2nd Edition

10 Essential
Tech
Resources
For Smart
Language
Learners !!!
By Olly Richards! !

IWillTeachYouALanguage.com

Disclaimer

2014 Olly Richards

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Introduction

10 Essential Tech
Resources For Smart
Language Learners
2nd Edition

Section 1

Introduction

That is, it won't turn bad learning into good learning.

What it can do, however, is to help to turn good learning into
great learning!
Think about it.

Hello!
My name is Olly Richards and I run a blog called I Will Teach
You A Language.
Thanks so much for downloading this E-Book, now in its 2nd
edition!
I'm a huge fan of technology, and my goal in this guide is to
show you how you can use these ten tools to take your
language learning to the next level!
Before we get started, here are a few things I'd like to mention.

How well would Marty McFly have done on the hoverboard if he

hadnt already been an awesome skater?
Great tools in the wrong hands are all but redundant.
I learnt my first few languages without any help from
technology. Just me, a few tatty notebooks, a few bulky
dictionaries... and a lot of enthusiasm.
And you know what - that still works!
The point of technology isn't to replace all that hard graft with
different methods. The point of technology is to add new
possibilities to methods that already work, and to make them
more efficient.

Firstly, technology won't teach you a language!

Now, I think you already know this, but I'd like to make doublysure!

And so the resources in this book are not big, flashy tech startups like Facebook or Twitter.
In fact, you might think some of them are kind of boring!

There's no piece of software out there that will make you fluent
in a month, or even a year! Technology won't do the work for
you.

But dont be deceived these are the few resources that I use
day-in day-out, 365 days a year. Why?
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Because they enhance my learning.

If at any point while you're reading this guide you have any
questions, don't hesitate to let me know.
You can reach me straightaway on Twitter (@Olly_IWTYAL), or
on my very active Facebook page. In fact, why not look me up
now?
If you want to contact me in private, you can reach me any time
at [email protected].
Happy reading!
Olly

Tech Resources

10 Essential Tech
Resources For Smart
Language Learners

Section 1

One

How will it help me?

This app changed my life.
The beauty is in the simplicity. You need to listen to a lot of
audio when you learn a language, but its not easy to listen to
the hard bits on repeat with normal music players.

Smart Repeat App

This app lets you tap a button to mark the beginning and end of
a specific section that you want to listen to over and over.
Genius.

What is it?
Smart Repeat enables you to select and repeatedly listen to a
designated section of an audio file. There are also buttons to
skip backwards or forwards 2, 5, 10 or 30 seconds.
Where can I find it?
Android only. On the Google Play store:
Free version (contains adverts and limit of 5 imported files)
Full version - $2.49 (no ads and unlimited files)
Theres an iPhone equivalent, called Speater:
Free version
Full version
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Section 2

Two

How will it help me?

You can use Lang-8 to get corrections on anything you want.
Just type in what you want and someone will get back to you.
Getting feedback on how you're using your target language is a
crucial part of the learning process. Like anything, it's best done
regularly.

Lang-8.com
What is it?
A website where you can have your writing corrected by native
speakers. Write a journal in the language youre learning, then
other users on the site will look at it and give line-by-line
corrections.
Where can I find it?
URL: http://lang-8.com/
Cost: $0
Membership option: $7/month for more corrections, no ads,
PDF downloads and more.

Writing regular 'diary entries' will help you to think in the

language and regular corrections will focus you on where your
errors are happening.
Tips
The strong community makes Lang-8 a good place to meet
potential language partners. Use the buttons to thank people for
their corrections and add them as friends - this will make it
more likely they will correct your future entries.
Spend some time correcting other people's entries in your own
language. This will boost your own entries up the list and
generate more corrections.
You can use Lang-8 to help you write prepared speeches - a
powerful language learning tool. Find out how in this article:
http://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com/write-a-tech-savvy-speech/

Section 3

Three

How will it help me?

Rhinospike.com

Tips

What is it?
A website where you can get any text read aloud for you by a
native speaker.
Where can I find it?
URL: http://rhinospike.com
Cost: $0
Membership option: none

Textbook audio recordings can be a good way to start learning

a language, but they have limitations too. Hearing things read
aloud by real people will give you a much more realistic idea of
how the language really sounds, and your listening skills will
improve as a result.

First, submit your text to Lang-8 (see part 2) for correction.

