busuu.com is an online learning community for language learning. You can connect with native speakers to learn a new lanugage.
Users have access to more than 150 audio-visual learning units covering a wide range of day-to-day topics. The language material is currently available in French, Spanish, English and German but further languages will be added soon. Additionally, the users can improve their language skills with other native speakers of the community, via an integrated video-chat
Launched in May 2008, Busuu currently has more than 80,000 users from all over the world.
In their own words,
- Learn from native speakers: Learn directly from native speakers of the busuu.com community via our integrated video-chat application! By doing so you can practice your language skills in a live conversation.
- Learn with our material: We have prepared over 150 learning units covering diverse topic areas and grammar units covering the most important grammar points! The content is image and sound-based.
- Learn for free: busuu.com can be used completely for free! However, you have the option to pay a minimal monthly fee to become a Premium Member. With that Premium Membership you gain access to additional functionalities and more material.
BBC - Languages site has many free resources for foreign language learners. There are audio and video courses for beginners and intermediates in 36 languages. Steps in 12 offers French, Spanish, German and Italian short courses for beginners that last 12 weeks. Quick Fix offers essential phrases in 36 languages with audio. There are also online crossword puzzles that offer clues in the language of choice with audio. This is a great resource!
langoLAB supports language immersion through online video and text. It features authentic televison, music, videos and news articles. Most videos and text come with tools to enable comprehension including one-click dictionary look up, flash cards and notes on idioms and phrases.
langoLAB is a site that is designed to help people learn foreign languages. The site endeavors to expose learners to authentic cultural media from the internet in the foreign language they’re learning, and it provides tools to allow them to comprehend the media as quickly as possible. langoLAB is constructed around the hypothesis that people will learn a foreign language more quickly when they’re immersed in it through media and live interactions in which they can quickly perceive prelinguistic meaning and regularities.
Once you register for Lang-8 you can write an entry in the language you are studying and native speakers of the language will correct your entry. It is a form of social networking designed to help improve your writing skills in another language. You can also edit entries written in your native language.
Livemocha is a first of its kind web based language learning solution integrating online instructional content with a global community of language learners. It uses a social networking interface to connect native speakers to individuals learning a new language. There is a nice flashcard tool for learning vocabulary in just about any language.
Livemocha also has full courses available for a fee in English, Spanish, French, Hindi, German, and Mandarin Chinese. There are also crash courses for travelers.
Karen Vitek | February 18, 2009
