That’s evident from the sales numbers. The “unforgettable” people offer 30 languages, among them Swahili, Hebrew and Greek. When the site went up in mid-August 2001, it wasn’t making any money. But Arabic sales took off in January, tripling in a matter of months and helping to push the service into profitability. More than 300,000 people worldwide have now used the site’s courses or similar versions, and soon the method will make an appearance in a few British classrooms.
Are all these people really learning languages with pure mnemonic devices? The courses use memory researcher Dr. Michael Gruneberg’s Linkword method. After a weekend, the site promises, you’ll have a working vocabulary and basic grammar. But if it’s fluency you’re after, even Gruneberg suggests packing your bags and practicing in a foreign country.
