This article was originally posted on WomenLearnThai.com.
Innovative Language Learning…
Before I started downloading iPhone Thai language apps to review, I hadn’t heard of Innovative Language Learning. Their frequent inroads into the Thai language learning market interested me enough to take a look.
wikipedia.org (now deleted – oops): Innovative Language Learning sites provide podcasts with accompanying text expansion exercises and other extensive tutoring aids available to paid subscribers or “premium subscribers”. While Innovative Language Learning, LLC is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the lessons are recorded at various locations throughout the world.
And while they didn’t have a Thai iPhone phrase book app on the market when I wrote iPhone apps: Thai Language Phrase books late last year, they do now: SurvivalPhrases – Thai (no longer online).
Free lessons at Survival Phrases Thai…
There are two versions of Survival Phrases Thai. One is the iPhone app mentioned above, and the other is their online version with mp3 and pdf downloads. From what I can tell, the sound files are exactly the same.
Each lesson is about 4-6 minutes long. They start with an explanation of the Thai words and phrases, and then run you through your Thai paces at the end of each lesson.
The lessons are geared towards tourists coming to Thailand, but they are a decent introduction to the Thai language for those living in Thailand as well.
SurvivalPhrases.com is designed to provide world travelers with essential phrases in multiple languages and cultural insight you will not find in a textbook.
The 50+ phrases selected for this series are the most useful travel phrases as determined by a frequency of use analysis. In addition, the topics and cultural insight are also the result of careful research on up-to-date topics.
The full version of Survival Phrases Thai has 60 lessons at a knockdown price of US$25. So if my tally is correct, they work out to around 40 cents per lesson.
Are you into FREE? Then check their course out beforehand, gratis. To do that, get the first ten lessons free either on their website, or by signing up via iTunes: Thai Survival Phrases. If you do download their mp3’s at iTunes, be sure to go to their site to get the free pdf’s written for each lesson.
The free lessons cover: Thank you, you’re welcome, please, basic greetings, parting greetings, where’s the bathroom, can you speak English, I don’t understand, say it again please, apologies, business greetings, non smoking / smoking, at the table, table etiquette, and getting the check.
Martyn, a majority of the Thai dictionary apps for the iPhone also target Thais learning English, or those who can already read Thai script. And that’s the problem with only having a small selection of apps available on your phone – you might not find the one that suits you.
Most of the 23 Thai dictionary apps I’m reviewing for the iPhone (post coming next week) would be a miss for you. I’m not saying that the developers haven’t put in the work, they have. But (and I keep sounding like an echo here) it is early days in the app market. Phones are improving and the developers are trying to keep pace right along with them.
Catherine the Samsung Wave has two Thai apps. One is Buddhist Daily (haven’t fathomed it out yet) and the other is a Thai Dictionary which I believe is for Thais learning English. Hopefully they will bring a few more Thai language apps in the near future.
The Samsung Wave is a great phone but hasn’t got the apps required to tackle learning to speak Thai.
Martyn, do you have a video iPod or similar? Some of the more formal courses have their materials in mp3 and mp4 format. Of course you won’t be able to use the various games, dictionaries, etc, but it is something.
Phones and manuals – remember when all we had to do was turn them our phones on and talk into one side while listening out the other? Now we practically need a class before operating our phones. Progress.
Catherine – Thanks for having a search for Samsung apps, but as I feared there isn’t much kicking around. I’ll pop back regularly to see if any readers can add some glint of hope.
BTW, the beer won but my Samsung Wave (strange name for a baby) is charging its battery so I’ve still got about eight hours to kill. I can’t wait to get on it (where did I put the manual. Has the dustbin man just bin (deliberate mistake, check my blog if you want more)and in the meantime I’m going to do my round of blogs.
Best wishes from a World Cupless and footballing clueless England. back shortly.
Martyn Martyn Martyn…
When I did my extensive search I started with the PDA range and there wasn’t that much for learning Thai. So I switched to phones. Thai learning resources were slim on the ground. Then I arrived at the megga expensive iPhone.
I didn’t want an iPhone but the explosion of apps and app developers convinced me that it was the way to go.
I’m still not in love with iPhones (in the tropics it’s like a soaking wet brick plastered to the side of your head). But even after a year the others have not caught up with what it can do for Thai.
I even checked out Android. Nadda. So other than the iPhone, from what I could find there is nothing else out there to match.
So no boooos for you, but booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooos for the other phones.
And of course I could be mighty wrong so if anyone is reading this please jump in.
Catherine there isn’t much difference between free lessons and 40 cents a lesson, the latter is amazing value too.
Now you might get mad at me.
I’ve upgraded my phone….but not to an iPhone.
I’m with Virgin Mobile and they don’t do an iPhone (I was disappointed) but call it loyalty, I decided to stick with them and sometime today I’m expecting my all new Samsung Wave to turn up (can I hear you booing)….now a question.
Do you know if Samsung have any good Thai language apps (I tried googling but couldn’t find much). Or perhaps you know of other Thai language app software I can download to my new baby (I’m currently waiting for her to arrive by courier but a couple of pints might win the day instead). I’d appreciate any information you may have and don’t mind if you give a really loud boo and a blast on a vuvuzela before handing it over.
Thanks in advance because I know you’re the oracle of Thai language resources. Booooooooooooooo……Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
Talen, that was one of the first phrases I learned as well. But I haven’t really had to use it much as in restaurants they are quite visible. It was the phrase following that mattered. The one asking which side the gals’ was (not the guys). Most, but not all have telling graphics (and the worry was the lack at a time of most need).
Thanks. I do hope to get a look behind the scenes of their main course. It hasn’t launched yet but if it is of the same quality as their other languages it should be worthwhile. Especially if it has intermediate to advanced materials, which are lacking for the Thai market.
Cat, a good round up of Thai phrases would have been great for my first trip…but I learned fast on the ground and the very first phrase I learned was yoo ti ni hongnam because the bathroom is an important place.
Love the *hint nint* hopefully you can get in and give us a full review of their main course as well.