by Danny
(Manchester, UK)
I've been listening to the French course, and yes, his accent is noticeable and the fact you'll struggle to read and write anything clearly suggests that this method is to teach you speak only. That's exactly what I wanted, as I speak pretty good Italian and felt going through a book and CD format would bore me as I could guess the answers.
I looked up the Italian course out of interest on youtube, and his Italian, while excellent, is heavily accented. My Italian is good enough to spot a few different accents and his is clearly northern European - I used to work with a Dutch woman who sounded just like that in Italian.
All of which is a long-winded way of saying what a useful site this is, and to pass on my tip for trying to improve your accent in a foreign language.
Start out by saying something in English with, say, a French accent, then move into saying French in that way. It's not foolproof but will make you sound a little bit better - there's a reason the French and Italians sound the way they do in English!
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Good tip Danny. Thanks... and don't forget to wave your hands and contort your face in a 'French' or 'Italian' way! -Editor