Learning a foreign language is an invaluable skill that will open up the world to you and enable better communication with those around you, whether for study, work, or just pleasure. It helps open doors to opportunities and allows for greater understanding between cultures.
Unfortunately, learning a new language can take quite some time. That’s where apps come into play – they make learning an unfamiliar language much simpler!
Babbel
To master a language quickly before traveling, create an efficient learning schedule. Allot at least three weeks to master this new language and make sure you complete as many lessons as possible during this period.
One of the best ways to learn a language is with Babbel. This app offers an extensive library and its courses are user-friendly. Furthermore, it enables users to switch between languages as they progress, so if desired they can save their progress in one language before beginning another one.
Babbel’s language specialists customize each lesson based on your first language, helping you learn the language faster and more efficiently. Plus, its spaced repetition reintroduces words through six memory stages so you quickly gain plenty of vocabulary.
Babbel offers an impressive selection of language courses, as well as other learning tools like podcasts, magazines that highlight cultural snippets and mini-lessons, and videos dedicated to teaching specific language skills.
A great feature of the app is that it uses real native speakers for all audio recordings, so you don’t have to worry about listening to computer voices. Furthermore, speech recognition technology helps improve your pronunciation and accent as you go along.
Though this might sound like a positive development, it comes at the expense of other content. Podcasts are relatively short and only cover basic concepts in their target language, but they still add value to the overall experience.
Another useful feature of Babbel is its voice note-recording capabilities for lessons you’re taking. This helps you remember important points as you go along, plus these notes can be saved for future reference.
There are also features that help track your progress, such as a memory bank and review sessions. These are ideal for maintaining track of words learned and making sure you’re on the right path towards success.
Duolingo
Duolingo is a language learning app and method used by millions of people around the world. It offers numerous free lessons, allowing users to start mastering languages regardless of their current skill level.
Gamification is used in this application to keep users engaged, with vibrant visual design, progress bars, ticks, and clicks. Students create their own cartoon avatar character and navigate learning games to earn experience points (XP), badges, flags, and gems). Furthermore, they receive streaks and lingots (the app’s currency) for correctly answering questions.
Duolingo lessons are organized into modules (the circles in the screenshot), which group lessons to form skills. New modules become active only after you complete the previous one, which helps keep lessons interesting and challenging.
Duolingo’s developers redesigned the interface to make completing modules more enjoyable. The application’s map now features a winding path, creating an immersive journey rather than simply a skill tree. Plus, you’ll spot classic Duolingo characters like Lily giving a sarcastic side-eye and Oscar pruning his vines with precision.
Duolingo lessons incorporate spaced repetition, an effective learning technique that helps you remember words and phrases without getting fatigued. Furthermore, the app makes tracking revision sessions easy – an excellent way to stay motivated!
No online application can provide the in-depth explanations that a traditional language classroom or textbook would offer. Furthermore, even though thousands of volunteers have created various courses, there’s no reliable way to verify their accuracy or quality.
Due to this, many language learners find Duolingo unproductive. This is particularly true of beginners who may feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of vocabulary available.
Language learning can be an exhilarating prospect, but it’s essential to be aware of its drawbacks. Duolingo lacks context and culture which may demotivate users, while its audio quality isn’t always great. Furthermore, users may miss out on essential linguistic knowledge such as pronunciation rules – essential for successful language learning experiences.
HelloTalk
If you’re planning a trip to a new destination and want to truly immerse yourself in the culture, learning a foreign language is essential. Not only will it assist with asking directions, ordering drinks, and communicating with locals, but it can also give insight into their slang and dialects.
Before traveling, there are several ways to learn a language quickly. However, the most effective method is speaking directly with native speakers in person and using immersion as motivation. Not only will these techniques give you an excellent grasp of the language, but they’ll also enhance your travel experience!
HelloTalk is an ideal app for language exchange. It allows you to search for people who speak the language you’re learning and connect with them for practice. With over 30 million members worldwide, HelloTalk provides various features like audio messages, correction of your partner’s mistakes, and AI-powered grammar fixes.
The application is user-friendly and you can even sign up for free. Once logged in, you can browse through profiles of people from your country and beyond who speak the languages you’re interested in learning.
Once you feel confident enough to start conversing with someone, you have two options: meet face-to-face or via video call. You can also send photos and videos, record voice messages for practicing speaking skills or add doodles to your conversations.
Another excellent feature of HelloTalk is its “Moments” feature. This works like Instagram for language learners, allowing you to post public updates in multiple languages!
Connecting with people in your target language can be incredibly fun! Plus, you can learn from other users’ public Moments as well!
One of the most essential things to remember when using any chat app is safety. While it’s not illegal to use the app, connecting with strangers in a foreign country without knowing much about them can be risky. While the company has implemented measures to prevent this, it’s still wise to exercise caution when using the service.
Memrise
Memrise is a language learning app that offers an expansive library of languages and learning options. Additionally, its selection of games makes learning fun and enjoyable for users.
Memrise’s approach is science-based, employing spaced repetition to teach words and phrases. This strategy relies on the idea that repeated exposure to new information will boost its retention in long-term memory.
The app’s courses are tailored to help you master vocabulary and build a solid foundation of the language before progressing onto grammar lessons. The learning engine automatically selects an appropriate level for you, offering a range of lessons tailored to meet your individual needs and interests.
Memrise offers daily goals for your language learning, plus notifications when it’s time to open the app and devote some focus on studying.
For instance, you could learn 5 or 10 words daily, and the system will prompt you to review them with quizzes, listening tests, or other learning activities. Ultimately, the system will track your progress and display how far along you have come in the process.
Additionally, you’ll have the option to use the app offline – an ideal feature for travelers on the go!
Another useful Memrise feature is its “Immersion” mode. This immersive mode enables you to hear language in a more natural and familiar manner by watching video content from native speakers who will provide explanations of word or phrase meanings through body language cues.
The app’s audio and video content complements well-designed practice exercises that use quizzes, speech recognition, and more to take you to the next level. Unfortunately, immersion mode is only available on iOS 12 or later; nevertheless, it adds another great tool to its already impressive language-learning arsenal.
If you need to learn a language quickly before traveling, Memrise is an excellent option. Its lessons are well-designed and offer an engaging blend of language, culture, and people. Furthermore, its FAQ section provides comprehensive answers and an understanding of how its learning platform functions