fluentfriends Newsletter: December 2013
Stocking fillers for language lovers
This Christmas we share a selection of fantastic language products and services that will make great presents and stocking fillers for friends and loved ones. Take a peek, you may even end up treating yourself!
1. Bilingual Electronic Dictionary Bookmark
This super slim bilingual electronic bookmark provides a perfect alternative to a large dictionary and the internet when you need easy and quick access to a word you don’t understand. Taken from the 'Collins Gem' series which are amongst the most popular modern language dictionaries available today, you simply have to type in your word in one language and find out the equivalent word in the other. Many words also state alternative usage and have additional variations for better explanation which makes it the ideal companion for study and travel.
Winner - Gift of the Year 2011 (Stationery Category) and a Top 5 Christmas Stocking Filler on The Gadget Show, the Bilingual Electronic Dictionary Bookmark is extremely convenient and comprehensive too. Available in English-Spanish, English-Italian and English-French and in white, grey and pink.
Price: £18+ (depending on retailer)
Retailer: Amazon and Waterstones
2. FlashSticks
FlashSticks provide the perfect accompaniment to your learning journey! Each pack contains 200 unique post-it notes, each printed with a commonly used foreign word, translation, icon and phonetic. Simply stick them up in convenient places around you and FlashSticks will prompt your continued learning as you naturally go about your daily routine.
Ideal for beginners or all those looking to improve their vocabulary, FlashSticks can increase your exposure to the words you are trying to learn, constantly developing and re-inforcing your interaction and adoption of your new language.
What’s more, you can boost your learning further with the Free FlashSticks App. This can help you pronounce every new word perfectly. Simply use your smartphone to hover over each sticker and a tutor will demonstrate how to pronounce your new foreign word.
Available in French, Spanish, Italian and German.
Price: £5.99 however, with our special code we’re able to offer you a 10% discount. Simply type in this code FL10X.
Retailer: FlashSticks. Please follow the links below and type in the code above to receive your 10% discount.
French FlashSticks - Spanish FlashSticks - Italian FlashSticks - German Flashsticks
3. Dixit board game
Dixit is the lovingly illustrated game of creative guesswork, where your imagination unlocks the tale. In this award-winning board game, players will use the beautiful imagery on their cards to bluff their opponents and guess which image matches the story. Guessing right is only half the battle – to really succeed, you’ll have to get your friends to decide that your card tells the story! It’s no surprise that Dixit won the Spiel de Jahres award for game design in 2010. It is brilliant and simple, beautiful and imaginative, and fun for all.
Available in English, French, German and Italian. As this is an images based game, you could play the English version in Spanish or any other language you fancy too.
Price: £18.90
Retailer: Amazon
4. The 2014 Daily Phrase & Culture calendar
With the 2014 Desk Calendar, you will learn a new word or phrase or titbits of cultural trivia every day. The pack includes FREE audio CD of basic phrases to get you started and a selection of new words and phrases to accompany your ongoing learning with us. The 2014 Daily Phrase & Culture calendar is available in Spanish, French and Italian.
Price: £10.99+ (depending on retailer)
Retailer: Amazon or Waterstones
5. Skype conversation classes with fluentintuition
Improve your fluency and accent with our Skype conversation classes. Whether you’re preparing for something in particular, would like to discover and debate the latest news and happenings, or would simply prefer to chat about your favourite pastimes, TV programmes and stars, these classes provide the perfect opportunity to practise your conversation skills with our qualified native teachers.
To be taken alone or in conjunction with your normal language classes, this package of 5 Skype conversation sessions will give you the confidence and practise you need to get ahead.
Price: £65 for a package of 5 Skype conversation classes. For more information and bookings click on the links below:
Italian Skype conversation classes - Spanish Skype conversation classes - French Skype conversation classes
If you have any further suggestions that you think other learners would like to know about please let us know on Facebook
Read: Sweet Christmas treats to enjoy this festive season
Read: Vocabulary to get you in the mood for Christmas