uTalk

When a horrible war and ghastly suffering are going on just along the coast of the Black Sea, the best thing to do is to learn Bulgarian. The computer-based learning program called uTalk is a good way to do that.

If you are interested in starting a new life in Bulgaria, then you simply MUST try to learn some Bulgarian words and phrases. You will find that many locals are a lot more helpful and friendly if you make at least some attempt to learn the lingo. And when you mispronounce things, it will give the locals something to laugh at! One of the best ways to make a start with learning Bulgarian is a computer-based language learning program called uTalk.

uTalk allows you to record you speaking (or trying to speak!) lots of Bulgarian words and phrases. Your efforts can then be compared with a real Bulgarian person saying the same words and phrases. Yes, that could be embarrassing, but hey, we all have to start somewhere.

The program has about forty or fifty different topics, ranging from simple social phrases, to commands, DIY, hobbies and interests, and many others. Each topic will have about thirty or forty related words or phrases. When you think that you have learned them, you can then test yourself with a variety of different games. Some of the games are easy and some of them are "against the clock" and pretty hard.

uTalk is topic-based. Let’s suppose that you are interested in doing some DIY and maybe you are planning a trip to PRAKTIKER to buy one or two things for your “renovation project”. Okay, well you are going to need the “Tools” topic. First you have the words and phrases (Did you know that in Bulgarian a trion is a saw?) This part of the program allows you to record your pronunciation of the words and then you can compare your efforts with the pronunciation of a real Bulgarian lady and gentleman. How embarrassing! Then you can move onto the “easy game”. Cards with pictures on them appear on the screen and you match them with the Bulgarian word or phrase at the bottom (and a bormachina is a power drill, in case you were wondering). After that comes the speaking game, where you have to identify the correct pictures using your own pronunciation of the words and phrases. Don’t forget the difference between Phillips screws and the ones with just a simple slot in them for your otvertka (screwdriver, in case you had not guessed). The hard game is similar to the easy game, but of course it is harder! Finally, you have to pronounce all of the words and phrases from memory, but of course you can have another go if you get them wrong and yes, you probably will.

All in all, I think that uTalk is a language learning system that has a lot going for it.

In case you are wondering, yes, my Bulgarian is slowly improving (malko po malko) and already it is much, much better than my Mandarin ever was.