It’s not easy to admit that you find something difficult, but for many adults, learning a new language is not an easy task. There is the fact that as one gets older, it tends to become more difficult to pick up new things. We also have to consider that not everyone is gifted in the realm of language acquisition. While there are some individuals who seem to have a way with languages, there are more who have to exert an effort to pick up a new language.
Lucky for us, there are many ways by which we can learn foreign languages these days. There are the conventional language schools, which hold face to face classes. We can find a variety of these schools in our own cities, although the choices may be rather limited. Another option is to immerse ourselves in a location where the target language is spoken. For example, if you want to learn Thai, you can spend time in Bangkok and enrol in a Thai school. If you want to learn Spanish, you can go to Mexico, Spain, or Chile and study in a Spanish school, depending on the specific type of Spanish that you want to learn.
Then there are language apps. One of the beauties of technology is that so many doors have been opened – and are being opened – to us. In terms of broadening our knowledge and learning foreign languages, apps can help get us started. More than that, with enough desire and determination, language apps can actually be effective tools to speaking a new language. Whether you use your smartphone or tablet, having the right language apps can spell the difference between failure and success.
There is no shortage of language learning apps in the market – Android or iOS – but here are several which will help you achieve the results that you want.
50 Languages
I don’t think the average person can learn and speak 50 languages in his lifetime, but this app does give you the opportunity to learn more than 40 languages. Available for free on Google Play, the app makes use of the 50Languages method, which combines audio and text. The app comes with 30 lessons, which is sufficient to get you speaking the basics.
WorldNomads Travel Language Guides
WorldNomads is a respected name in the travel sector, and their travel language guides are among the simplest, yet most effective tools in basic language learning. They have 25 language guides, which can be downloaded for free from iTunes. Once you have exhausted the free version, you can get more words and phrases for a couple of dollars.
Human Japanese
The Japanese culture has so much to offer, and knowing its language is one key to a deeper understanding. If you can’t spend time in the country to learn Japanese, this app is your next best choice. For $9.99 on iTunes, this language learning app is very rich in content, more than making up for the price. Given that the Japanese characters couldn’t be more different from the English alphabet, this app really does help with the visuals.
Chinese Writer
Chinese is one of the most difficult languages to learn, thanks to its characters and tonal character. With this free app, you can build a solid foundation by learning the characters by heart. The app is even more effective because of the integration of the entertainment factor, as there are modes which make writing the characters a game.
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