Photo by e d d d d d d d i e

Last night, as I was on the train home from work, I decided that I should pick up where I left off learning some foreign languages a few years ago.  So, upon arriving to my cozy little abode, I popped onto iTunes to see if I could find any language podcasts. And sure enough, I found ‘em. Out of the dozen or so podcasts and websites that I checked out, there were two programs that impressed me.  And the icing on the cake?  One was cheap and the other was free.

Keep in mind, that the method of learning that works for one person may not work for another.  I’m a fan of immersion learning, so when diving into a language, I like to surround myself with that tongue’s music, books, newspapers, and TV shows.  That said, here are two online-based programs that are really cheap (or free!) and easy to get started with:

Lingq

Their website, www.Lingq.com, offers a free program, as well as tiered pricing programs that range anywhere from $10/month to $79/month.  Obviously the ten bucks is a good price as opposed to the eighty.  The $80 seems a bit steep, as I hired a Spanish tutor a few years back for $20 a week, and that was learning conversational Spanish face-to-face in an immersion session.

The Free Program allows you five active assignments.  The process is akin to an online library.  You’re allowed to download five assignments at a time, and once you’re ready for more you archive the older ones and open new ones.  You may be wondering, “What exactly is an assignments?”  They consist mainly of podcasts with a corresponding transcript.  They also consist of virtual flash cards, vocabulary worksheets, and writing translation pages.

French Pd/Italian Pod/ Spanish Pod/ Chinese Pod (German Pod – coming soon)

These sites are extremely useful and I found them really helpful after one night of using them.  You can go straight to their websites:  www.frenchpod.com, www.italianpod.com, www.spanishpod.com, www.germanpod.com.  They have mp3′s that you can stream from their website and you can also get their mp3′s for free on iTunes, although not on Amazon mp3 for some reason.

Each site has over a hundred lessons and over 1,000 conversations ranging from Newbie to Advanced.  Many of their Newbie lessons are free and you can sign up for a 7-day trial for their premium service which includes:  daily podcast lessons, teacher instruction, lesson review, vocabulary study tools, reference resources, speaking practice, and classroom integration.

Boosting your skills is always a good thing, whether it’s for your career or just your own personal benefit.  And languages are always a good thing to know – it gives you an edge over other job applicants, broadens your career possibilities and goes a long way in making you a well-rounded, educated individual.  So try out one of the programs for free, and if you like the results, upgrade to a more comprehensive package.  Your mind and your wallet will thank you.

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