100 best language self-learning

resources
MARTA KRZEMIŃSKA

We often find ourselves recommending products for self-learning

foreign languages, and we thought it’d be useful to compile a list for
your reference.

ALL LANGUAGES JAPANESE RUSSIAN MANDARIN

We have included some of our own products only where we are convinced

they deserve a place in the list, and we have included both paid and free

study resources without discrimination.

Everything on this list deserves your attention, but resources we're particularly

fond of, the kind we'd use ourselves, are marked with a little star.

1. Online courses
2. Vocabulary building
3. Speaking practice
4. Writing practice
5. Reading practice
6. Educational games
7. Podcasts, music & radio
8. Vodcasts & video blogs
9. Polyglot blogs
10. Books on language learning
11. Forums & communities
12. Dictionaries & translation
13. Other

Online courses
LINGUALIFT
Self-teaching can be much more effective than regular courses, but every

once in a while, even self-learners need to ask a question, or receive words of

motivation and support. It can also get rather tiresome to keep searching for

new resources and learning how to learn. LinguaLift combines quality content,

advanced algorithms and personal coaching to give serious self-learners

everything they need to succeed.

DUOLINGO
Created by the inventor of ReCaptcha, the ubiquitous am-i-a-robot checker

Duolingo has quickly become the leading free language-learning website.

Although the methodology is far from perfect, and you may want to

complement the site with other resources, the overall experience is really fun

and engaging and you can't really beat the price!

MANGO
These excellent online courses are composed of interactive mini lessons. The

interface is friendly and easy to use, and the program does an especially good

job at teaching sentence word order through intuitive colour coding and clear
explanations. There's just one snag: you need a school or library subscription

to use the website.

BABBEL
Babbel is similar to Duolingo, but rather than relying on automatic algorithms

to generate the interactive exercises, all content is divided into lessons

curated by their teachers. The benefit is twofold: more immediately useful

expressions, and a wide variety in the type of exercises you get to do.

ROSETTA STONE
You've probably seen its iconic yellow box in airport terminals, at the local

library or at your favourite bookstore. The Rosetta Stone method of teaching

languages is based on the way that babies learn their mother tongue. It is

engaging, but becomes rather ineffective once you move beyond the

basics. Read our full Rosetta Stone review

UDEMY
Udemy is a repository of video courses on every imaginable topic. They

specialise in business-related content, but there are also some great foreign

language lessons and an excellent advanced English writing course by a

former New York Times journalist.

LINGVIST
Lingvist is the creation of a CERN scientist, turned language educator. The

site shows a lot of promise for the future, and features some novel ways to

visualise your progress, but the actual learning method doesn't offer anything

particularly innovative or effective at the moment.

LANGUAGE ZEN
Language Zen's algorithm adapts to your pace and style of acquiring material

and remembers all the vocab you learned across different topical packs and

songs. So after you went through greetings you don't have to go though he

same basics when doing the "at a restaurant" course. The site is currently

limited to Spanish, but looking at the quality of the course we keep our fingers

crossed for the future.

ABOUT.EDUCATION
About.com has pretty good articles on virtually every topic, and foreign

languages are no exception. Their grammar explanations are particularly

helpful and generally use simple language without going into unnecessary

detail.

BBC LANGUAGES
Similar to About.com, the BBC has a variety of resources, both written text

and audio, for all major languages. If you're learning British English, be sure to

check out their excellent pronunciation section.

 The ultimate language self-learning guide

Vocabulary building
ANKI
Anki uses the so-called ‘spaced repetition system’ (SRS) to predict when you

are about to forget what you're learning, and remind you just before your

memory fades completely. Although there are many other SRS applications,

Anki’s active community and extensive flashcard deck library makes this one

a particularly good choice.

MEMRISE
Anki has an online version, but if you don't need all of its advanced features

and would prefer a friendlier interface and more extensive flashcard library,

Memrise is the way to go for learning vocabulary in your browser. The

methodology revolves around memes, or mnemonic devices that use imagery

and associations to help you remember a word.

SUPERMEMO
Think of SuperMemo as the grandfather of Anki. Wozniak invented the original

SRS algorithm and the current iteration of SuperMemo remains the most
advanced of its kind. You can create your own cards free of charge, and the

upcoming version will also, similar to Anki, offer course-sharing options.

MNEMOSYNE
Mnemosyne is a distant third in the spaced repetition software race.

QUIZLET
Quizlet may not use any advanced algorithms to predict your memory

patterns, but it is by far the leading repository of online flashcards. The free

library includes hundreds of thousands of decks on any topic, the interface is

very easy to use, and the PDF export feature has no equal.

COOLJUGATOR
Can you guess from the name what it does? :P The site lists full conjugations

of verbs from over 35 languages. The verbs are accompanied by example

sentences, and information about usage.

Speaking practice
ITALKI
Self-learning a language is great, but sometimes it's good to take a small

class or a one-to-one to catch up with a standardised test curriculum or brush

up on more formal language. Italki is the place to find an online tutor or

conversation partner who will do just that.

