the tutoring session and play it back later in the week, allowing you to notice patterns or common errors in the way you speak, and the exact corrections your tutor gives you.
As a bonus, you might get to feel like a secret agent wearing a wire! (Or you could just ask if it's ok.) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| rdearman Senior Member United Kingdom rdearman.orgRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5239 days ago 881 posts - 1812 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian, French, Mandarin | Message 4 of 28 25 June 2014 at 1:21pm | IP Logged | ||
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I think it is a very good idea. Although the quality of your tutor can be variable. You probably still want to go back and reuse the resources you used previously, as well as adding some more study like Anki (free Flashcard software) as well as phrasebooks, and perhaps asking your tutor to help you to memorise some "islands", which are stock phrases you can use in many situations and are easy for you to say.
If you are playing for the tutor then you'll want to try and get the most for your money. So when you're re-using the other materials and any additional material make sure you write down notes about questions you might have, then ask the tutor. You may also want to try and arrange some language exchanges with Italians. I personally was overwhelmed with opportunities to exchange with Italian speakers. You can sign up here : The Mixer or Sharetalk.com Good Luck, and keep us posted. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
 emk Diglot Moderator United States Joined 5535 days ago 2615 posts - 8806 votes Speaks: English*, FrenchB2 Studies: Spanish, Ancient Egyptian Personal Language Map | Message 5 of 28 25 June 2014 at 1:40pm | IP Logged | ||
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Yeah, a good tutor is awesome, especially if you conduct the entire session in your target language (which is hard at first but it gets easier quickly). Basically, a tutor allows you to practice speaking about your choice of topics with a patient audience. You don't have to drive anywhere, and you don't have to worry about language exchange partners flaking out.
If you're looking for an online tutor, iTalki is usually a good bet. Try two or three tutors before settling on somebody; there are occasional duds. Depending on language and tutor, this can cost anywhere from $5 to $20/hour. And do try the community tutors, especially once you reach a conversational level: they're usually less expensive, and they're often a great choice for conversational practice. For intermediate and advanced students, another option is to go on Verbling and either join or create a language practice group. I think tastyonions creates a French practice group every morning, and I created an advanced French group the other day, and I was promptly joined by some very cool people. 3 or 4 people seems to be a good group size. 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| beano Diglot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4625 days ago 1049 posts - 2152 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Russian, Serbian, Hungarian | Message 6 of 28 25 June 2014 at 1:49pm | IP Logged | ||
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Tutors are very helpful but you must be prepared to work on your language between lessons.
Another good idea is language meet-up groups. Most British cities have them and I would imagine Italian sessions wouldn't be too difficult to find. Edited by beano on 25 June 2014 at 1:49pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5265 days ago 2241 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 7 of 28 25 June 2014 at 4:02pm | IP Logged | ||
Yes, my tutor doesn't speak English. It is hard at first but it does indeed get easier. Don't give up because it's uncomfortable. It takes time to get comfortable with a language. Your tutor (a good one) can be a tremendous resource, not to be wasted with things you can do on your own. Seconding rdearman and beano, you've got to work in between sessions, take notes on what's giving you trouble and ask your tutor for help. There are good language exchange partners and tutors and ones that are not so good. It may take a few before you find a good fit. Edited by iguanamon on 25 June 2014 at 10:44pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| soclydeza85 Senior Member United States Joined 3910 days ago 357 posts - 502 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, French | Message 8 of 28 25 June 2014 at 4:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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Getting a tutor is an excellent idea. It will give you the opportunity to practice real-time speaking and clarify points that you are having trouble with. I would say try to find an actual native Italian if you can (or at least someone that has lived in the country for long enough to be familiar with the culture and how the language is actually used within the country). There are so many important points that can be learned to prepare you not only for speaking, but interacting with Italian people and culture in general; and you can't learn this stuff from books. Go for it, it can only do you good.
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