Ski: Personally, we find that 8 x 1-hour classes are not an efficient use of time. Think about the time you take to travel to and fro. You’ll have to multiply that by 8. What about that usual 5-10 minutes that the facilitators take to wait for latecomers? Multiply that by 8 too. That’s the amount of time that you have committed without learning anything yet.

Eugene: So for us, we prefer highly-focused workshops. Since there is a need to travel anyway, we want you to get the most value out of each session. Plus, it’s easier to deal with an overall commitment of 2 weeks, rather than 8 weeks. Don’t you agree?

Ski: I hear you! In fact, during my schooling days, I had trouble paying attention even for a 1-hour lecture. So your concern is totally valid. This is precisely the reason why we include many activities in our workshops. Time flies by in a flash when you are being engaged and having fun! If it helps to assure you, these are some of the feedback by our participants.

Eugene: Yes, we do not like regurgitation or one-way delivery. So fret not, you’ll not be sitting straight for 4-hours and listening to boring lectures. The facilitators love an interactive class too!

Ski: Hey, high five! I’m a slow learner too. My personal experience is that it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you learn. The more important factor is, how much time and effort are you putting in to practise? So if I may, here’s a piece of advice: Don’t shy away from our activities during the workshops. The more you practise, the more we can help to correct your pronunciation.

Eugene: We’ve put in lots of effort in designing the workshops to teach you the tactics of learning dialect(s) quickly. However, if you refuse to speak up during class, your learning is likely to be rather limited. It’s akin to playing tennis. You can read up on all the theories and buy every available book. However, if you don’t go to the court and play it, you’ll never learn it well. So for learning dialects, it’s the same. You’ve got to put in the effort and be courageous enough to keep speaking it. We’ll also be here to support you even after the workshop ends!

Ski: Unfortunately, you can’t. We’re still jumping through hoops to get that sorted out for dialect-related programs. We wish we could too.

Eugene: We accept payment via PayLah, PayNow or FAST bank transfer.

Ski: Too many! Where do I start? For example, how do we make learning dialects as sexy as learning kickboxing, Korean language, etc? How do we excite the younger generation to learn dialects?

Eugene: So come onboard with us! If you agree with our social cause, you can do your part by encouraging your friends and family to learn dialects too. Tag us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) or simply use #LearnDialect. Alternatively, if you are thinking of including dialect segments in your project, please get in touch. We are always open to different ways of collaboration!

Ski: We get creative… in finding ways to have discussions without killing each other… yet.

Eugene: Well, the wife is always right, isn’t it? Besides, it helps that we have different skillsets and are responsible for different parts of LearnDialect.sg. Of course, there’s just so much that we can do. So if you wish to volunteer your services, our doors are always open. Write to us!