Free Language

Summary

We're pretty big on Babbel, the online language learning platform, and wanted to let Free Language readers know that in June they released a new browser-based speech recognition feature.

This unique tool encourages users to practice the language they are learning out loud and gives them the opportunity to fine-tune their pronunciation. Some traditional e-learning software includes this sort of tool, but none of them do it online in quite the same way. It is also one of the first applications to incorporate the new Adobe Flash Player 10.1.

Language Learning System Babbel Introduces Speech Recognition

• Foreign language pronunciation training online
• Real-time technology based on the new Adobe Flash Player 10.1
• Speech recognition with Babbel iPhone apps also planned

Babbel integrates a unique speech recognition tool into its language learning system. The feature encourages practice and gives the opportunity to fine-tune pronunciation skills. This adds yet another dynamic dimension to online language learning.

The browser-based speech analysis gives learners an instant evaluation, letting them know how close their pronunciation is to that of a native speaker. Included in all Babbel courses, the feature will take effect automatically. No installation is necessary beyond the latest Flash Player.

Active speech

Many students of foreign languages, regardless of their level, lack speaking practice and often shy away from direct communication. Breaking out of the shell can take courage that is not always at hand. The idea of the speech recognition feature is to give them the confidence to open their mouths. "We're encouraging learners to speak and improve their pronunciation with a technical tool before they have to face real-life situations", says Markus Witte, Managing Director of Babbel.

In a new kind of exercise integrated into the Babbel courses, learners hear a word or phrase and are prompted to repeat it back. The quality of the pronunciation is then rated on a scale of 0-100. A result of 50 or higher means that the utterance is generally understandable. Beyond that point, the user can continue to polish their pronunciation to desired perfection.

New technology from audio software experts

The Babbel founders have an extensive background in audio technology. Among them are the original developers of TRAKTOR, the world renowned DJ software. This professional-level technology has been channeled into the online language learning system Babbel and made accessible for anyone online.

The new speech recognition tool marks a milestone in online language learning and underscores Babbel’s technological lead. It works directly with the popular Flash Player and is the first to make use of its new capabilities

Another implementation of speech recognition technology is planned for the recently released Babbel iPhone apps.

About Babbel

Babbel is an online language learning system. Along with the website, there are apps for iPhone and a downloadable vocabulary trainer. Both beginners and returning learners will find interactive exercises for studying English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and Swedish. Among diverse kinds of courses there are Basic and Advanced Vocabulary, grammatical exercises and pronunciation training. More than 700,000 people from over 200 countries have already registered with Babbel, while the iPhone apps have had at least 100,000 downloads.

We have reviewed Babbel for the seven languages it's currently working for. Have a look at our articles to find out much more about this unique language-learning platform:

Babbel English
Babbel French
Babbel German
Babbel Italian
Babbel Portuguese
Babbel Spanish
Babbel Swedish

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Summary

Lang-8 is a free, unique and popular website for learners of many languages to come together and correct one another's writing. Native speakers review writing submitted by learners who wish to improve. You can help and be helped!

The free tools provided in the interface are straightforward and tuned in such a way that it's quite easy to correct another user's writing, as well as to see exactly how others have corrected yours.

Lang-8's interface also provides social tools for interacting amongst users, including a way to find language matches to suit your needs.

Lang-8 has a large user community, coming from over 180 countries around the world, and together they provide access to help in some of the more exotic languages for which it's often hard to find resources, much less free help. Yes, there really are plenty of people out there willing to help you improve your writing for free! In turn, you can choose to help others as well.

Also available is a mobile version of the website.

From Website

Real Interactions

Learn from real native speakers excited to help you with the language that you are learning.

International Community

Community members from all over the world make Lang-8 a fun, social experience.

Keep Track

Tag and keep track of the things you learn from native speakers. Refer back and remember!

See Results

By using Lang-8 you will get better, make friends, and see real results. There’s no better help than native speakers.

Lang-8 Intro Video

Visit Lang-8.com

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A guest article by author Susanna Zaraysky.

The radio, TV and You Tube are free. Use them to learn languages for free.

Music engages more parts of the brain than language does. Use music to help you learn and remember your new language.

Just turn on your radio, relax and get in the groove of your new tongue. Paying attention to media in your target language introduces you to the phonetical and grammatical structure of your target language. After you get used to the melodies of your new languages, then you can insert the grammar and vocabulary. Listen first. Speak later.

Enjoy the learning process and you will learn much more.

Tips on How to Learn a Foreign Language Using The Media for Free 1. Listen Carefully

Learning a new language means you have to change your key and tune. Dancing the cha-cha to waltz music is like speaking a new language, while still using the rhythm of your mother tongue. Let yourself take in the sounds of the language as though you were listening to a new piece of music. Even if you are just a beginner and barely know any words, you can still learn by listening. Pay attention to how people speak. Does it seem like they are reading a phone number or rattling of a list of numbers? Are they angry? Happy? Sometimes, you have to shut off your brain and inclination to interpret to analyze. Listen to the words spoken and to your intuition.

2. Relax and Just Listen

Find music in your target language that you like. It does not matter if at first you do not understand the lyrics. You may start singing along without even knowing what you are singing. You are not only learning the rhythm of the language, you are learning new vocabulary.

