Language Learning Resources in the Age of Information

So you want to teach yourself a language but you don’t know how to get started. Living in the Age of Information is a curse and a blessing. We are truly fortunate to have this many resources at our disposal to be able to help us learn a new language. At the same time, because there are so many options, it can be very hard to choose which is the best app or resource. Therefore, in this article, I will briefly discuss my method of learning new languages and the resources that I employ to speed up the process.

            This article is not a comprehensive list of language learning resources, rather my own personal preferences. If you would like a more comprehensive layout of what is available to you in the way of language learning resources, I recommend checking out lingualift.com’s post: 100 best language self-learning resources.

            The first, and most obvious, resource that I make use of is the good old fashioned dictionary. Google Translate is an option as well, but I have found that many translations are incorrect and sometimes this can make you look like a fool when you talk to native speakers. It also helps if the language you are translating uses your same alphabet (such as English to Spanish), but still there are problems. I prefer to use the dictionary to translate words, and I use Google Translate to look up phrases. The dictionary is not yet dead…but it probably will be soon. There are also many dictionary apps that are more effective in translating your target language than Google Translate because they are specifically dealing with your target language, and not every major language in the world like Google. An example of one of these dictionary apps is Jsho, which is an excellent Japanese to English translator app. Google Translate is impressive because of the sheer number of languages it can translate, but you will have more luck in terms of accuracy if you find a dictionary or translator app that only translates between two languages.

            I believe (and I don’t think this is a very controversial point) that when learning a language, vocabulary is the foundation. It is essential that you build up your knowledge of vocabulary before you can even think about grammar and sentence formatting. You need to have notecards, but fortunately, you do not have to write these by hand anymore and you can take advantage of the benefits of spaced repetition by using programs such as Anki to learn and retain new vocabulary. You can use this program to write hundreds, if not thousands, of words and phrases and Anki will use spaced repetition to make sure you review these words when you start to forget. I recommend using this program at least 5 days per week for 15-30 minutes in order to quickly build up your vocabulary. I was introduced to the benefits of spaced repetition while learning Japanese kanji through the program WaniKani, which I highly recommend for all Japanese learners. Spaced repetition is definitely the best way to learn a vast amount of vocabulary and review the vocabulary at the right intervals. Anki is a great program.

            Another resource I find very helpful, especially when I am at the beginning stages of language learning, is Duolingo. The only issue I have with this app is that it has quite a few ads, and seems to constantly pressure you to pay for their ad-free service. I used Duolingo back when they had almost no ads, and it was a much more enjoyable experience. However, they have certainly improved the app a lot since those days, and have added quite a few new languages. Also, the trend of increasing ads is not something solely seen on Duolingo. Our society becomes more material every month, it seems. I prefer free apps, and, despite the ads, Duolingo is one of the best out there. It is great because you can use it on your computer or while on-the-go if you download it from Google Play: Duolingo.

            For all those music and podcast lovers out there, Spotify is a great resource for language learning that I use frequently. There are playlists of music in a wide-variety of languages that you can explore on Spotify. Generally, I will shuffle through these playlists and pick out my favorite songs in that language, and then create my own playlist. So, for example, I have playlists in my Spotify that are all Spanish language songs or all Japanese language songs. These playlists are not just used for language learning purposes. I genuinely enjoy these songs and listen to them often. Also, if you do a little digging, you will find that there are a plethora of podcasts geared towards learning specific languages on Spotify as well. These can be very helpful in improving your listening and pronunciation skills, and they are a great way to study during a long commute.

            As much as I would like too, sometimes I cannot tear my gaze away from the entertaining, yet nearly endless, TV series that are most abundantly found on Netflix. Netflix does a fairly good job at catering to an international audience, and people of all backgrounds. There are tons of TV shows and movies in foreign languages, and I must admit that I watch my fair share of them. The key with learning language through TV, though, is to actively pay attention. Use it to learn phrases and words that are frequently used in your target language. Don’t just watch the subtitles and space out. Eventually, you should try turning off the subtitles and watching shows and movies in your target language with the full immersion necessary to learn the most effectively. Of course, this is too difficult for beginners, but if you are at an intermediate or upper intermediate level, I highly advise it.

            Old fashioned dictionaries, translator apps, Anki, Duolingo, Spotify, and Netflix are my most-used resources when it comes to learning a new language. I highly recommend all of them. I also recommend looking up resources and apps that are specifically geared towards the language you are studying. Technology makes it so much easier to learn language than in the past. Despite this, the most important resource when learning a language is time. It is of the utmost importance that you develop a consistent schedule and study daily if you truly want to learn a foreign language.