Iversen wrote:Actually I have a principle:
Extensive resources should be as monolingual as possible - maybe they require a few dictionary lookups, but anything more than that would break the momentum.
Intensive resources function best when they are bilingual (i.e. bilingual texts, dictionaries and grammars written by non-natives because they are more focused on the things I as a learner need)
Actually, this makes a lot of sense, thanks, Iversen!
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On another note, there are two well known comprehensive resources for beginning (but serious) language learners of French and Spanish respectively. French in Action is monolingual, while Destinos is English based. I hold them both in high regard as great resources, but I do feel Destinos is a better course. Is it just that it is a better designed course or is it that the monolingual FIA leaves one feeling a little too lost because it is monolingual? The course designers of French in Action feel that "French is not a translation of English" and while most people would certainly agree, I'm not so convinced this argument is good enough to warrant French resources never having English translations. Yes it's not a translation of English, yes there is some value in being immersed in the language, which is the idea behind French, but perhaps immersion is better left for intermediate or advanced stages of language learning.
When I first used FIA many many years ago, I found myself sneakily using a bilingual dictionary on the side. On the other hand, I couldn't see Destinos working as a monolingual tool, especially with regards to the books and exercises, but it was never designed that way either, so that's not a fair comparison really.
So, is it also a matter of the style of learner? Some learners prefer or perform better than others with monolingual resources at the beginning stages perhaps. As suggested already, does it depend on your native language? Does it also depend on other already known languages with regards to the learner?
All in all though, I tend to agree with another forum member that neither monolingual nor bilingual resources are inherently better. Each serves a purpose. Ultimately it seems it may depend on the learner's background with regards to languages, their background in terms of learning style(s), at which stage in their learning they are up to and the quality of the resource(s).
For me, with intermediate to advanced French I like using a mixture of dictionaries (bilingual and monolingual), a mixture of courses (mono-, bilingual), but prefer to read books without translations and watch TV without subtitles. I think Iversen hit the nail on the head in saying that intensive activities are best done with bilingual resources while extensive activities are best with as little interference as possible from your native language.