Then, take the corrected text and submit that for recording on
Rhinospike.
(Note: although there is a feature for correcting text on
Rhinospike itself, users tend to simply correct it as they speak,
which doesn't leave you with a written record of the correction.)
Remember to give back, and record audio for other people from
time to time. Doing so will boost your own requests in the
queue. The community here isn't as big as Lang-8 so it's a
good idea to record as much as you can for others in order to
make sure yours get seen.
Pro tip: You can download the recorded audio in mp3 format.
Put this on your phone so you can listen to it whilst out and
about. More advanced users can even embed this audio in their
SRS flashcards (see section 4).
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Section 4

Four

Flashcards Deluxe
What is it?
A simple but powerful flashcard app using spaced repetition
(SRS) to help you memorize vocabulary more easily.
Where can I find it?
URL: http://orangeorapple.com/Flashcards/
iPhone direct download
Android direct download
Cost: $3.99
A free lite version is available if you want to try it first, but this
has a limit of 6 cards per deck. I recommend you save yourself
the hassle and get the full version! Here are the lite versions for
iPhone and for Android.

How will it help me?

Flashcards are widely used by language learners the world
over. Just input the words, phrases or even Chinese characters
that you want to remember, and use the software to revise it.
What SRS does is to bring efficiency to the process. When you
see a card, you tell the app how well you know it. If you know it
well, the card will be sent away for a few days. If you dont
know it well, youll see the card just a few minutes later.
In this way, you only spend your time reviewing the things you
really need to.
Flashcards Deluxe stands out from the crowd for a number of
reasons. The interface is clean, easy to use and distractionfree. It is packed with extra features but still runs fast and
doesn't require an internet connection.
Check out my full review of Flashcards Deluxe.
There are many other great flashcard apps out there. Anki and
Memrise are perhaps the most well-known, but come with the
following drawbacks:
Anki: free web software, but the iPhone app is expensive at
$24.99. The 3rd party Android app, however, is free.

 Memrise: free web software, but the smartphone apps

require an internet connection

Pro tip 1: Sync your flashcards between all your devices using
the app's Dropbox functionality.

Tips
This app is without a doubt my single most useful resource
and I could write a book on different ways to get the most out of
it!

Pro tip 2: Flashcard decks can be made simply and easily on

Microsoft Excel. Here's a sample format.

To start, I recommend you spend some time on the developer's

website where you'll find training videos, tutorials and FAQs
which cover the basics and some of the extra features.
My top tips for getting started are:
Don't enter single words onto flashcards - full sentences
are the way to go. Context is king!
Exploit the "add sound/picture" function to support your
memory
Change which side of the card pops up first, depending on
your strategy
Make your own decks, rather than using other peoples
ready-made ones. Sure, it takes longer, but it will be much
more meaningful and memorable if you make your own.
"Little and often" is the key for studying with SRS. 2-minute
study sessions throughout the day are best.

Why not keep a spreadsheet on your desktop? You can then

copy and paste new words and phrases into it as you find them.
I like to transfer new words and phrases from my notepad
directly into the spreadsheet after a language exchange - its
much quicker!
When you've got a good number of items in there, simply
upload it to Dropbox and downloaded onto your app as a
flashcard deck.
For further discussion about using SRS flashcards, read this
article:
http://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com/how-to-study-flashcards/

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Section 5

Five

How will it help me?

Im sure you know this feeling.You study your new language at
home or in class, and it all seems to be going well. But then you
go out into the real world, speak to some people and you understand nothing. It feels like youve gone back to square one.

FluentU

The problem is that when youre listening to native speakers its

all too damn fast! What I always wanted was a magic wand
which I could just wave and say: Stop! Go back, say it again,
and tell me what that word meant!

What is it?
FluentU is possibly my favourite language learning website of
all. With hundreds of videos in your target language, and
incredible tools such as bilingual subtitles, looping, and
integrated flashcards, this is the most fun Ive had in years!
Where can I find it?
Read my review: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/fluentu
Cost: $0.00 to get started, subscribe for more functionality

