Pimsleur Language Programs

Pimsleur Language Programs

Industry	Publishing
Founded	1963
Founder(s)	Dr. Paul Pimsleur, Charles A.S. Heinle, Beverly Heinle
Headquarters	Concord, Massachusetts, USA
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Robert Riger (Director) Beverly Heinle (Executive Editor)
Products	Pimsleur Language Programs
Owner(s)	Simon & Schuster Audio / CBS Corporation
Website	pimsleur.com

Pimsleur Language Programs is an American language learning company that develops and publishes courses based on the Pimsleur Method.^[1]

History

Dr. Paul Pimsleur, a professor and expert in applied linguistics and a founding member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)^[2], wrote the original 5 courses: Speak & Read Essential Greek (1963), Speak & Read Essential French (1964), Speak & Read Essential Spanish (1966), German Compact (1967), and Twi developed for the Peace Corps (1971). The programs were originally called “A Tapeway Program.”

Starting in 1969-70, having tried unsuccessfully to market the programs, Paul gave them to Charles A.S. and Beverly Heinle at The Center for Curriculum Development in Philadelphia. The courses were repackaged and marketed as “CCD/Tapeway Programs.” In 1974, Charles Heinle bought the rights to Pimsleur and set up Heinle & Heinle Enterprises. In 1980, Mr. Heinle opened the Cassette Learning Centers, a stand in the Harvard Coop, in Cambridge, MA. Prospective users were invited to sit down and experience “The Pimsleur Tape”. “The Pimsleur Tapes” were published by Heinle & Heinle Enterprises based in Concord, MA.

In 1995, Simon & Schuster took on distribution to bookstores. Before Heinle & Heinle Enterprises sold Pimsleur to Simon & Schuster in 1997, they added 27 new languages to the Pimsleur catalog. Since the acquisition, Simon & Schuster Audio has added another 27 languages. Pimsleur’s catalog currently stands at 59 languages and over 200 courses. The courses are still produced in Concord, MA and are available as digital audio downloads, CDs, and cassettes.

In 2005, Digital editions of some languages were made available through various resellers.

In 2008, Pimsleur's first children's line, Speak Spanish with Dora & Diego, was released in coordination with Nickledeon's Nick Jr.

In 2008, Playaway is licensed to distribute the entire Pimsleur line to the military on pre-loaded players.

In 2010, Pimsleur donated its Haitian Creole course for free to relief and charity workers after the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

In 2010, Pimsleur partnered with the USO, The Boston Foundation and Playaway to produce Pashto and Dari courses for U.S. troops serving in and being deployed to Afghanistan. This course is available for free to all military personnel. Operation Speak Easy^[3] was funded by a Boston-area philanthropist and Pimsleur-enthusiast.^[4]

In 2010, Pimsleur Digital line was relaunched in DRM-free format and at a new low price.

In 2011, Pimsleur donated 8 hours of its Japanese course to support aid agencies and volunteers in the wake of the Tsunami disaster.^[5]

In 2012, Pimsleur released a new interactive software version of their Spanish, German, French, and Italian courses called Pimsleur Unlimited.^[6]

Corporate structure

Pimsleur Language Programs is owned by Simon & Schuster Audio, a division of Simon & Schuster, which is part of CBS Corporation.

Offices

• Corporate headquarters are in New York, New York.
• Editorial offices are in Concord, Massachusetts. All courses are developed, produced, and recorded at this location.

Consumer Alert

An independent reseller, Internet Order LLC, which is not affiliated with Pimsleur Language Programs is misleading in its sale of a "special offer". This company owns the site pimsleurapproach.com, whereas the official Pimsleur Language Programs is found at pimsleur.com.

The purchase of the "Quick and Simple" program from "Pimsleur Approach" for $9.95 automatically enrolls the purchaser in a free trial of the elite- level Gold course series. The purchaser has three options:

1. Call 1-866-204-7139 to cancel the free trial before it is shipped.

2. Try the level 1 course for 30 days, then call 1-877-802-5283 to cancel the free trial and pay return shipping of the product.

3. Keep the level 1 course and automatic billing of $64.00 per month for four months will begin after 30 days. After another 60 days, a free trial of the level 2 course will be shipped to you, and you have the same three choices as above.

It is not known if Internet Order LLC inspects the CDs for signs of download after a free trial is returned.

Available languages

Pimsleur Language Programs' courses are available in the following languages:^[7]

• Albanian
• Arabic (Eastern)
• Arabic (Egyptian)
• Armenian (Eastern)
• Armenian (Western)
• Chinese (Cantonese)
• Chinese (Mandarin)
• Croatian
• Czech
• Danish
• Dari (Persian)
• Dutch
• English for Arabic Speakers
• English for Chinese (Cantonese)
• English for Chinese (Mandarin)
• English for Farsi (Persian)
• English for French
• English for German
• English for Haitian Creole
• English for Hindi
• English for Italian
• English for Korean
• English for Portuguese
• English for Russian
• English for Spanish
• English for Vietnamese
• Farsi (Persian)
• French
• German
• Greek
• Haitian Creole
• Hebrew
• Hungarian
• Indonesian
• Irish (Gaelic)
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Lithuanian
• Norwegian
• Ojibwe
• Pashto
• Polish
• Portuguese (Brazilian)
• Portuguese (European)
• Romanian
• Russian
• Spanish Latin American
• Spanish Castilian
• Swahili
• Swedish
• Swiss German
• Tagalog
• Thai
• Turkish
• Twi
• Ukrainian
• Urdu
• Vietnamese

References

External links

• Official website