LEARNING Esperanto could help you holiday on the cheap during the credit crunch, says the Esperanto Association of Britain at the launch of EuroTalk’s new language learning disc for beginners.

Around 1,350 Esperanto speakers in more than 85 countries offer free accommodation and hospitality to visitors with only one proviso: they have to speak Esperanto too!

The new Talk Now! Learn Esperanto CD-ROM, from language specialists EuroTalk, includes useful words and phrases to start off would-be house guests such as “hello” (saluton), “I don’t smoke” (Mi ne fumas) and “where can I park my car?” (kie mi rajtas parki mian automobilon?)!

Esperanto is a language devised by Dr Ludovic Zamenhof in Poland in 1887 in a bid to create a universal second tongue that everyone could use.

Stephen Thompson of the Esperanto Association of Britain says: “People who speak Esperanto are generally a very friendly bunch and I’ve personally hosted visitors from Japan, Germany, France and Spain.

"As I live in Cumbria near the Lake District, I’m also sometimes able to act as an unofficial tourist guide to the area.

“Of course, our hospitality scheme helps people save money which is a good thing in the credit crunch. But Esperanto is more than that, it’s about sharing cultures and making friends around the world.”

Stephen, who is publicity officer for the Esperanto Association of Britain, recommends the Talk Now! CD-ROM as a “good, fun introduction to the language”. The Association also runs its own language courses.

The “Talk Now!” Esperanto CD-ROM, which is both PC and Mac compatible, helps people learn by using interactive games and you don’t even have to be an English speaker to use it. This disc can be used to learn Esperanto from any of 120 languages.

It has been launched by language learning company EuroTalk at the request of one of its distributors, Rob Ebenau, in Belgium.

“Rob’s an Esperanto speaker himself so was very keen for us to add the language to the list of 120 we already cover,” says Richard Howeson, MD of the London-based company.

“He pointed out that our CD-ROM is an ideal fit for Esperanto because dozens of different nationalities can use the same product to learn from so it’s truly international.

“Thanks to Esperanto’s hospitality network he’s also been able to stay with like-minded people in both Poland and Hungary and made dozens of friends worldwide. Clearly learning how to say the words “Koran dankon” (thank you very much in Esperanto) could take you further than you think!” adds Richard.

Esperanto is said to be five times as easy to learn as Spanish or French, ten times as easy as Russian and 20 times easier than Arabic or Chinese.

Passporto Servo (which translates as Passport Service) is the name given to Esperanto’s hospitality network.

The network currently numbers around 1350 hosts in more than 85 countries. The total number of Esperanto speakers worldwide is around two million in 90 countries.

For details about the Talk Now! Esperanto disc visit www.eurotalk.com or call Freephone 0800 018 8838 (UK only).

For more information about the Esperanto Association of Britain see www.esperanto-gb.org or call Esperanto House on 0845 230 1887.