FORVO
Not quite sure how to pronounce Yokohama? Meeting your Russian pen-pal

for the first time and struggling to read his name? Forvo is a free collection of

pronunciation recordings for the vocabulary of every language, and is

recorded by volunteer native speakers around the world.

RHINOSPIKE
On the rare occasion that a particular word is not available on Forvo,

RhinoSpike is at your service. Simply enter whatever word you're struggling to

pronounce, and wait for a benevolent native to send you a recording from

across the globe. The service is especially useful for languages where

pronunciation changes according to the surrounding words and the wider

context of the sentence.

HELLOTALK
HelloTalk allows you to chat with native speakers all around the word by

exchanging text and voice messages. The system has an easy facility for

correcting written messages, so you'll immediately get feedback on your

writing. When recording voice messages, HelloTalk relieves the stress of an

immediate conversation (although you can also call people if you wish) and on

top of that, HelloTalk has an inbuilt dictionary!

BLIUBLIU
A SIMILAR CONCEPT TO LINGUA.LY, BLIUBLIU HAS AN ADDED

COMMUNITY ASPECT. YOU CAN UPLOAD YOUR OWN BOOKS, JOIN

CHALLENGES AND FIND NATIVE SPEAKERS OF THE LANGUAGE

YOU'RE LEARNING. YOU WILL, HOWEVER, HAVE TO "EARN MORE

MINUTES" TO USE THE APP WITHOUT BREAKS FOR LONGER THAN

THE INITIAL TRIAL PERIOD OF 5 MINUTES.

LISTENING PRACTICE
PIMSLEUR
IF YOU HAVE THE TIME AND MONEY TO SPEND, THERE'S NOTHING

QUITE AS EFFECTIVE AS PIMSLEUR. THE RENOWNED SPACED

REPETITION AUDIO COURSE IS SLOW TO GET GOING, AND ONLY

COVERS A SMALL SUBSET OF THE LANGUAGE, BUT

YOU WILL REMEMBER EVERY WORD, EXPRESSION, NAME AND

LOCATION TAUGHT IN THE COURSE FOREVER, WITH MINIMAL

EFFORT.

CREATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING PODCAST

KERSTIN AND LINDSAY DISCUSS LANGUAGE LEARNING METHODS

WITH INVITED GUESTS FROM THE LANGUAGE LEARNING SPHERE.

WITH A CASUAL ATMOSPHERE AND FRIENDLY STYLE, THE AUTHORS

SHARE ADVICE BASED ON THEIR PERSONAL POLYGLOT EXPERIENCE,

MAKING IT FUN AND INFORMATIVE AT THE SAME TIME.

LANGUAGEPOD101
JAPANESEPOD101 IS ONE OF THE BEST, AND CERTAINLY THE

LONGEST-RUNNING PODCAST FOR JAPANESE LEARNERS OF ALL

LEVELS. ALTHOUGH THE COMPANY HAS NOW RELEASED PODCASTS

AND AUDIO COURSES FOR OTHER LANGUAGES, THE QUALITY IS NOT

QUITE ON PAR FOR MANY OF THEM.

SURVIVAL PHRASES
A COLLECTION OF BASIC PHRASES IN OVER 25 LANGUAGES. IN EACH

SHORT, 1-2 MINUTE AUDIO LESSON A NATIVE SPEAKER EXPLAINS

ONE BASIC PHRASE GIVING THE CONTEXT OF ITS USE. EACH LESSON

HAS A FREE DOWNLOADABLE PDF GUIDE. GREAT TO LEARN THE

BASICS ON THE PLANE BEFORE YOU LAND AT YOUR NEXT

DESTINATION.

RADIO LINGUA
LONGER THAN THE LESSONS IN SURVIVAL PHRASES, THE RADIO

LINGUA 20 5-MINUTE EPISODES OF STORIES ARE NATIVE SPEAKER

CONVERSATIONS ON LEVELS FROM BEGINNER TO ADVANCED. THE

FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEXT IS ACCOMPANIED WITH WORD-OR-WORD

OR PHRASE-FOR-PHRASE TRANSLATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS.

WONDERFUL RESOURCE FOR LEARNING WHILE COMMUTING.

FLUENTU
WATCH TRAILERS AND FUN YOUTUBE VIDEOS IN YOUR TARGET

LANGUAGE; LEARN NEW VOCAB AND EXPRESSIONS THROUGH

INTERACTIVE EXERCISES BASED ON THE VIDEO SUBTITLES.

EXCELLENT RESOURCE IF YOU FIND YOURSELF SPENDING TOO

MUCH TIME WATCHING THE LATEST ADVENTURES OF MARU, RATHER

THAN LEARNING THE LANGUAGE.