FluentU solves this problem. Imagine my delight, when I found

hundreds of videos, complete with bilingual subtitles, hover dictionary, loop functionality, and integrated flashcards to learn all
the vocabulary from the videos!
Heres what you get:
genuine video content from the real world (drawn from YouTube), available in: English, Spanish, French, Chinese,
German, Japanese
classified up by level (beginner, intermediate, advanced
etc)
classified by genre (movies, songs, TV)
bilingual subtitles for everything
hover-over dictionary for any words you dont know
short sections of video that you can loop automatically
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a learning centre where you can study all the vocabulary

from each video in a built-in flashcard system thats as
good as Memrise

Since I started using FluentU regularly for brushing up my

Japanese, my listening comprehension has gone through the
roof. I also find myself much more motivated to study, because I
love watching video.
Tips
Ive written a thorough review of the site on the blog, so you
should check that out by visiting:
http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/fluentu

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Section 6

Six

iTalki.com
What is it?
A website for getting speaking practice. You can find informal
teachers and language exchange partners from around the
world.
Where can I find it?
URL: italki.com
Cost: You purchase ITCs (iTalki credits) in blocks, which you
then exchange for lessons. Professional teachers tend to cost
more, while informal tutors can be very affordable - as little as
$5 per hour!

How will it help me?

Speaking a language fluently is what most people secretly want
more than anything else. Many people also believe that they
can never learn a language without living in the country itself.
This is a fallacy. Even people who have moved to a country in
order to speak the language have trouble finding people to
speak with.
iTalki puts you in contact with people to practice speaking with
from the comfort of your own home. What sets it apart from
other sites out there is the fact that you have a lot of teachers
and informal tutors to choose from who come with ratings and
reviews given by the community.
Tips
Try to get clear what you want before you look for a teacher.
Most people only need speaking practice, not formal teaching.
You can get speaking practice cheaply by selecting the
informal tutor option. They might not be the best teachers in
the world, butyou dont need them toteach! You just need them
totalkandlisten!

Alternatively, you can also connect with others for a language

exchange, which is a free.
13

When you first get in touch, tell them that youre just looking for
speaking practice theyll be happy because it makes it easier
for them!
Also, dont be scared to try out a number of teachers until you
find someone thats right for you, and dont feel bad if you dont
request someone back. It happens all the time and its more
important for you to find the right person.
For a guide getting the most out of speaking with a tutor or
language partner, check out this article:
http://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com/making-language-exchangeswork-for-you/

14

Section 7

Seven

Voice Recorder

Tips
There are so many things you can do with this your
imagination is the only limit!
Some people record their lessons or their language exchanges.
They then go back over it later, listening for bits that they found
difficult to understand and having another go at deciphering
what was said.
My favorite way of using it is when Im abroad.

What is it?
Its the app on your smartphone which records things!
Where can I find it?
Its right there, on your phone! Have you found it yet? Track it
down now if you havent!
How will it help me?
By recording yourself or other people speaking, it gives you the
opportunity to go back and listen again.

I secretly record conversations with native speakers I meet as I

go about my day the person who served me in Starbucks, the
guy who sold me a train ticket, the girl who tried to sell me a
pair of shoes.
I just set the recorder going and hold the phone in my hand as I
talk. When I get home, Ill listen back to the conversation and
try to figure out everything I didnt understand first time round.
I write about this in more depth in my article Stealth Learning in
the Field:
http://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com/stealth-learning-in-the-field/

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Section 8

Eight!

Mandarin: http://www.nciku.com/
German: http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/
Spanish: http://www.spanishdict.com/
French: http://www.wordreference.com/

E-Dictionaries
What is it?
An online dictionary. Much quicker and more efficient than
paper dictionaries.

Portuguese: http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-portuguese/
How will it help me?
Physical dictionaries are becoming redundant. The reason?
It takes too long to look stuff up!

Google Translate is increasingly good for some languages, but

not for others. Taking the time to find a good, solid online
dictionary is a very good idea.

How many times have you had to interrupt your studying to look
up a word in the dictionary, find what youre looking for, only
half-understand the translation, think about it for a minute, put
the dictionary away, go back to what you were doing a little
confused, and promptly forget what you just spent 5 minutes
looking up?

Try visiting a good language-specific blog or forum that you

know of and searching for best dictionary.

Used to happen to me all the time! With online dictionaries we

can find what we need, when we need it.

Here are some good ones that I know of and use myself:

Tips

Japanese: http://www.alc.co.jp/

Use a good online dictionary during a language exchange to

look up things that you want to say. This will help keep the

Where can I find it?

16

conversation in the target language and keep you from

resorting to English!
Pro tip: Keep an Excel document on your desktop for new
words and phrases that you look up. Each time you find
something new, copy and paste it into the spread sheet.
After a while, you can export these automatically into a
flashcard deck (see section 4 for how to do that) in under 60
seconds and start testing yourself when youre out and about!

