Rocket Spanish is an online Spanish learning program used by thousands of people around the world. Talking about having a home sounds old-fashioned, considering that it is downloaded to home computers on many continents. But home is New Zealand, and things are wonderful back home.
The language learning programs of Rocket Languages, Rocket Spanish’s parent company, are recorded at a New Zealand facility using voice artists who are fluent in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and several others. Spanish was actually the first language program developed and is still the most popular. A team of talented speakers, linguists, language educators, software developers, web experts, and support staff facilitate the creation and implementation of language programs.
Presenters work in recording studios in teams, creating the conversations their students will ultimately hear as gradual, sequential lessons called conversational learning. The utmost attention is paid to every detail, with a focus on effective standard teaching methodology, substantive learning practices, and forward-thinking interactive learning software.
The company’s New Zealand headquarters makes sense when you consider that founder Mark Ling is a native of New Zealand. He was attending the University of Canterbury, studying Spanish part-time, when he decided to develop online Spanish learning products to better support his studies. He and his partner Jason Oxenham ultimately created a team of talented people to develop and market the Spanish language learning program.
The team often includes students from the University of Canterbury who are clear, easy-to-understand speakers of their own native languages. The Spanish-language show, for example, features the voice talents of a native speaker from Chile and a fluent speaker who lived in Ecuador.
New Zealand was originally settled by the Maori and was eventually settled by Great Britain. The country remains a member of the British Commonwealth and maintains close and friendly relations with the United States. The country has an increasingly independent trade and foreign policy, which makes doing business there more welcoming.
New Zealand has been a nuclear-weapon-free zone since the 1980s, and its armed forces focus on peacekeeping in the Pacific region. The country is also focused on international business, with business development in its cities at the top of its list. The country is known as one of the top vacation destinations and has a strong emphasis on tourism and jobs related to the travel industry. It is famous for its beautiful gardens, eco-tourism, and abundant high-quality food and restaurants. In fact, Christchurch is known as the Garden City, due to its large number of award-winning gardens.
The country has an interesting tradition of international cultures dating back to its original settlers. So in many ways, founding Rocket Languages in Christchurch is part of a tradition. The company has certainly benefited from the favorable business environment and the international mix of people living in Christchurch today. Rocket Spanish is a measure of the kind of success that happens when lots of people brainstorm to create something new.