MYLINGO
MYLINGO'S MISSION IS TO MAKE THE WORLD OF NON-ENGLISH

SPEAKING CINEMA GOERS A BETTER PLACE. THE SERVICE PROVIDES

SYNCHRONISED AUDIO FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS SO YOU CAN

WATCH THEM IN THE THEATRE WITHOUT SUBTITLES. THOUGH

CURRENTLY THERE’S NOT A LOT OF CONTENT, MYLINGO IS ONE TO

KEEP AN EYE ON IN THE FUTURE.

ASSIMIL
ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND UNDERRATED METHODOLOGIES

FOR IMPROVING ONE'S DAY-TO-DAY CONVERSATION, LISTENING,

INTONATION AND PRONUNCIATION IS KNOWN AS ‘SHADOWING’.

ASSIMIL IS THE COLLECTION TO GET IF YOU DECIDE TO TRY THIS

METHOD. READ OUR SHADOWING HOW-TO

LYRICS TRAINING
CAREFUL WITH THIS ONE BECAUSE IT GETS ADDICTIVE EVEN IN

YOUR MOTHER TONGUE! CHOOSE A FAVE SONG AND A LEVEL OF

DIFFICULTY THEN TRY TO FILL IN THE MISSING WORDS IN THE

SUBTITLES WHILE THE TRACK IS PLAYING. GREAT WAY TO IMPROVE

YOUR LISTENING SKILLS AND... TYPING SPEED!

TUNEIN
RADIO IS A GREAT WAY TO IMPROVE LISTENING COMPREHENSION,

ACCLIMATISE YOUR EAR TO REGIONAL DIALECTS AND ACCENTS, AND

SIMPLY KEEP YOUR LANGUAGE UP-TO-DATE WHILE COMMUTING OR

DOING HOUSE CHORES. TUNEIN MAKES IT EASIER THAN EVER TO,

WELL, TUNE IN TO THOUSANDS OF RADIO STATIONS AROUND THE

WORLD.

EDUCATIONAL GAMES
MINDSNACKS
A FUN LITTLE LANGUAGE LEARNING APP WITH A COLLECTION OF

GAMES TEACHING YOU THE WRITING SYSTEM, BASIC VOCABULARY

AND GRAMMAR OF YOUR TARGET LANGUAGE. THE CONTENT IS

SOMEWHAT LIMITED BUT THE GAMES PROVIDE A NICE BREAK FROM

MORE SERIOUS LEARNING.

LEAF
LEAF IS A 21ST CENTURY PHRASEBOOK FOR EVERY CONTEXT.

BASED ON YOUR LOCATION AND PHONE USAGE THE APP SUGGESTS

MOST RELEVANT CONTENT TO ENHANCE YOUR ENGLISH MAKING

YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE IN ANY NEW SITUATION YOU ENCOUNTER.

WITH INBUILT AI THE APP SUGGESTS CONTEXTS TO SUIT THE NEEDS

OF THE MOMENT.

INFLUENT
CROWDFUNDED ON KICKSTARTER, INFLUENT LET'S YOU EXPLORE A

VIRTUAL WORLD FROM A FIRST-PERSON OR THIRD-PERSON POINT

OF VIEW. IN THE LEARN MODE, WALK AROUND AND CLICK ANY

OBJECT TO LEARN ITS NAME IN A FOREIGN TONGUE. IN THE TIMED

REVIEW MODE, DO YOUR BEST TO QUICKLY FIND OBJECTS WHOSE

NAMES APPEAR ON THE SCREEN.

LANGUAGE NUT
LANGUAGENUT HELPS TEACHERS CREATE TAILORED, GAMIFIED

LANGUAGE CLASSES FOR STUDENTS. SCHOOLS AND INDIVIDUAL

STUDENTS CAN THEN COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER.USING A WIDE

SELECTION OF LANGUAGES, INCLUDING MINORITY ONES.

VODCASTS & VIDEO BLOGS

BABBEL CHANNEL
CHANNEL BELONGS TO THE CREATORS OF THE BABBEL APP. THE

FUNNIEST SERIES OF THEIR VIDEOS FEATURES AN AMUSING TWINS

COVER TOPIC RELATED TO LANGUAGE-LEARNING METHODS AND

LEARNERS' CONCERNS. A FEW OTHER SERIES COVER LANGUAGE

BASICS AND OFFER BITE-SIZE LESSONS ON SPECIFIC TOPICS.

INTROVERTS BY JADE
AS FAR AS LANGUAGES GO, JADE FOCUSES ON ENGLISH,

PRONUNCIATION AND ACCENTS USING FUNNY VIDEOS TO EXPLAIN

THE QUIRKS OF BRITISH ENGLISH. A SECOND STRAND OF HER

VIDEOS DEALS WITH INTROVERTISM AND ITS IMPACT ON LANGUAGE

LEARNING.

EASY LANGUAGES
THE VERY FRIENDLY VIDEOS HERE PRESENT THE BASICS OF A BIG

VARIETY OF LANGUAGES, FEATURING NATIVE SPEAKERS AS

TEACHERS AND ALSO IN CONVERSATION WITH THE PRESENTERS.

