Earlier today we mentioned a plugin for AIM that would translate what you type on the fly into another language. That's an exceptionally useful tool, but the far more fluid and accurate way to speak to people in another language, is to actually learn the language. Thankfully, there are a wide variety of ways to learn languages online, many of them available for free. Below is a list of more than 20 ways you can go from knowing how to say "Hello" to fluency.
Language Lessons
- Mango Languages: 12 different online language courses presented in conversational format with prices starting at free.
- Vocabulix: Free vocab building lessons in Spanish, German and English, as well as other languages, with a baked in social network.
- Pod Network: Spanishpod - Frenchpod - Chinesepod - Free online lessons in three languages.
- BBC Languages: A host of language learning tools and self-contained online courses from the BBC.
- eLanguageSchool.net: Free lessons for learning 10 different languages online.
- Linkua: An online marketplace of real-life language tutors. There's nothing like learning a language directly from a native speaker.
- LiveMocha: This site combines lessons, with an online community allowing you to practice speaking with native speakers, which dovetails nicely into the next set of sites.
Now that you've learned the basics, you need to practice. That's not always easy if you've been learning on your own and no one around you speaks your new language. The sites below will help you hook up with a native speaker -- usually over VoIP -- to practice speaking.
Practice Speaking
- SharedTalk: A language exchange covering 113 languages from the makers of the popular RosettaStone language learning software.
- xLingo: A language exchange that lets users create and share flashcards with each other.
- Palabea: Reviews of language learning software in addition to an online language exchange.
- iTalki: A language exchange with a Yahoo! Answers-style QnA site, and a wiki-based public knowledge base for 10 different languages.
- Huitalk: Forums, articles, vocabulary lists, and a language exchange using Skype.
- Interpals: A large language exchange from a popular penpal social network.
- Mixxer: A free language exchange using Skype built by Dickinson College.
- TT4You: A free global language exchange site.
- Language Buddy: A free language exchange with 115 supported languages.
- Convesation Exchange: Text and voice chat, email, or face-to-face meetings can bet set up via Language Buddy to improve your conversational skills.
- Lingozone: Build vocab skills by playing game of Word Ladder and Hangman, while making friends with whom to practice speaking.
- Language Exchange Network: Think Craigslist for language learning; this site has super-simple language exchange classified listings.
- MyLanguageExchange: One of the oldest online language exchanges (this site was a Yahoo! Internet Life pick in 2001), it claims over 1 million members speaking 115 different languages.
- Language Exchange: A language exchange application for the Facebook platform.
Bonus Site: ASL Fingerspelling: Test your American Sign Language chops by watching online spelling demos and guessing the word.
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And if you need something urgent to be translated the Google Translation is very helpful: http://www.google.com/translate_t
Another one is Babelfish (now a Yahoo property): http://babelfish.yahoo.com
Posted by: Mircea | May 19, 2008 2:15 PM
If you're working on vocabulary in a foreign language, take a peek at wordcurious.com, which allows you to create lists of vocabulary items based on a particular topic. For example, if you're studying "food terms" in your Russian class, you can make a list of all the words you're memorizing for your lesson, and share them with your classmates or students.
Full disclosure: I am the creator of the website. I would not ordinarily post such a blatant plug for a site that I created, except that it's a weekend hobby project created for me and my wife, and doesn't have any ads.
Posted by: Norman Clarke | May 19, 2008 2:55 PM
One of the most innovative I've seen is SpeakShop http://www.speakshop.com These folks pair you directly with native speakers in their home countries.
Posted by: Robert | May 19, 2008 2:55 PM
Sadly I must join Norman in plugging my site: a Chinese-English dictionary service, nciku.com. We have a similar word list function on our site and some other pretty nifty tools like a handwriting recognition feature so you can see what that Chinese tattoo you got while plastered really means.
Not to totally promote myself, other good dictionary sites for people wanting to learn Chinese are: dict.cn, iciba.com, chinesepod.com (as you mentioned), and adsotrans.com.
Posted by: Dan | May 19, 2008 4:32 PM
a few to add:
friendsabroad.com
myngle.com
yabla.com
Posted by: Gabe Morris | May 19, 2008 4:51 PM
A good site for Spanish translation and lessons is: www.spanishdict.com
Posted by: Spanish | May 19, 2008 5:24 PM
You can add to the list:
Soziety.com that is a skype based language learning platform
Posted by: Franchu | May 19, 2008 6:13 PM
Japancast.net free Japanese podcasts - plus search the archives for free lessons on how to write in hiragana and katakana.
