Ulrike was recently interviewed by Brent Sverdloff for Flexyourmemory
Here is an excerpt:
Brent: Ulrike, it’s terrific to reconnect with you! When we worked together more than 20 years ago, it was always fun to indulge our passion for languages. Now we’re doing it in the context of memory.
Ulrike: It was great to hear from you! The role of memory in language learning is a complicated and fascinating one. I'm fluent in four languages and on an intermediate level in two more. For the thousands of words I know in each language, I think I've consciously memorized only a fraction.
Brent: For centuries, the preferred method of language teaching was rote memorization. Do you still think that’s relevant?
Ulrike: Obviously, we acquire much vocabulary and grammar in other ways than by rote learning. Still, deliberate memorization through repetition and practice is important for learning a language, especially if you're an adult.
Brent: Learning a foreign language means reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Do you think they can be prioritized in order of effectiveness?
Gamesforlanguage.com just added a new (free) feature on request: Letting parents or teachers monitor the progress of their children or students who are learning a foreign language with gamesforlanguage.com.
The screenshot on the left shows the scores and time a learner spent on each game and scene, information teachers and parents had asked for.
For further information, how parents and teachers can set up multiple accounts and monitor them, contact peter@gamesforlanguage.com.
Anybody who plans to travel to a German-speaking country can benefit from our German travel story.
While in Heidelberg our young "hero" Michael discovers why Mark Twain may have liked the name of the town.
And - if you can understand the dialogue in this short YouTube clip - you may discover this as well - and even surprise your German friends or acquaintances...
Our FREE Blog posts, Quick Games and Podcasts can be accessed without registration, by just clicking on the links.
If you have ever been bored by unrelated phrases and grammar drills of other language programs these travel stories and interactive games will both entertain and teach you.
We believe that mid- to high beginners will especially benefit from our courses. They are completely FREE to use and you won't find any annoying Google advertisements either.
We only ask you to register for the courses so that you can continue where you left off.
Maybe you are only planning a short trip to Germany or a German-speaking country like Austria and Switzerland. The you'll want at the very least learn and practice the 11+ essential German words and phrases such as greetings and polite phrases.
On our sister site Lingo-Late.com you can learn and practice such essentials and also record yourself easily.
Anybody who plans to travel and wants to boost his/her language skills in French, German, Spanish, and Italian can benefit from our Travel Story.
A short YouTube video shows how you can PLAY and PRACTICE.
If you have ever been bored by unrelated phrases and grammar drills of other language programs these travel stories and interactive games will both entertain and teach you.
We believe that mid- to high beginners will especially benefit from our courses. They are completely FREE to use and you won't find any annoying Google advertisements either.
We only ask you to register for the courses so that you can continue where you left off.
Blog posts, Quick Games and Podcasts can be accessed without registration, by just clicking on the links.
We've arrived in Madrid for the last week of our Spain trip. In the more than seven weeks to date, we have just seen a small part of this country, but are taking many impressions with us.
After our time in Barcelona, which we enjoyed very much (and which also gave us some insights into the Catalan language and political struggle, see our blog...) we traveled south. With visits to Granada with its marvelous Alhambra, and to Sevilla with its Giralda (left), Alkazar and Torre del Oro, we followed in the steps of our Spanish 1 “hero” David - and we learned much about the long and often violent history of Spain.
We also visited Aranjuez and the summer palace of Spanish kings so we could utter the words: “Die schönen Tage von Aranjuez sind nun zu Ende” - the first sentence of Schiller’s play “Don Carlos” (“The pleasant days of Aranjuez are now over”).
While in Madrid, we are also following in David‘s footsteps - indeed our apartment is in walking distance of all the places mentioned in Level 6 of Spanish 1: Parque del Retiro (see picture on the right with the monument of Alfonso XII), the Prado, and even the Plaza de España and the “Museo Chichote” (a bar frequented in earlier years by film stars and other famous folks). There are more museums in Madrid than we can visit in our time here, but we certainly are trying our best.
And equally important, our stay in Spain has given us ample opportunity to try out our Spanish and to collect new ideas both for our Spanish 1 as well as for our future Spanish 2 course...
We’ve now been here in Barcelona for a couple of weeks. OurSpanish is improving by leaps and bounds, and we are having great fun exploring the city. (see Gaudi's Casa Mila on your right.) We prepared for our stay with our Spanish 1 course and are pleased at how many words, phrases, and expressions from our course we see, hear, and read every day. During our walks around town, we practice with shop keepers, waiters, and anybody else we can talk to. We read the local El Periódico every morning, and watch some Spanish television at night. Our list of new words, which we review often, keeps growing.
Research for Spanish 2
We have started to take pictures of the advertised daily lunch or evening menus, asked for them in restaurants, and are compiling a list of the most common names of Spanish foods and dishes. These terms, together with other words and phrases that we encounter, will then become part of Spanish 2. (They’ll also be available as downloads on our site for those who are interested.)
A Watertown couple has launched an online program to help people learn a foreign language and they want to share it with town residents.
Peter and Ulrike Rettig have desks facing each other in the second floor of their Watertown home, overlooking the Oakley Country Club. That is where they work onGamesforLanguage.com, a website where people can learn French, Spanish, German or Italian....
We have launched our full courses on GamesforLanguage.com program with four (4) initial languages: French 1, Italian 1, Spanish 1, and German 1. These courses are designed specifically for Teens and Adults. Each course has 36 lessons consisting of a conversation and games that help you learn the language of everyday life, or propel you to refresh your dormant language skills. Each language is available to play online for $29.95 per course, and you'll have full access from any computer, anywhere in the world. We are planning intermediate and advanced courses for each of the current four languages, as well as English for speakers of these languages. We have tested and improved our language games over the last eight months during our Beta phase with hundreds of players. Our program will appeal to teens and adults who want:
AN AFFORDABLE BUT EFFECTIVE PROGRAM TO LEARN LANGUAGES WITH GAMES
We've now completed all 36 lessons of our Italian 1 course, which is designed specifically for Teens and Adults. This course consists of a conversation and games that help you learn the language of everyday life, or propel you to refresh your dormant language skills. It's available to play online for $19.95, and you'll have full access from any computer, anywhere in the world.
We've now completed all 36 lessons of our Spanish 1 course, which is designed specifically for Teens and Adults. This course consists of a conversation and games that help you learn the language of everyday life, or propel you to refresh your dormant language skills. It's available to play online for $19.95, and you'll have full access from any computer, anywhere in the world.
Gamesforlanguage.com just added a new (free) feature on request: Letting parents or teachers monitor the progress of their children or students who are learning a foreign language with gamesforlanguage.com.
Anybody who plans to travel to a German-speaking country can benefit from our German travel story. 
Anybody who plans to travel and wants to boost his/her language skills in French, German, Spanish, and Italian can benefit from our Travel Story. 
We have started to take pictures of the advertised daily lunch or evening menus, asked for them in restaurants, and are compiling a list of the most common names of Spanish foods and dishes. These terms, together with other words and phrases that we encounter, will then become part of Spanish 2. (They’ll also be available as downloads on our site for those who are interested.)