EVERYTHING IS DONE IN CASUAL REPORTER STYLE.

LINGO STEVE
YOU PROBABLY KNOW STEVE KAUFMANN ALREADY, AND NOW YOU

CAN ACTUALLY HEAR HIM SPEAK ABOUT HIS PERSONAL

EXPERIENCES IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND REALLY FOLLOW HIS

PROGRESS AND LEARNING ROUTINE. A LOT OF VIDEOS HAVE TO DO

WITH LINGQ, BUT THAT SHOULDN'T BE A SURPRISE.

LUCA LAMPARIELLO
IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR AN APPROACHABLE POLYGLOT, TRY LUCA.

HIS CHANNEL IS A MIX OF HIS MULTILINGUAL INTERVIEWS AND

LECTURES AS WELL AS HIS THOUGHTS ON AND EXPERIENCES IN

LANGUAGE LEARNING.

THE TRAVEL LINGUIST

TRAVEL LINGUIST IS A SERIES OF VOCAB LEARNING VIDEOS

PROVIDING 101 BASIC PHRASES IN 15 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. EACH

PHRASE IS WRITTEN ON THE SCREEN AND AS SPOKEN BY A NATIVE

SPEAKER. IT CAN GET PRETTY MONOTONOUS, BUT NONETHELESS IS

RATHER USEFUL.

FLUENZ
YOU GET VIDEO CONTENT FROM THE PAYABLE SOFTWARE, SO YOU

WILL NOT GET THE INTERACTIVE EXERCISES HERE! YET THE VIDEOS
ARE VERY EASY TO FOLLOW AND WILL SLOWLY WALK YOU THROUGH

THE BASICS OF FRENCH, SPANISH ITALIAN AND MANDARIN; ALL WITH

CLEAR EXPLANATIONS. A SEPARATE STRAND IS DEVOTED TO

LEARNING TIPS AND TO LEARNING SUCCESS STORIES.

LANGFOCUS
PAUL IS NOT AFRAID OF CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS OR STRONG

OPINIONS. HE ANSWERS COMMON QUESTIONS REGARDING

LANGUAGE LEARNING AS WELL AS SHARING HIS LEARNING STORY

AND GIVING HONEST PRODUCT REVIEWS. HE HAS SEPARATE

PLAYLISTS DEVOTED TO ARABIC, HEBREW, TAGALOG AND JAPANESE.

POLYGLOT BLOGS
FLUENT IN 3 MONTHS
BENNY LEWIS ONLY STARTED TO LEARN LANGUAGES SERIOUSLY IN

HIS EARLY TWENTIES, BUT HAS QUICKLY BECOME A POLYGLOT

THROUGH HIS 3-MONTH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION METHODOLOGY

BASED ON USING THE LANGUAGE ACTIVELY FROM DAY ONE.

THE LINGUIST
REMEMBER LINGQ? THE PROLIFIC POLYGLOT STEVE KAUFMANN IS

ALSO AN AUTHOR OF THIS BLOG — A FREQUENTLY UPDATED

RESOURCE AIMED AT LEARNERS OF ALL AGES.

SPEAKING FLUENTLY
RICHARD SIMCOTT IS SOMETHING OF A CELEBRITY ON THE

POLYGLOT SCENE...HAVING STUDIED 40 LANGUAGES, AND FLUENTLY

SPEAKING 16, HE DEFINITELY HAS SOMETHING TO SAY ON THE

MATTER OF EFFECTIVE LEARNING. HE ALSO RUNS POLYGLOT

WORKSHOPS WITH (FELLOW POLYGLOT) ALEX RAWLINGS, SO CHECK

OUT HIS EVENTS PAGE TO SEE IF THERE ISN'T ONE NEAR YOU!

ACTUAL FLUENCY
"ANYONE CAN LEARN A LANGUAGE" IS THE TAGLINE OF THIS BLOG

AND KRIS BROHOLM IS WORKING TO MOTIVATE US ALL BY

PRODUCING INTERVIEWS WITH LANGUAGE EXPERTS, BLOGGERS

AND PRODUCT CREATORS. AT THE SAME TIME, HE IS HIMSELF

TRYING TO LEARN 10 LANGUAGES IN TEN YEARS—VISIT IF YOU'RE

LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION!

I WILL TEACH YOU A LANGUAGE

THE PROMISE IN THE TITLE OF THIS BLOG MAY SEEM A BOLD CLAIM,

BUT OLLY SPEAKS EIGHT LANGUAGES AND HAS RECORDED OVER 65

PODCASTS ON LANGUAGE-LEARNING METHODS. VISIT TO CHECK IF

HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT :-)

THE POLYGLOT DREAM

THIS DREAMY BLOG IS PERHAPS UNUSUAL IN THAT ITS AUTHOR,

LUCA LAMPARELLO HAS POSTS IN THE VARIOUS LANGUAGES HE HAS

MASTERED. WHAT’S MORE, LUCA MANAGED TO LEARN 10

LANGUAGES IN HIS HOME COUNTRY DESPITE THE COMMON

MISCONCEPTION THAT LEARNING WITHOUT TRAVELLING IS

IMPOSSIBLE.

