Apps for Learning – Languages
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| imgbuddy.com |
Let’s be honest now, your interest in learning to speak a foreign language isn’t all that likely to start developing while you’re at school. For some it will and good for them, I’m sure they’ll have fun with their essays, language labs and foreign exchange trips, but for the rest of us it can seem like any attempt to add a second language to our vocabulary after that is too little too late.
Educational tools like books and audio guides have been
around for years but how effective they are entirely depends on what kind of
learner you are and if the shoe doesn’t fit, it can be really frustrating.
Thankfully, with the world of apps increasing in versatility and capability at
such an alarming rate, it’s never been easier to find a learning program that’s
tailored to your needs. Below you’ll find 5 markedly different language
learning apps, providing a wide range of different approaches to the daunting
challenge of becoming bilingual.
Memrise
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| thecultureist.com |
A very visually grounded app, Memrise teaches you largely
through a flashcard system, awarding points and tracking your progress like a game,
making it that much easier to see how much you’ve progressed and stay
motivated. The big sticking point is that all the content is user-generated,
giving you thousands of different courses to choose from. It can be a little
overwhelming, but a rating/relevance system makes it easy to sift through
everything and find the ideal course for you.
Buusuu
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| androidauthority.com |
Like Memrise, Buusuu is reliant on users to make it as
useful and comprehensive as possible and with 40 million registered native
speakers using it, the odds are pretty good. In the early stages it also uses a
flashcard system but when you move into more advanced territory you’ll be doing
writing tasks which are peer-reviewed by native speakers. Audio exercises are
also included in the mix.
Brainscape
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| digitalmediaacademy.org |
A slightly more traditional option, Brainscape is primarily
based around time-sensitive quizzes which scale up in difficulty based on your
experience level. The Mandarin Chinese edition of this app is particularly
useful because the interface enables you to use more or less the entire screen
to draw symbols, essential when faced with learning an entirely new kind of
writing as well as a new spoken language.
MindSnacks
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| educade.org |
This one is by far the most gamified language app on this
list and is particularly good for people who like to study in short bursts,
like whilst waiting for an appointment or during a commute. The lessons are
packaged as rapid-fire, 90-second blasts and you can’t progress to the next
group until you’ve mastered the previous one. Like Memrise it’s very visually
focused, but also heavily reliant on repetition, since once things get more
difficult you’ll be doing the same levels over and over until you’ve absolutely
nailed them.
DuoLingo
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| amazon.com |
This is the front-runner. It’s the most comprehensive app on
this list, featuring aural, oral, written and visual challenges based around a
drill system. Tracking your progress is simple and the app encourages you to post your milestones on your social media
accounts so that your friends can see how you’re doing and vice versa. The app
will also send you study reminders if you ask it to and includes an ‘immersion’
system which has you reading and translating real articles.
Honorable Mentions:
Word Lens: An
amazing app which allows you to translate foreign signs in real time through
your phone/tablet’s camera. The signs will appear exactly the same, except the
words will be translated.
Cat Spanish: A
Spanish learning app from the makers of Memrise, it uses the same basic system,
but is entirely cat themed. Make of that what you will.
iTranslate 2: Simple,
elegant, effective; all you need to do is speak into your mobile device and it
will translate the speech into whatever language you select.
Callum Davies
Callum is a film school graduate who is now making a name for himself as a journalist and content writer. His vices include flat whites and 90s hip-hop. Follow him @CallumAtSMF
Apps for Learning – Languages
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Rating:
Unknown
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