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Section 9

Nine

How will it help me?

We allhave troublefinding the time to study.
But what if getting exposure to your target language was
automatic and you had to make the conscious choice not to
study?

Internet Radio on Auto-Play

This is a simple, effective hack which can help you set up an

immersion environment and get a lot more listening practice.
Tips

What is it?
For this to be effective you need to do two things.
This guide will show you how to set up internet radio in your
target language, and to make it automatically play every time
you turn on your computer.

1. Take some time to find a decent radio station theres no

point choosing a Spanish radio station that plays Britney
Spears all day long!

Where can I find it?

Start by downloading the VLC media player for your computer.
Instructions after this are a bit more complex. Please follow the
link below to find out exactly what to do:
http://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com/how-to-do-more-listening/

2. This works when you turn your computer on. Therefore, for
this to work, you actually have to turn your computer off in
the evening! :)
When listening to the radio, dont worry if you cant understand
much of what they sayor even anything!
The aim here is not to study the radio, but just to increase your
passive exposure to the language, at times when youd
otherwise be in silence.
18

Section 10

Ten

starting to write in your target language, not only can you

access sites like lang-8.com, but you can start doing Google
searches, interacting on forums in short, its a gateway into
the language.
Tips

Keyboard Input
What is it?
This is the option on your phone and computer to type in
another language!
Where can I find it?
Mac: Go to Apple > System Preferences > Language & Text >
Input Sources
PC: click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.
ClickTime and language, then Region and language, and then
clickAdd a language.
How will it help me?

If youre learning a language based on the Roman alphabet,

this isnt such a big deal for you. Just make sure you can write
all of the unique characters in the language: the Portuguese ''
or the German ''.
Languages which don't use the Roman alphabet can have a
steep learning curve when it comes to learning how to type.
Chinese, for example, might seem daunting. However, it's often
much easier than you think once you've figured out the basics.
Type: "how to type in [language]" into Google, and find a
tutorial.
Spend an hour learning the basics - it will be such a good use
of time! YouTube can be good for this, too.
The better smart phones have handwriting input now, which
means, in the case of Chinese, for example, you can literally
draw-in your characters! As soon as possible, try to transition
into writing in your target language at every opportunity.

Many people avoid writing in their target language, especially if

it involves a different alphabet, such Arabic or Chinese. By
19

Pro tip: If you still see funny characters displaying after

installing the new input, try altering the encoding options on
your browser:
Google Chrome: Menu button > Tools > Encoding
Internet Explorer: Right click page > Encoding > More

20

Final Words

10 Essential Tech
Resources For Smart
Language Learners

Final Words

Final Words From

Olly

Thanks so much for your support of I Will Teach You A

Language. If youre a fan of audio, then you should check out
my podcast, where I answer your language learning questions
directly. New episodes come out twice weekly, and you can
subscribe for free on iTunes.
To continue the conversation, come and join the community...

Well done for making it to the end!

Facebook: http://facebook.com/iwillteachyoualanguage

I hope you found this guide useful, and that youve enjoyed
reading it as much as Ive enjoyed writing it for you. You now
have all the tech you will ever need for your language learning
journey!

Twitter: @Olly_IWTYAL
All the best, and all power to you!!!
Olly

Ive tried to demonstrate in the Tips sections that there are

infinite possibilities just with the most simple of resources. You
dont need to spend any more of your time hunting for the latest
app everything you need is right here! Now you can just get
on with the business of learning
Take it away, have fun, experiment, try something new every
day, and let me know how it goes!

22

Language Learning
Foundations
How to become fluent in any language...
without wasting time
If you found this guide useful, then theres a lot more where
this came from!
The best place to start is with my video course, Language
Learning Foundations, which teaches you the exact, step-bystep system that Ive used to become fluent in over 7 foreign
languages. It covers everything from finding the best materials and finding native speakers to practise with, to making an
effective study schedule and staying motivated.
Whats cool about it is that it focuses on the early stages of
learning a new language. You know, that stage where you start
to get overwhelmed by all the options and just want a clear
path to follow that is guaranteed to bring you results and get
you speaking quickly?
Just like this guide, its designed to be really straightforward
and easy to follow, and many people have used it to make
huge strides forward in a new language.
For more information, click here or visit the main blog page
and click on Courses: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com

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