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With an upcoming trip to Paris planned, I knew it was time to dust off my high school French, but how? Phrase books left me able to read French, but with little confidence in my pronunciation. I've always been a fan of those interactive language DVDs, but I rarely have time to spend in front of a computer lately unless I'm working on a deadline. Earworms Rapid French arrived in my mailbox just in time.


A "musical brain trainer" on CD by Berlitz, Earworms takes just over 200 common phrases, from "I would like to order a drink" to "There's a problem with the TV," and wriggles them into your brain, not by dull repetition, but with the help of mood music. You overhear an English-speaking man takes lessons from a native French woman, the flirtatious atmosphere feeling more like a casual conversation in a lounge than a stuffy classroom.

After filling my iPod (and my head) with sing-song French phrases, I got ambitious and tried a few more. Chinese. German. At this rate, I'd be able to order a glass of red wine in a dozen countries in the world. But was it working? Where to test these burgeoning linguistic skills?

There is only one place I know where you can encounter native speakers of Chinese, German and French in one afternoon - and order drinks from them. So, for the sake of research, I packed my Earworms CDs in the car and drove to Epcot's World Showcase at Disney World, where exchange students fresh from overseas man each country's pavilion.

First stop: Germany, where "Ich mochte ein glas pils, bitte" netted a cup of beer and an "auf wiedersehen!" I responded in kind, and added for extra credit, "Tchuss!" which got a wide smile.

Next was France, a long enough walk to justify another drink, which perfectly suited this morning's lesson. "Je voudrais du vin rouge" got me a glass of red wine and a curious smile. The answer came back as a question in French, where did I learn the language? I had to answer that one in English. "You are American?" He was surprised, explaining, "Most Americans I meet don't speak any French at all."

While I was confident he didn't mistake me for a native French speaker, it was still encouraging to speak well enough to be understood. It was time for the real test: Chinese. Backtracking to the China pavilion, I stopped in for one last beverage on my world tour. "Woa siang yao cha-a" I faltered, making sure to lift my tone at the end so the meaning didn't get mangled. I got a raised eyebrow, a cup of hot tea, and no response. There was no danger of me being mistaken for a native of China. Still, it was the longest Chinese phrase I'd ever strung together. With a little more practice, maybe I too could soon be sitting in a sleek Chinese lounge, chatting away above the music.

Earworms also comes in Russian, Italian, Japanese, Greek, Arabic and Portuguese. The Earworms web site has downloadable demos and ordering information.