About
Us
Welcome
We hope you enjoy the gaeltalk.net/business experience.
(Tá súil againn go mbainfir taithneamh as an gcúrsa.)
What is gaeltalk.net/business?
gaeltalk.net/business teaches the Irish language via an online language course.
Our online course is suitable to those who wish to learn Irish from
native speakers. The on-line course is suitable for beginners, those
who wish to refresh their language skills or for the more advanced who
wish to maintain their skills.
Bard na nGleann Teo., www.bardnangleann.com
is an information management company that has a special focus on the
Gaeltachts of Munster. gaeltalk.net/business is part of the larger Global Gaeltacht
community linking Gaeltalk.net, which was designed to make a direct
connection between the Gaeltachts (Irish-speaking areas of Ireland)
and the Irish diaspora around the world. This ambitious plan to form
a Global Gaeltacht by Tomás Mac Gearailt, started with the online
Irish language bookstore, www.litriocht.com
in 1999.
Objectives
The goal of gaeltalk.net/business is to provide a high quality on-line teaching
environment for public sector bodies to learn spoken Irish while simultaneously
supporting the ongoing use of Irish in everyday life in the Gaeltacht
and complying with the Official Language Act of 2003.
Our track record
Gaeltalk.net has been teaching Irish for two years to students in 4
continents. Gaeltalk.net has taught classes in Phoenix, Arizona and
in Butte, Montana. The experience that the tutors have gained from teaching
via the internet to overseas students is the corner-stone of gaeltalk.net/business.
The systems have been tried, tested and improved upon. Why take our
word on how Gaeltalk.net has been received, read what our students say
about Gaeltalk.net.
My
personal opinion is that this model could be the basis for teaching
other minority languages anywhere in the world. Internet technology
can link native speakers-whether in their nation of origin or in an
adopted location-with those who value the language and want to learn
it. I believe that governments which have the good judgment to acknowledge
the potential of minority languages can harness the value of technology
and the precious human capital extant in the native speakers of minority
languages.
Kathy Woods, Phoenix, Arizona
Gael
Talk. The tutors of this site are its best assets, but they are not
the only ones - not by far. The modules' dialogue, vocabulary, and grammar
lessons are the quintessential useful tools of communication and expression,
and the cultural capsules, background information, and other facets
of Gael Talk are most interesting and engaging. However, what simply
puts this program in a class of its own is the human, real, tangible
element: the voice coming across an ocean, spanning cultures and tongues.
People like my tutor, Tadhg, with Gael
Talk are native speakers. Tadhg helped me with pronunciation, intonation,
denotation, and connotation of the useful words and phrases that I learned
while studying.
Sarah Lynne Gregory-Barton, Boston, Mass
Gaeltalk.net
is outstanding, the fact that one can listen to sound files, interact
with native speakers and gain a general insight into Gaeltacht life
is amazing. It is an excellent resource for those who don't have access
to a class or learning material. For those who do have access to a class,
Gaeltalk.net strengthens their Irish by being able to practice it 24
hours a day if necessary.
Tom Devine, Conradh na Gaeilge in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
The
site has been laid out and structured with much thoughtfulness and skill.
Also, as as a former software developer, among other things, I have
to say how impressive I find the Gaeltalk software itself. Nice job!
John Rafferty, Arizona, USA.
It
is a great course - I am really enjoying it and I don't want to spoil
it by rushing through just to get it finished.
Diana Okada, Japan.
Whoever
was responsible for the grammar sections explained things so clearly.
Séamas Kenny, Illinois, USA.
