Have you been looking to become conversant in French, Spanish, Mandarin, or Hebrew through online language studies? Or are you looking to learn new languages? Perhaps you’re planning a trip, or maybe foreign language competency is integral to your job. Whatever the reason, now, when you probably have some time on your hands, it is the perfect time to build your skills.
The language masters and software development services of the world have created plenty of ways to learn and build competency in a new language, no matter what your level of proficiency. Whether you want to practice speaking, need to up your grammar game, or hope to build your vocabulary, there’s a solution for you.
1. Rosetta Stone
With 23 languages available, including Italian, Latin, Turkish, Arabic, and Portuguese, along with two variations each of Spanish and English, Rosetta Stone is a leader in language learning. The company has been around for nearly 30 years and today offers a variety of tools, including apps, to assist you with honing your pronunciation, vocabulary, and much more.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rosetta Stone is offering a three-month, free subscription for new users who are the parents or guardians of K-12 students.
2. Babbel
With bite-sized lessons, speech-recognition tools, and a progressive framework that adjusts the difficulty based on your individual mastery of concepts, Babbel helps you hone your pronunciation and learn vocabulary and grammar along the way. The app uses the voices of native speakers with different accents to help you immerse yourself completely in a language and employs didactic research for skills-building.
3. Duolingo
This widely-used app includes a huge selection of languages, including High Valyrian, Scottish Gaelic, Hawaiin, Navajo, and Klingon. The game-like structure encourages you to practice reading, writing, and speaking every day, with short lessons and a point system for mastering different topics, ranging from subjunctive mood to politics. You’ll progress through each topic and earn points as you advance, as well as complete challenges tailored to you.
4. Fluenz
Fluenz essentially offers private language lessons via a personal tutor. Compared to the alternatives, there is a limited selection of languages—just seven—but the series of videos featuring real instructors, assessments, and self-paced, tailored practice will take you far. Programs are available for homeschooled students, grades 7-12, higher ed, the government sector, companies, and nonprofits.
5. Memrise
This vast library of courses helps you learn vocabulary for many different topics, from animals to museums to short stories. There are plenty of languages, dialects, and variations available, including constructed languages and sign languages, and a large community of users. Memes, a gamified approach, and other features make languages fun to learn.
6. Busuu
Featuring over 1,000 lessons created by linguists for languages including Spanish, German, Polish, Arabic, Chinese, Turkish, and several others, Busuu uses machine learning to create personalized study plans for language learners. Lessons are interactive, with exercises, accent training, grammar tips, and more.
You’ll start with a placement test determining your beginning level and earn certificates as you advance in levels. You’ll also have the opportunity to work with native speakers of your chosen language in real-time.
7. Mondly
Mondly is unique in that it isn’t just meant for native English speakers. Instead, you can learn from 33 languages. Combining neural science research with technology, the app boasts 50 million users worldwide. It’s packed with creative features, including colorful images and techniques geared toward individual learning styles and approaches.
8. HelloTalk
Connect with more than 18 million native language speakers around the world via text, voice or video calls and recordings, or drawings, no matter how you like to communicate. There’s no better way to learn a language than with the help of a fluent speaker, and HelloTalk not only facilitates this connection but also offers tools to help you with pronunciation, translation, and more. You can even post “Moments” posing questions and comments to the community.
9. Pimsleur
Are you an auditory learner? Pimsleur offers 30-minute recorded lessons straight from your headphones. You can choose from more than 50 languages and, in addition to auditory lessons, access digital flashcards, reading lessons, “speakeasy” challenges in which you review transcripts of your conversations, fast-paced speed rounds, and much more. You can also earn badges and learn about the culture and history behind the language.
10. Tutor Hunt
The Tutor Hunt platform is a network of Tutors and qualified Teachers. Search over 300 subjects, book in-person or online lessons at any time. Finding a tutor is not always easy task, they strive to make the process as simple as possible – listing all personal and private tutors closest to you. Tutor Hunt help manage the whole booking process and help you schedule your lessons. All online lessons can make use of our innovative online whiteboard, where you can communicate (video, audio and chat), share documents and your screen in real time.
The world is your oyster when it comes to learning a new language, no matter where you are or what you want to speak. These tools are only the beginning. When you can finally travel again, you won’t have any need to bring your pocket dictionary with you.