Posted by: Paul Griswold | May 19, 2008 6:43 PM
great list! So many places to check out!
Posted by: spilltojill | May 19, 2008 7:18 PM
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Posted by: HappyTutors.com - Connect Tutors with Students & Parents | May 19, 2008 7:27 PM
Thanks for the link to the Mixxer. We've also added a wiki so that users can submit writing for corrections and suggestions by native speakers.
I should also mention that we use WordChamp a great deal at Dickinson. Their reading aid is very good, adds glosses from dictionaries to any web page. http://www.wordchamp.com/lingua2/Reader.do
Todd
Posted by: Todd | May 19, 2008 7:31 PM
If you are familiar with podcast technology and like this format I'll recommend http://www.eslpod.com to learn english.
Starting from free this site is full of podcasts oriented to help you to learn english through real world scenarios and also learn expression commonly used by the US folks.
Posted by: Nestor | May 19, 2008 8:21 PM
For those looking for language exchange in Barcelona, check out http://www.talkconmigo.com
Posted by: Jared | May 20, 2008 12:10 AM
Great plugins if You use Firefox.
http://googlesworld.spaces.live.com/lists/cns!40C1D04F1DB92E50!133/
Posted by: tbl | May 20, 2008 12:47 AM
I would like to point out an up-and-coming wiki Language Portal.
http://en.bab.la - Learning Languages
It has language quizzes, vocabulary trainer, online dictionary and much more.
Posted by: Wendy | May 20, 2008 1:24 AM
I'd also like to recommend Ingolingo if you're looking for some vocabulary style training. It's pretty good, in my very biased opinion!
Posted by: Mark | May 20, 2008 3:10 AM
How about LANCELOT learning? LANCELOT stands for LANguage learning with CErtified Live Online Language Teachers.
A LANCELOT trainer is a trainer who meets his students in a virtual classroom. It is not free but affordable because of groups tuition.
A LANCELOT trainer has to be certfied as a language trainer and has to have years of experience in teaching a language in a real face-to-face school. Then they take a 3-months course to learn how to teach in virtual classrooms. The lessons are structured and complemented with e-learning material, yet they are fun and highly interactive because they are conducted with small groups of students from all over the world.
It all depends whether you enjoy learning on how to ski with friends or whether you would like to take skiing lessons. Why not do both in small groups lead by a skiing instructor?
www.lancelotschool.com
heike.philp[at]lancelotschool.com
Posted by: Heike Philp | May 20, 2008 4:16 AM
i am interested in working for you. i want to learn other languages, and i want to help other people as well. I speak english, spanish and french.
Posted by: JOSE BARRERA | May 20, 2008 12:15 PM
www.busuu.com!
I would like to add to this list a brand-new language learning community called www.busuu.com!
It has a very nice design and a lot of online learning content with photos and voices of professional voice artists!...and its completely for free!
Check it out!
Posted by: Barry | May 22, 2008 3:01 AM
Great, thanks for this list! I think I will link to your post in my blog (might not be next week until this happens though)!
Thanks again,
Talking Books Librarian at http://talkingbookslibrarian.blogspot.com
Posted by: Talking Books Librarian | May 23, 2008 8:44 AM
Great, thanks for this list! I think I will link to your post in my blog (might not be next week until this happens though)!
Thanks again,
Talking Books Librarian
Posted by: Talking Books Librarian | May 23, 2008 8:44 AM
Bueno, ahora lo que falta son ganas de aprender :)
Posted by: Diseño web | May 24, 2008 2:58 PM
Nice links, just what I was looking for
Posted by: Posicionamiento web | May 24, 2008 2:59 PM
May I put in a word for Esperanto?
I say this not only because it is a living language, but has great propadeutic values as well.
Detail can be seen at http://www.esperanto.net
Posted by: Brian Barker | May 26, 2008 6:24 AM
great but google translate is the best
Posted by: Diseño Web - Websdirect | June 11, 2008 9:06 AM
This are very useful resources. Do you know of any resources to learn sign languages online?
Posted by: stormwhistle | June 15, 2008 8:10 PM