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Apps for Learning – Languages

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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Apps for Learning – Languages Reviewed by Unknown on Thursday, May 28, 2015 Rating: 5
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