Relax and close your eyes. Turn off the lights. Lie down or sit in a comfortable position. Do not try to understand the words, just listen. You might fall asleep or daydream. Give yourself the time to simply listen and not do anything else. Your mind needs to be calm in order to absorb the sounds. Your ears need no other distractions to let them properly hear all the high, medium and low frequencies of the language. Do this regularly.

3. As You Listen Write Down the Lyrics

Listen to music with the lights on, your eyes open and a pencil in hand. Write the lyrics of the songs while listening. You will have to pause the music and rewind or repeat many times to get the words down. Some words will be hard to write because they may be idioms or slang that you have not learned yet, but just write as much as you can understand.

Do not be frustrated with obscure words. Compare the lyrics you noted with the original song and see how well you were able to understand the song. Some CDs come with the lyrics inside the CD case. If you do not have them, look for them online on lyrics websites. Once you have your version of the lyrics and the original, you can see how much you were able to understand from listening to the song. Use your dictionary to translate the words you do not know.

4. Listen to the Radio in this New Language

When you start listening to radio broadcasts, the radio announcers may sound like they are emitting a stream or storm of sounds and not individual words. In time, you will hear familiar words repeated and will learn to distinguish them. You can actively listen to the radio attentively and take notes, listen to it in the background or just close your eyes to listen without straining yourself to understand.

5. Find You Tube videos in other languages

Go on You tube and find music in your target language that you like. Some videos even come with subtitles in the target language or in translation. Look for the lyrics of the song by doing a search online. Type in the name of the song and “lyrics”. The videos may also help you understand what the song is about. This is especially important for visual learners.

6. Watch TV Daily!

Let's say you are learning Spanish. You have found a local Spanish language TV station in your area or you are watching the national Univision news. Even without knowing all the words, you will be able to get the gist of some of the news reports. The images and video footage of events already tell you what the news announcers are talking about. Tune into how they are speaking and the words they are using to describe the images on screen.

Even if you cannot watch TV all the time, it is all right to do errands around the house as you listen to the TV in the background. Think of the TV as background music like you would hear in a cafê or restaurant. Even though it is not at the forefront of your consciousness, your brain is still processing it and getting used to the flow of the language.

So go forth, turn up the music and turn on the language-learning!

You can find out more info about Language is Music online at:

www.languageismusic.com
www.createyourworldbooks.com

About the Author

Susanna speaks seven languages (English, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Serbo-Croatian) with excellent accents because she learn languages like she learns music. She has also studied Hungarian, Hebrew and Arabic. After teaching English in Argentina, Bosnia and the United States, she realized how to make foreign language learning fun and easy through listening exercises and music.

Susanna's Books

Language is Music
Travel Happy, Budget Low

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For those interested in investing in their Spanish education, Freestyle Spanish is a new project to put together all of the existing Spanish language products in one place so people know what they're looking for.

Also of intrigue is an emergent language learning method, called the Freestyle Spanish Method.

From Website

The days of one-stop language learning solutions are over. Spanish does not exist in a vacuum. Now you bring together what you need to learn the Spanish you want to speak. You can manage this by basing your studies on the kinds of things you want to read, hear, talk about and perhaps see.

The Freedom to Choose

* Use good tools and materials to build a solid foundation in Spanish.
* Cater Spanish study topics to your individual interests and needs.
* Create a steady flow of interesting Spanish content from wherever you choose.
* Grow your personal vocabulary by exposing yourself to this content consistently.
* Work to become comfortable writing and talking about your chosen interests in Spanish.
* Keep it real and put it to practice through language exchange.

Visit Freestyle Spanish.

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Babbel, the online language learning system, has just introduced some themed language courses that deal with soccer and the World Cup.

They contain special words and exercises to get ready for the sporting event, so you can explain the offside trap to a French fan in his native tongue, or – after a quick vocabulary check on the iPhone –, argue with a Spaniard over the incompetent referee.

The service is available online and on the iPhone for English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish or Swedish.

Sign up for a free Babbel account and try out the World Cup soccer language course!

Press Release

Babbel Kicks Off a World Cup Course – Foreign Language Learning for Soccer Fans
Seven-lesson course to prepare for the World Cup
Soccer vocabulary on your iPhone with Babbel Mobile
Training in seven languages, making for 42 language combinations

BERLIN, May 19, 2010: This year, there’s just one international language: Soccer. But for whoever might be interested in any other language, the online platform Babbel now offers the Mini-Course “World Cup” in French, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Swedish and Brazilian Portuguese. The Vocabulary for the World Cup contains special words and exercises to get ready for the big soccer event, so you can explain the offside trap to a French fan in his native tongue, or after a quick vocabulary check on the iPhone, argue with a Spaniard over the incompetent referee.

It’s high time there was a little international understanding: Follow the match together, talk shop over the team lineup, or celebrate a goal. The Mini Course on Babbel is made up of three Courses and four new Vocabulary Packages. They bring together all the most important soccer vocabulary on your iPhone or online for convenient learning in your free time

Penalty Kick!

The World Cup Course contains seven short lessons. The first has useful words and phrases about soccer and can be tested for free. And for anyone who wants to give a fuller account of fouls to the Tifosi in the sports bar around the corner, there’s “Advanced World Cup”.

This special language Course is available in 42 language combinations. So any soccer freak can learn words and phrases in one of seven languages. With the Babbel Mobile app, you can learn the Packages easily on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Visit Babbel.com

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