Tools for language learning

Today, we are going to talk about the tools available for language learning, which ones are generally effective and which ones are a waste of your time.

Popular tools

1. Apps

2. Classroom teacher

3. Online software like Rosetta Stone, Rocket Language and Michel Thomas

4. Watching Movies/podcasts

5. Language exchange like iTalki

6. Learning from a significant other

7. Learning from an online course

8. 1-on-1 with a tutor

This list isn’t exhaustive but the most popular approaches I could think of, if there are other approaches that I haven’t covered, feel free to email me and I’ll add them to the list.

Because this guide is meant for expats with busy lives I will be focusing the output vs time you have to invest. That doesn’t mean that there are some situations where certain things might be useful.

If you do a quick Google search you’ll find a ton of bad reviews for old-school software like Rosetta Stone and some sort of good ones for companies like Rocket Language. That is because they pay affiliate marketers good money to promote their products in exchange for a commission of the sales they generate.

I’m not out to bash the companies (or the affiliates) but the style is outdated because it is passive. You listen to something, repeat it and do some exercises.

What you need instead is someone giving you rapid feedback and tell you when they don’t understand you or when you are pronouncing something wrong.

All the apps I’ve come across has been the same except Tandem and iTalki. They were better because you have the free language exchange.

However, that is still inefficient because you have to help the other person learn as well and it’s a pain in the ass to organize the right time to chat/call. Not to mention that -especially if you chat- some people get really weird behind a keyboard.

These options are ok if you are looking for something extra one day but not as your key learning experience. The same goes for movies and podcasts- they are good when you are going to/from work but should not count as your learning. You need short bursts of concentrated learning with feedback.

Learning from a significant other is also a terrible idea- trust me. You end up getting really annoyed with one another. They will be annoyed because you just can’t remember all the words and it’s easy to forget how difficult it is for you when they know it by heart.

And often they will try to practice with you in high stakes situation where you are definitely not in the mood- if you are the type of person who gets angry, you know what I’m talking about.

Classroom teaching as you know it from school is generally ineffective because one teacher has to cater to 10+ students and you don’t get tailored help to learn quicker. Not to mention the often terrible times during a day that they have to have the lesson to cater to the majority. Though for some it is key to use the built-in accountability which is always better than not learning at all.

The only real way to learn on a busy schedule is 1-to-1 tutoring or practicing with a friend who is learning the same language as you and around the same level or slightly better. If your friend is too advanced for you it gets annoying for them.

Another thing that you could try is to hire a tutor with your friend, so he/she is effectively teaching both of you.

That way you can have conversations with each other and with the tutor and you can practice group conversations- there are some languages where you have to address people in certain ways which can get complicated in group situations.

This is a great way to practice those bits since your language skills is often a fun topic in social situations.

When and how to use a teacher (and what price range you can expect)

Here’s a quick recap along with tutor prices I’ve found across different languages and platforms.

• Get started by building a habit. It will have you conquer an eventual lack of motivation later on (the problem practically everyone faces at some point)

• Use a tutor to learn exponentially faster because you get direct feedback on pronunciation and get used to having a conversation. Use Skype rather than in-person if that makes sense.

• Pick specific topics to learn and timelines to feel like you are progressing

• Spend 20-30 mins 4-5 days/week and STICK with it for 8 weeks. Ideally do it in the morning, if that’s at all possible. If you fail and miss your “classes” that’s fine as long as you notice WHY so you can iterate (could be due to being busy, procrastinating, shy, fear of speaking etc. - notice how you feel!)

Pricing examples

If you feel OK using Skype rather than in-person tutors, you are much more likely to find cheap but good and experienced tutors.

I had a look at a few different platforms and I looked at different tutors for different languages. I also searched on Craigslist and a couple of other websites but it seemed to be more random in terms of finding something with good value for money.

I have no deals with the companies below, and I haven’t used all of them myself yet I included them because they look solid in my research- I’m sure there are many other companies out there that I haven’t found yet (if you know any other, email me and I’ll check them out!).

These might not be a surprise to you - if you are looking for alternatives, let me know and I might work on creating an exhaustive list if there’s demand for it.

• Rype is $7.3/hour

• iTalki & Tandem: $15-$25/hour

• Verbal planet: $22/45 mins

When and how to use apps and free tools (e.g. language exchange)

We briefly touched on this subject before. I have not come across any tools yet that are efficient if you are a busy expat.

They are all passive learning whereas if you want to learn fast you need active feedback on how you speak.

Frankly, if you want to learn faster I’d increase my learning sessions with a tutor to either longer sessions than 60 minutes or more often. In my experience, this will still be way more efficient than using the other tools- especially apps that are trying to “gamify” your experience.

You feel like you are making great progress by getting points, increasing levels etc. whereas I’ve actually found it difficult to remember the words, later on, understand the grammar rules and more importantly pronounce things so people could actually understand you.

I hope that you find this post helpful,

Talk soon

Marion