Glen Johnson Uses Rosetta Stone to Learn Spanish

England footballer Glen Johnson is learning to talk to his Spanish Liverpool teammates in their own language and is not scared to accuse fellow Brits of being slack in their approach to language learning. Ex-England captain Gary Lineker recently criticised England manager Fabio Capello’s attempts to improve his English. Glen, 25, was inspired to use award-winning interactive language-learning program Rosetta Stone® after meeting dozens of multilingual players since starting his career in professional football at 17. He said: “The typical English person doesn’t learn the language when they go to Spain or to speak to Spanish friends, expecting people to speak English to them. I don’t want to do that. “In other countries they learn English in schools and because I only learnt a bit of French as my foreign language, I felt like I was miles behind,” he said, admitting he did not keep up his French after leaving school. Glen got bored of listening to Spanish language CDs in his car and was recommended Rosetta Stone by a friend. He uses the program on his laptop whenever he can get some free time, at home or away. He said: “When I was at the World Cup I used Rosetta Stone a lot because in situations like that, there are days where you have free time on your hands.” On putting his new vocabulary to use with the likes of Fernando Torres, Dani Pacheco and Pepe Reina, Glen said: “The Spaniards at Liverpool teach me a few words, too. They are not shy about correcting me so it’s good that I can go away and practise and get feedback on my pronunciation.” Rosetta Stone has a speech recognition system that compares the learners’ pronunciation to a native speaker. The unique methodology is based on the way children learn their first language – using a systematic sequence of words and images, without translation, to tap into the natural language learning ability. He added: “I am always amazed when I meet someone who can speak three or four languages. I really believe that when you visit a country, you should try speaking in the language of people who live there. Even if you can’t say much when you are just starting to learn, people seem to really appreciate your effort and that motivates you to keep learning. “I also think it can be surprising for people, if you start speaking their language and they are not expecting it. It’s like a secret weapon! “If you are interested in learning a language, Rosetta Stone makes it much easier and quicker. “In any walk of life it can be advantageous to learn languages. You never know what the future holds.” For more information, see RosettaStone.co.uk or call 0800 2800 927. ENDS Contact: Claire Allen UK PR Manager Rosetta Stone 0207 819 1273 07545 610080 callen@rosettastone.com About Rosetta Stone®. Acclaimed for the speed, power and effectiveness of its Dynamic ImmersionTM method, Rosetta Stone is a revolutionary language learning software program. Rosetta Stone was founded in 1992 on two core beliefs: that the natural way people learn languages as children remains the most successful method for learning new languages; and that interactive CD-ROM and online technology can recreate the immersion method powerfully for learners of any age. Rosetta Stone (UK) Limited, a subsidiary of Rosetta Stone Inc., is based in London.

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