About Us
Lounge Lizard Languages Ltd was formed in 2007 to deliver a user-friendly product to the French language learning market, to satisfy an existing demand for French language learning. It has been estimated by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education that over 25% of the UK population - some 15 million people - state a desire to learn a language with French taking up a large majority of that number, yet only 500,000 or so are currently studying to this end. The study also revealed that 90% of us want our children to study and speak a second language with again the French language being one of the most preferred , as we clearly all have a realisation of the value in being able to do this in an increasingly International world. Despite already large numbers this desire to learn the French language is ever growing with cities becoming more multi cultural and travel becoming easier the there has never been such a need and desire for new French learners to the French language.
We appreciate that potential French learners consider themselves increasingly time poor, and we have therefore developed our French learning CD to utilise the vast amounts of time we spend commuting to work or other similar times which could be more successfully utilised. The accompanying French booklet is intended to be small and slim line, to fit neatly into a jacket pocket or unobtrusively into a handbag. And it doesn't just have to be you learning French- brushing up on your old skills whilst teaching the kids on the morning school run should help them in getting ahead. The UK contains one of the lowest numbers of second language speakers in Europe (and many that are have immigrated). Most other countries have at least half their populations able to speak a foreign language with the French language being particularly prominent. Indeed, of all the developed nations, only America fairs worse than the UK in percentage terms for foreign language speakers. We hope we can change this, to keep Britain's competitive edge. Whether it be for conducting foreign business, holidaying abroad or simply because it would be useful, speaking the French language is an inherent desire in millions of us, yet for some reason, we never find the motivation to begin. Lounge Lizard hopes to bridge that gap to starting, helping to lead you on to greater things. The Lounge Lizard company was started for this very reason of helping to teach foreign language to improve our social skills both at home and abroad along with enhancing our other transferable skills to give us a cutting edge in the business world. Through our French learning tool we feel we have now created something to assist those who want to learn the French language, giving you the best chance yet to first becoming French learners and setting you well on your way to speaking the French language.
There are plenty of reasons that could be fitted in here, but regardless of what motivates the millions of you out there, the end game is the same - to learn the French language. With so much going on in our everyday lives, trying to find the time to fit learning the French language in can be a challenge, so we have made it as easy as possible for you to get started. We don't advocate learning French language every day, as this is both impractical and unlikely. Falling behind on a regime is disheartening, and often stalls the whole French learning process. Our French learning CD's are intended to help overcome this. This French learning Audiobook is designed so you can work at your own pace, and subsequently learn more of the French language when you are ready. Whatever the reason for being a French learner this tool is designed for flexible, easy learning and with you in mind.
The Lounge Lizards believe smaller milestones are more helpful - which is why we have grouped French language words into chapters. Spending a week commuting to work listening to the numbers, and subsequently being able to count to twenty is oddly satisfying or even listening to the French language audiobook en route to France then being able to ask for a drink can be rewarding. A thirst for French language and further words then creeps up on you, and with a thousand words, there begins a confidence in the realisation that you could be understood by natives abroad, leading you on to even greater achievements using the French language. With the whole French language Audiobook being the basics and essentials for those starting to learn French, the chapters begin with conversational French language words. The flexibility of the this French learning tool allows you to focus on one area more urgently - for example food & drink.
Why use lounge lizard languages ?
There are a number of French language products that currently exist, but our intention was to create a practical and affordable alternative, having tried them ourselves. There is clearly a gap in the market to explain the differential between the 15 million who want to learn a language, while only 500,000 currently are. Those that do learn French and can speak the French language are able to generally see a clear improvement in both social skills and opportunities that arise within a French speaking environment. Having a French language under your belt can be such a useful tool it wonders why more people don't learn and benefit the same way other French learners have. The Lounge Lizards residing at Lounge Lizard House believe the current gaps are four fold:
Availability -
If companies want to sell products to busy yet savvy consumers, it is up to us to make our products easier to find and purchase, without customers having to visit the high street during work hours. Our intention is therefore that our product will be distributed primarily through supermarkets and on the Internet. Delivery of the French language CD is 1st class post and is always dispatched as next day delivery. For those without a CD Audio player the French Language Audiobook is available to download from iTunes, Amazon and 7 digital for any French learners wanting it directly on their MP3 player. The individual chapters of French language are also available to download so if there are some topics you require more so than others you can simply download those.
Affordability -
With an RRP of under £8, it represents a small yet valuable investment which our competitors are unable to match. The low risk factor in pricing for the learners was a major part of our plan along with difficulty and time which was set out in the beginning with the aim of reducing the hurdles for French learners when trying to learn the French language. Our intention is that it will teach you 1000 French language words as well as giving you nearly a hundred useful French phrases to string your newly learned words together. Individual chapter downloads are available for as little as £0.79.
Practicality -
The other French language products that we sampled all go straight for difficult areas such as grammar and gender, with huge blocks of foreign text that are nonsensical on first inspection. Vocabulary we believe is the fundamental building block to being able to understanding the French language, and therefore we focus on it directly. Looking at some French text and realising you recognise over 50% of the words, and that it suddenly starts to make more sense, means that learning French becomes more manageable and interesting. Many French learners who begin learning the French language find the main barrier that stops them is the complexity of the French learning tool they are using. This French Vocabulary audiobook gives the essentials and provides confidence within the language which then aides understanding.
Usability -
This is intended to be very simple and convenient, to maintain your initial motivation. We deliberated long and hard on our word selection, so the 1000 words on the French language learning CD should be the most popular, most used and therefore most useful for you when visiting a French speaking country, reading a French text or are simply just trying to enhance your French language and breadth of vocabulary. Having this base of essential French words that are used in every day conversation will greatly assist you, whether you are visiting a shop or asking for directions. Even at the early stages of your French Learning the number of words that you will be able to understand and say will contribute greatly to picking up what is being said in a French language conversation.
Current Range
The CD range we have produced currently covers the most popular second languages; French, Spanish, Italian and German. With the whole range recently being made available for download this makes the French language learning process even easier by having it loaded directly onto your MP3, phone or computer. There is a choice of downloading the full 1000 words French language audiobook or selecting individual chapters of French vocabulary and learning each chapter before purchasing the next. Plans are already underway to increase the range of languages offered, as well as future guides which will address the next logical steps needed to develop French language learning - for instance grammar and verbs, as well as further increasing the French vocabulary range. Interestingly, whilst English has approximately 677,000 words, more than 95% of conversations are conducted using just 4,500 words. Learning the 1,000 most common words (which is what we have tried to identify for the CD) gives you the French learner a solid foundation when studying French language.