EUROLINGUISTE
SHANNON IS NOT ONLY A POLYGLOT, BUT ALSO A MUSICIAN, WHICH

BEGS THE QUESTION: ARE LANGUAGE LEARNERS BETTER AT MUSIC,

OR DOES MUSICAL ABILITY ENHANCE LANGUAGE LEARNING? OR

BOTH? IF YOU ENJOY HER POSTS, HAVE A LOOK AT HER RESOURCE

PAGE TOO, WHERE SHE LISTS ALL THE MATERIALS SHE REGULARLY

USES.

5 MINUTE LANGUAGE
AGNIESZKA IS NOT ONLY A POLISH LANGUAGE FAN (SEE WHAT I DID

THERE?) BUT IS ALSO A MOTIVATING WRITER. HER BLOG, WHICH

BEGAN AS AN ATTEMPT TO TEACH HER BOYFRIEND POLISH WITH

SHORT 5-MINUTE LESSONS, HAS GROWN TO BE ONE OF THE MORE

POPULAR SITES IN THIS FIELD.

LINDSAY DOES LANGAUGES

LINDSAY IS ONE OF THE MORE CREATIVE BLOGGERS OUT THERE

AND IT’S HARD TO MISS HER BRIGHTLY COLOURED POSTS ON

FACEBOOK. SHE DOES INSTAGRAM CHALLENGES AND A MONTHLY

"CLEAR THE LIST" WHERE SHE SHARES HER LANGUAGE LEARNING

GOALS WITH HER FANS, ENCOURAGING THEM TO DO THE SAME.

OMNIGLOT
FROM ABAZA TO ZUNI, THIS SITE HAS YOU COVERED. ARE THESE

EVEN LANGUAGES?-—YOU MAY ASK. YES, SIMON AGER HAS MADE A

POINT IN INCLUDING LESSER KNOWN LANGUAGES IN HIS

RESOURCES SO WHETHER YOU WANT TO GET AN IDEA OF A

LANGUAGE OR LEARN PHRASES, THIS IS THE SITE TO VISIT.

THE MEZZOFANTI GUILD

DONOVAN FROM THE MEZZOFANTI GUILD IS A POLYGLOT,

SPECIALISED IN THE ARABIC LANGUAGE. THIS IS A HIGHLY

RECOMMENDED READ BOTH FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING TIPS AS

WELL AS INSIGHTS INTO THE LIFE AND CULTURE OF EGYPT AND

KAZAN.

LANGUAGE MASTERY
APART FROM SHARING TIPS ON LEARNING SPECIFIC LANGUAGES,

JOHN ALSO DRAWS FROM HIS UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN

LINGUISTICS AND WRITES ABOUT PSYCHOLOGY, BRAIN HEALTH AND

MOTIVATION, AMONG OTHER TOPICS.

THE POLYGLOTIST
SISKIA STARTED AS A BILINGUAL SO YOU MAY SAY SHE HAD IT

EASIER TO BECOME A POLYGLOT, BUT THAT'S NOT THE CASE! SHE

SHARES HER LEANING STRUGGLES, TIPS, PRODUCT REVIEWS AND

OCCASIONAL VIDEOS IN AN ENGAGING, MEXICAN STYLE.

RAWLANGS
ALEX RAWLINGS, DISSATISFIED WITH THE STYLE OF LANGUAGE

TEACHING AT HIS UNIVERSITY, HAS MADE IT HIS MISSION TO SHOW

OTHER LEARNERS MORE EFFICIENT METHODS OF STUDY. IN 2012, HE

BECAME BRITAIN'S MOST MULTILINGUAL STUDENT, SO HIS BLOG IS

DEFINITELY WORTH CHECKING OUT.

ITCHY FEET COMIC

LEARNING LANGUAGES CAN BE A DREARY BUSINESS, SO WHY NOT

HAVE A FUN BREAK? JOIN THE MULTINATIONAL AND MULTILINGUAL

AT THE FUNNY ITCHY FEET AND LAUGH AT THE PROBLEMS OR

COMMON SITUATIONS THAT HAPPEN TO ALL OF US ABROAD.

LANGUAGES AROUND THE GLOBE

THERE IS PROBABLY NO TOPIC THAT BRIAN, THE AUTHOR OF THIS

BLOG, HASN'T COVERED. FROM REVIEWS OF LANGUAGE LEARNING

TOOLS, TIPS ON LEARNING SPECIFIC LANGUAGES AND UNUSUAL

LEARNING METHODS, TO POSTS DIRECTED AT LANGUAGE

SOFTWARE AND APP PRODUCERS. BRIAN SPARES NO ONE! :-)

LANGUAGE CRAWLER
LANGUAGE CRAWLER'S POSTS AREN'T YOUR REGULAR SHORT "7

WAYS TO DO X" STYLE, BUT ARE FAIRLY WELL-RESEARCHED PIECES

ON SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF LANGUAGES AND LINGUISTICS.

