Si! A Bronx resident has come up with a new, effective way to learn Spanish.
Eldon Mirjah, originally a native of Grenada who has lived in the borough since 2001, has started a website that helps those who are interested in learning Spanish.
The program, Gritty Spanish, features MP3 formatted conversations along with PDF formatted transcripts of the conversations made by real, colorful Spanish-speaking actors and actresses in everyday life. The website’s motto: Real People, Real Spanish, Real Gritty sums up the learning experience that Gritty Spanish offers.
The Gritty Spanish package includes 31 real-life conversations that include emotions such as arguments and frustrations, for example, and was created to train its listeners to distinguish tone and pitch, so Spanish-speaking learners can apply it in whichever Spanish speaking nation that they visit.
“I’ve always wanted to create something like this because I am a Spanish learner and was continuously frustrated because I couldn’t find any down-to-earth content – the content was just ‘too nice’,” said Mirjah.
“I just wanted to give the intermediate-advanced learners of Spanish a fun and more interesting way to learn the language by listening to real everyday and sometimes over the top conversations, so it’s easier to remember. I also wanted to create a learning option that was affordable.”
Eldon’s journey creating this program began about two years, when he started studying Spanish and felt like he wasn’t making much progress, stuck at the intermediate level.
Eldon began taking time to look for alternate ways to learn the language, but the resources didn’t match his standards, as he was looking for a program that sounded more authentic and realistic.
Eldon realized he should take it upon himself to write stories and get in touch with Spanish-speaking actors and actresses to help him dramatically act out the dialogues to help him improve his proficiency.
In the middle of creating this program for himself, Eldon realized that others just like him, who were not fluent in Spanish, could also benefit from this program as well, especially in the Bronx, where a large portion of the community is Latino and Spanish-speaking.
“It’s always a benefit when one has the ability to understand and communicate with more people and learn more about them and their wonderful culture,” said Lorita Clarke-Scott, who is handling public relations for Eldon’s program and website. “It not only benefits individuals in the Bronx, but a person anywhere else in the world who will be able to use Gritty Spanish as a resource and benefit since it will give them a better understanding of the language and how real people speak.”
Due to its conversational intensity and potentially violent themes, Gritty Spanish is deemed not suitable for children. However, these violent themes are not intended to be taken seriously and are meant to further one’s knowledge.
These dialogues and transcripts are currently available for $59.99, and are user friendly with all iPad, iPhone and Galaxy devices. A Kindle eBook was also released due to the overwhelming response from the MP3 and PDF versions
Downloading samples of the conversations and transcripts is also available on the website at www.grittyspanish.com.
