Michael Phelps Using Rosetta Stone To Brush Up On His English
LONDON—Coaches and teammates confirmed Friday that U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has spent the past month studying with Rosetta Stone software in an effort to brush up on his English-language skills, which have grown rusty after several years of disuse.
Bob Bowman, who has coached the swimmer since 1996, said that with Phelps' limited grasp of the language it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the Olympian to have an entire conversation in English while visiting London. Bowman, however, was confident that if Phelps continued to train hard he might yet be able to ask directions or order food at a restaurant.
"I've worked with Michael for years, and he’s always had a hard time speaking English,” said Bowman, adding that while Phelps was at the Olympics he would more than likely have to rely heavily on a Berlitz phrase book. "He's really trying his best to learn the language. He’s getting a lot better at saying things like 'boy,' 'dog,' and 'cat.'"
Spending three to four hours each day completing Rosetta Stone lessons, Phelps has thus far learned nearly 50 vocabulary words. However, the winner of 14 gold medals was initially only able to recall simple English greetings such as "hi" and "hey" as well as the affirmative declaration "yes."
Read more: http://www.theonion.com/articles/michael-phelps-using-rosetta-stone-to-brush-up-on,28957/