LANGUAGE SURFER
LANGUAGE SURFER RON AIMS TO TURN HIS BLOG INTO A TECHNICAL

MANUAL FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING. COMING FROM FLORIDA, HE

LEARNED ARABIC, SPANISH AND GERMAN; ALL IN FLIP FLOPS OF

COURSE ;-)

BOOKS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING

LIKE BOOK BUT HAVE NO TIME TO READ? TRY BLINKIST
AND GET AN EXCLUSIVE 20% OFF!
FLUENT IN 3 MONTHS
WE'VE ALREADY LISTED BENNY LEWIS POLYGLOT BLOGS “AMONTH”

ON OUR SITE, BUT HIS BOOK IS AN EQUALLY GOOD READ. ALL HIS
GREAT TIPS ON SELF-LEARNING A LANGUAGE QUICKLY BY USING IT

FROM DAY ONE ARE EXPANDED, IMPROVED, AND ADAPTED FOR THIS

HARDCOVER FORMAT.

FLUENT FOREVER: HOW TO LEARN ANY LANGUAGE FAST AND NEVER

FORGET IT
THIS BOOK IS A STEP-BY-STEP, METHOD BY METHOD REVIEW OF THE

MOST COMMON MEMORISATION TECHNIQUES AND LEARNING

METHODS, SUPPORTED BY REFERENCES TO ACADEMIC RESEARCH

ON WHICH THEY ARE BASED—SORT OF LIKE THE ARTICLES ON OUR

BLOG! READ THE AUTHOR'S DEFINITION OF FLUENCY IN THE BLOG

POST BELOW.

LINGO: A LANGUAGE SPOTTER'S GUIDE TO EUROPE

SHORT READ (LIKE MAYBE A FLIGHT BETWEEN LONDON AND

POLAND) WITH FUN FACTS ABOUT EUROPEAN LANGUAGES. NOT ALL

THE FACTS AND NOT ALL LANGUAGES, BUT DEFINITELY A FUN

CHOICE AND A GOOD PRESENT FOR THOSE WHO SEEM TO HAVE "ALL

THE BOOKS ABOUT LANGUAGES".

IS THAT A FISH IN YOUR EAR?: TRANSLATION AND THE MEANING OF

EVERYTHING
TRANSLATION IS JUST RENDERING ONE LANGUAGE IN ANOTHER,

ISN'T IT? YOU MAY THINK THAT UNTIL YOU START SPEAKING A
FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND TRY TO TRANSLATE TO YOUR

INTERLOCUTOR A PHRASE LIKE "KICK THE BUCKET". THIS FUNNY

BOOK SHOWS HOW OUR LIVES ARE INDEED ALL BASED ON

TRANSLATION AND DESCRIBES SOME COMICAL RESULTS OF THIS

SETUP.

THROUGH THE LANGUAGE GLASS: WHY THE WORLD LOOKS DIFFERENT IN

OTHER LANGUAGES
HOW DO PEOPLE ACQUIRE COLOUR VOCABULARY? WHY WOULD WE

HAVE A HARD TIME TO UNDERSTAND DIRECTIONS AS EXPLAINED BY

TZELTAL SPEAKERS? TOPICS FROM LINGUISTIC THEORY AND

PSYCHOLINGUISTICS ARE EXPLAINED IN AN APPROACHABLE

MANNER WITH A LOT OF RESEARCH EXAMPLES.

IN THE LAND OF INVENTED LANGUAGES

ANYONE BORED WITH LEARNING SPANISH, GERMAN OR EVEN

JAPANESE? WHY NOT TRY KLINGON, LÁADAN OR IDO? ARIKA OKRENT

TRIED THAT AND THE BOOK IS A RECORD OF HER EXPERIENCES AS

WELL AS STORIES BEHIND CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGES AND THEIR

CREATORS.

THE LANGUAGE INSTINCT: HOW THE MIND CREATES LANGUAGE

IF YOU ARE A LANGUAGE FAN, YOU MUST HAVE AT LEAST HEARD

ABOUT STEPHEN PINKER. IN THIS BOOK HE ARGUES THAT HUMANS

HAVE AN INNATE CAPACITY FOR LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND,

PERHAPS, AN IN-BUILT GRAMMAR "SOFTWARE". IS IT TRUE? READ

THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT YOU THINK.

MOONWALKING WITH EINSTEIN: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF REMEMBERING

EVERYTHING
THIS ONE IS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE ADDICTED TO SRS

LANGUAGE SITES AND WANT TO UPGRADE THEIR BRAIN'S

MEMORISATION SKILLS. THE ADVICE IN THIS BOOK COMES FROM A

FORMER AMERICAN MEMORY MASTER, SO THERE IS REASON TO

BELIEVE THAT AFTER READING IT YOU WILL MEMORISE A DECK OF

CARDS IN 2 MINUTES

EMPIRES OF THE WORD: A LANGUAGE HISTORY OF THE WORLD

HUMAN HISTORY IS A HISTORY OF WARS, MOVEMENT AND (ADD

WHATEVER YOU BELIEVE). ALL THIS IS REFLECTED IN THE

LANGUAGES AND DIALECTS WE CURRENTLY SPEAK, AND THE

DISCIPLINE THAT STUDIES IT IS CALLED HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS.

