Heading to Mexico City!

Since a recent jaunt (or two) to Costa Rica, I've been trying to learn Spanish during my long commute to work. 

I really like the Pimsleur program from Simon and Shuster because I feel like I can put the language skills to use immediately as opposed to other programs that I've tried (like Rosetta Stone) that provide reading and writing skills but that seemed to progress a bit slower.  For example, after working through the Pimsleur lessons, I can ask for directions, order food, and deal with money after Spanish I.  With Rosetta Stone I felt like I could only identify objects within the same time period. 

An opportunity came up to travel to Mexico City for a Special Interest Group that is affiliated with an organization that I volunteer for.  Not only do I get to attend the meeting, but I can also give a brief overview of the organization (in Spanish)!

Unfortunately, I can presently order beer and ask where I could find a good Doctor, but I don't have a lot of industry terms or past tense verbs to talk intelligently about the history of our group and the presentation is in three weeks. 

Here's my plan:

• I wrote a very simple script in English and sent it off to a translation company that was very helpful and affordable (ASTA-USA)
• Once I had the translation (it only took two business days), I used Voices.com to find a Latin American Spanish speaking professional to record two versions of the speech (one in a remedial pace that I can understand with my limited Spanish and one at the speed at which I should actually aim to deliver the overview)
• I saved the audio files to my iPhone and carry the script around with me in my purse so that I can listen to it and practice whenever I have a spare moment
• When I'm a bit more comfortable with the material I'm going to try to practice it in front of some Spanish speaking friends to get pointers on my delivery before going to the event to try it live on August 3rd

Wish me luck!  I'll post a video of the results. 

Related Links:

• Pimsleur Method for Spanish
• ATA-USA Translation Services - I spoke with a sales rep over chat and she helped me to understand the process and get a quote
• Voices.com - I highly recommend this site and have been using it for years for various education and marketing-related projects.  You create a project and send it out to bid.  It's amazing how quickly the voiceover professionals will record a custom demo for you and you are able to find the right fit for your project.