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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| Gemuse Senior Member Germany Joined 3881 days ago 818 posts - 1189 votes  Speaks: English Studies: German | Message 1 of 4 23 March 2014 at 7:11pm | IP Logged |
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The FSI German books I saw were set in typewriter font.
Are there versions which are set in better font? How about Barrons German? 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Speakeasy Senior Member Canada Joined 3851 days ago 507 posts - 1098 votes Studies: German | Message 2 of 4 23 March 2014 at 11:07pm | IP Logged |
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Hello Gemuse,
I get the impression that the original FSI Basic courses were produced through a combination of typewriters, mimeograph machines, and off-set printers. I tried converting the "pdf" files that are currently available on the FSI-Language-Courses website into Microsoft Word using a low-cost Corel conversion programme. The results were not very satisfying in that I could not modify the document, possibly because the original text was produced by a typewriter. I do not know if the Adobe Converter would do a better job. I have a few of the the Barron's versions of the FSI courses and it is quite apparent that were completely re-typeset. As you probably know, most of them are no longer in print. Unfortunately, errors occurred in the typesetting process in some of the courses. This is particularly evident in the Baron's FSI German course. If you are already reasonably comfortable with German, you will be able to spot the printing errors in the Barron's version and correct them yourself. However, if you are a complete beginner and are relying solely on the Baron's version, you might find some of the text a little confusing. There is a company on the Internet that sells their own (unaccredited) versions of a number of the FSI courses. I purchased their full German course. The company identifies itself as "Speed Learning Languages". Essentially, they sell (unaccredited) FSI courses that we now know are freely available due to the efforts of the kind souls who built the FSI-Language-Courses website and those who contributed the material. The "Speed Learning Languages" courses also include additional practice material that seems to be extracts of texts and audio files that have been downloaded from Librivox. I do not know what process they used to reproduce the texts: did they use software to reformat the text or did they re-type it? So, if you want to spend a couple of hundred dollars for a really clean "pdf" file of the FSI Basic German course, this is one option. Finally, you might consult the current incarnation of "Audio Forum". You can find them on the Internet. It seems that the new owners still have some the original material that was produced by Jeffery Norton Publishers. Good luck! Edited by Speakeasy on 23 March 2014 at 11:08pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Elexi Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5364 days ago 938 posts - 1839 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French, German, Latin | Message 3 of 4 23 March 2014 at 11:17pm | IP Logged |
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Not all of the Barrons courses are re-typeset. Some are just camera productions of the
original. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| jpazzz Groupie United States Joined 4844 days ago 54 posts - 76 votes Studies: Russian | Message 4 of 4 25 March 2014 at 11:26am | IP Logged |
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Hello Gemuse, I bought the Barron's versions of the Basic German course (both volumes) years ago. I really like the size of the books and find the typeface easy to read. I was just looking back at my copies and they bring back pleasant memories. I guess I must be an oddity because I liked the audio lingual approach. The handling of grammar is good. I also liked the slight foreign service flavor of the whole thing. If you have a Sony Walkman lying about, you might find that cassette versions of the courses are reasonably inexpensive. I'd say don't bother with he audio forum versions. They were much too expensive, and I can't even remember if they reset the type...I rather doubt it; but I may be doing them a disservice.
In any case, in answer to your question: yes the Barron's Mastering German books are nicely printed and very readable. The tapes are clearly recorded. Cheers, John 1 person has voted this message useful |
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