FOR THOSE WHO WEREN'T FANS OF THIS TOPIC AT SCHOOL, TRUST

ME, NICHOLAS OSTLER CAN EVEN MAKE HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS

INTERESTING.

GET MORE BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OUR BLOG

FORUMS & COMMUNITIES
LINGUISTICS STACK EXCHANGE
STACK OVERFLOW HAS BECOME A GO-TO Q&A SITE FOR

PROGRAMMERS, AND THE STACK EXCHANGE (SE) NETWORK IS

PROMISING TO DO THE SAME FOR OTHER FIELDS. THE

LINGUISTICS.SE IS A GOOD PLACE FOR GENERAL LANGUAGE-

RELATED QUESTIONS, BUT YOU SHOULD ALSO EXPLORE LANGUAGE-

SPECIFIC SUBSITES SUCH AS ENGLISH LANGUAGE & USAGE.

LINGUISTICS REDDIT
LANGUAGE LEARNING REDDIT
HINATIVE!
HAVE YOU EVER FOUND YOURSELF AT A LOSS FOR WORDS IN A

SPECIFIC SITUATION, OR NOT QUITE SURE ABOUT THE PRECISE

WORDING OF THIS OR THAT EXPRESSION? HINATIVE! POSITIONS

NATIVE SPEAKERS AROUND THE WORLD JUST A CLICK AWAY, AND

THEY’RE READY TO ANSWER SIMPLE QUESTIONS ABOUT LANGUAGE

USAGE AND NUANCE.

HOW TO LEARN ANY LANGUAGE

A SITE THAT DOES EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS ON THE LABEL—

COMPREHENSIVE SELF-LEARNING GUIDES FOR AROUND 20

LANGUAGES, COVERING LINGUISTIC INFORMATION AND PROVIDING

RELEVANT RESOURCES. ALL THAT COMBINED WITH A VIBRANT

FORUM WITH DISCUSSIONS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING METHODS AND

MATERIALS, ALSO IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH.

MEETUP
LANGUAGE EXCHANGE GROUPS, POLYGLOT CONFERENCES AND

OTHER LANGUAGE-RELATED EVENTS ARE A GREAT WAY TO MAKE

NEW FRIENDS, PRACTISE YOUR TARGET LANGUAGE, AND FIND OUT

ABOUT THE LATEST LEARNING TECHNIQUES AND PRODUCTS.

MEETUP MAKES IT SUPER EASY TO FIND A LANGUAGE LEARNERS’

GROUP NEAR YOU.

COUCHSURFING
MOST PEOPLE THINK OF COUCHSURFING AS A FUN, PERSONAL AND,

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, FREE WAY OF TRAVELING IN FOREIGN

COUNTRIES. IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO TAKE A HOLIDAY, HOWEVER,

THE SERVICE CAN ALSO DOUBLE AS A GREAT WAY TO LEARN YOUR

TARGET LANGUAGE BY HOSTING AND GUIDING VISITORS WHO SPEAK

IT.

THE POLYGLOT CLUB

YOU MUST SUBSCRIBE TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE COMMUNITY THAT

ALLOWS YOU TO CONNECT WITH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN YOUR

TOWN, TO SEE THE MEETUPS THAT ARE HAPPENING, FIND

LANGUAGE PARTNERS FOR LANGUAGE EXCHANGE AND ASK FOR

ADVICE ONLINE.

INTERNATIONS
INTERNATIONS HAS A "FOREIGNER SEARCH" THAT HELPS YOU FIND

AND CONNECT WITH YOUR LANGUAGE COMMUNITY (OR SIMPLY A

COMMUNITY OF NON-LOCALS) IN A NEW TOWN. WE ALL LOVE NEW

LANGUAGES AND INTERACTING WITH THE LOCALS, BUT SOMETIMES,

WHEN YOU FEEL HOMESICK, IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A SUPPORTIVE

COMMUNITY-CUSHION TO FALL BACK ON.

DICTIONARIES & TRANSLATION

BABYLON
BABYLON IS AN APPLICATION THAT SITS IN THE TRAY AND ALLOWS

YOU TO TRANSLATE ANYTHING BY CLICKING IT AND PRESSING A

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT AT THE SAME TIME. THE FREE DICTIONARIES

INCLUDED WITH THE SOFTWARE ARE IN NO WAY EXCEPTIONAL, BUT

WHAT MAKES BABYLON UNIQUE IS THE HUGE CHOICE OF PREMIUM

DICTIONARIES THAT CAN BE LOADED INTO IT, INCLUDING GEMS THAT

ARE VIRTUALLY UNATTAINABLE IN PRINT.

