Buondì.
I warned on Halloween that, having moved the club website to a different server, there might be issues, spooky or otherwise.
Shortly afterwards, it became clear that something really had ‘gone bump in the night‘, in the sense that while the main part of the website was fine, the .html exercise pages were (to a greater or lesser extent) broken.
Random Japanese characters were materialising where they had no business being, while accented Italian characters were nowhere to be seen, perhaps having hidden under their beds in fright.
Many thanks to the precisely ZERO club members who wrote to tell me about this – your help was much appreciated!
Anyway, it’s now all ‘a posto’, as Italians say.
Which reminds me though, someone wrote a nice email the other day to say he had recently joined the club and was enjoying these emails, but… (I could imagine him scratching his head at that point, searching for the right way to continue) … well, is that ALL?
Where are the exercises?
How do I learn Italian?
Beh.
On the club site there’s a link in the menu: ‘Start Here‘.
That’ll take you to a page which has what we webmasters call an ‘ordered list’ on it.
The list has seven numbered items, number one being ‘Join’ our club by signing up to our mailing list.
That’s first because if you’re not a member you might not come back regularly (or at all).
And if you don’t come back, you won’t hear about the good stuff we do, such as last month’s EasyItalianNews.com and this week’s half-price ‘Book of the Week‘ offer.
It’s points 2) thru 7) which cover the meaty stuff, though.
Just in case you, too, stopped reading after the first line, below is the whole list, copied and pasted from the club website.
I’ve bolded the bits I think are most important:
- ‘Join’ our club by signing up to our mailing list. You’ll get articles about learning Italian each Monday, Wednesday and Friday (plus occasional promotions…)
- But there’s no need to wait for an email: our free online material for learning Italian comes in six levels, which you can access at any time!
- There’s a free downloadable checklist for each level, so you can monitor your progress.
- And if you’re unsure where to begin? Do the level test or read this article about levels.
- Our free material is also organised by type: grammar, listening, dialogues, verbs, & vocabulary. You’ll find clickable icons for each in the website header.
- Read the club FAQ to find our more about us.
- And if you still have time, check out the ‘best articles‘ page!
Così. If that lot doesn’t help you make progress with your Italian, then I don’t know what will.
Beh, what else, today?
I was just having a Turkish lesson with my wonderful online teacher, who was saying that she doesn’t much like teaching online because her students cancel ten minutes before.
Once is not a problem, she said, but twice, or three times in a row? It gets her down.
Understandably, I’d say. I asked why she puts up with it. It’s the company, she told me, that’s their policy.
Well, what a rubbish way to run an education business!
The one thing you want when you’re learning a foreign language is a relationship of TRUST with your teacher.
Ideally it’ll be a relationship with which both parties are happy, and from which both benefit.
That’s what I think anyway – at the club, if a client wants to cancel, they should let our online teacher know the day before.
Same if the teacher wants to change or cancel an agreed lesson. A degree of mutual consideration is the very least I would expect.
But in an emergency?
Well, the teacher has the discretion to say, never mind, no worries, it wasn’t a problem, let’s reschedule, IF THEY CHOOSE TO.
Just as the client can be generous and insist – no, this is your livelihood, I understand you scheduled that time for me, and I really do want to pay, even though I couldn’t do the class this time.
If you book a lesson and don’t show up, or change your mind a few minutes or hours beforehand, personally, I think you should consider the lesson ‘lost’.
It’s a matter of respect.
And self-respect – do a few pounds mean more to you than your reputation? Not to me, they don’t.
All this is a roundabout way of announcing that, as every March and November, there’s a FREE TRIAL LESSON offer coming up!
It’s not next week but the week after – kickoff is scheduled for Monday 12th.
Lucia, our teaching manager, is currently rounding up a bunch of hopefuls who will be keen to help you improve your Italian.
You the students get the lesson free, with no obligation to pay anything up front or to continue if not happy.
The teachers get paid for the lessons out of my marketing budget. I’ll be aiming to give away around a hundred free lessons, which is a big chunk of money but more fun to do than advertising.
So watch this space for more about that.
And finally…
‘Book of the Week’ – final reminder!
This week’s Book of the Week, Vivaldi e la chiesa della Salute will only be half-price for another two days… 
- .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online at soundcloud.com)
- 8 chapters to read and listen to
- Comprehension questions to check your understanding
- Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
- Suitable for students at intermediate level or above
- Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)
- Your e-book will be e-mailed to you within 24 hours of purchase
Vivaldi e la chiesa della Salute usually sells for £7.99.
This week, though, it’s just £3.99!
The offer ends on Sunday 4th, but why not get your order in now, while you think about it?
Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Buy the full version – £3.99 | ‘Famous Lives series | easy Italian readers | Catalog
A lunedì.