LINGOES
A GOOD ALTERNATIVE TO BABYLON, LINGOES IS AN ON-DEMAND

DICTIONARY OFFERING TRANSLATION IN AROUND 80 LANGUAGES.

LINGUEE
THIS WEBSITE IS INDISPENSABLE WHEN A TRADITIONAL DICTIONARY

DOESN'T GIVE YOU ENOUGH CONTEXT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE

APPROPRIATE EXPRESSION IN A GIVEN SITUATION WOULD BE.

SIMPLY SEARCH FOR A WORD, EXPRESSIONS, OR PART OF

SENTENCE IN YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE, TO BRING UP A TABLE

HIGHLIGHTING YOUR SEARCH PHRASE IN PROFESSIONALLY

TRANSLATED DOCUMENTS, MOST OFTEN FROM GOVERNMENT

WEBSITES OR ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS.

WORDREFERENCE
AS THE NAME SUGGESTS, THIS WORDREFERENCE IS HOME TO AN

EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF DICTIONARIES THAT ARE ESPECIALLY

USEFUL FOR LOOKING UP NUANCED TRANSLATIONS OF SET

EXPRESSIONS AND WORD GROUPS. EVEN BETTER, HOWEVER, IS THE

SITE'S FORUM, WHICH HOSTS SOME VERY INTERESTING

DISCUSSIONS ON LANGUAGE USAGE AND NUANCE.

GENGO
WHEN GOOGLE TRANSLATE JUST DOESN'T CUT IT, THAT DOESN'T

MEAN YOU'LL HAVE TO SPEND A FORTUNE ON A TRADITIONAL

TRANSLATOR. SIMPLY UPLOAD YOUR TEXT TO GENGO, AND THE

SERVICE WILL INSTANTLY MATCH YOU WITH THE IDEAL FREELANCE

TRANSLATOR THAT FITS YOUR BUDGET AND REQUIREMENTS.

PROZ
IF YOUR GOAL IS TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL TRANSLATOR, PROZ

IS THE COMMUNITY TO JOIN. YOU'LL FIND AN EXTENSIVE

COLLECTION OF RESOURCES FOR TRANSLATORS, NICHE

DICTIONARY TOOLS, AND NEVER ENDING DISCUSSIONS OF

LANGUAGE USAGE AND NUANCE.

OTHER
IFTTT
IFTTT STANDS FOR 'IF THIS THEN THAT' AND THE FOUR WORDS

PRETTY MUCH SUM UP THIS ONLINE SERVICE. CHOOSE A SOURCE

WEB APP OR SOFTWARE, DEFINE A TRIGGER EVENT AND CHANNEL IT

TO ONE OF A MYRIAD OF OTHER SERVICES. IF ITS PURPOSE FOR

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION ISN'T IMMEDIATELY USEFUL, SEE OUR

GUIDE ON AUTOMATING YOUR LANGUAGE LEARNING.

TRIPLINGO
TRIPLINGO WANTS TO MAKE FOREIGN TRAVEL LESS STRESSFUL. THE

APP HAS MANY FEATURES LIKE A VOICE TRANSLATOR (HELPFUL IF

YOU WANT TO ASK FOR SOY MILK IN A LATVIAN STARBUCKS), A

PHRASEBOOK AND VARIOUS COURSES, AS WELL AS USEFUL TOOLS

RELATED TO SPECIFIC FOREIGN TRAVEL (LOCAL EMERGENCY

NUMBERS AND CURRENCY CONVERTER).

ONENOTE
A JOURNAL IS A LANGUAGE LEARNER'S BEST FRIEND, BUT AS MORE

AND MORE ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES TURNS DIGITAL, YOU MAY WANT

TO CONSIDER ONLINE ALTERNATIVES. ONENOTE IS AN EXCELLENT

DIGITAL NOTEBOOK APPLICATION THAT SYNCS ACROSS ALL YOUR

DEVICES AND ALLOWS YOU TO EASILY COMBINE TYPED TEXT,

HANDWRITTEN NOTES, AUDIO RECORDINGS AND EVEN DOCUMENTS

IN A SINGLE ENTRY.

EVERNOTE
EVERNOTE IS ANOTHER DIGITAL NOTEBOOK APPLICATION, IN MANY

WAYS EQUIVALENT TO ONENOTE. THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENCES

BETWEEN THE TWO (SUCH AS SUPPORT FOR HANDWRITTEN NOTES,

USEFUL FOR ASIAN LANGUAGES), BUT YOU'RE LIKELY TO BE HAPPY

NO MATTER WHICH ONE YOU CHOOSE.

PHEW! THIS WOULD BE IT! WE HOPE YOU FOUND SOMETHING FOR

YOU ON THE ABOVE LIST. IF YOU DID, FEEL FREE TO SHARE IT WITH

YOUR FRIENDS!

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