Language Resources

It has become very easy for either the beginning language student or a polyglot to have access to some amazing language resources. There are plenty of websites at your fingertips that are on the Internet which provide a wide range of information. Continued learning outside the classroom helps you to stay motivated and excited, this is critical when learning another language. Don’t forget to check your local libraries as well.

A resource is a aid for gaining knowledge and support. Having good language resources available not only helps in the learning process but they can also broaden your perspective and open up avenues that would not have otherwise occurred to you. The key to a good resource is that it be readily and easily accessible and the Internet does exactly that.

First let’s look at online media:

Newspapers are a very good language resource. You get to practice reading in another language and you also get to see what is important in other cultures. What is big news in your country may not be so important in another country. If you are doing business there or plan to travel to that country it would really be beneficial to look at what’s going on there.

OnlineNewsPapers.com features 50 of the best newspapers in the United States and 50 from around the world. The newspapers come from:

North America/Caribbean
Africa
Europe
Australia/Oceania
Asia/Middle East
South America/Central America

Imagine being able to access thousands of news articles in the language of the country! If you are a native of the country you’ll be able to keep up with news from home. The website also includes some interesting links to articles on a variety of subjects.

Through OnlineMagazines.com you can read current magazines articles from around the world on a variety of categories such as agriculture, education, food & drink, animals, sports, hobbies, technology religion, fashion and travel just to name a few. You’ll get access to 50 of the best magazines from different countries. The magazines are very visual and you’ll get to practice your language reading skills.

How would you like to watch television from Argentina or Egypt or Sweden? You can do just that on your computer at wwiTV Internet television. You can either choose a particular country or choose a category such as Business, Education, Music, News and Sports. If a country has a program in that category playing it will bring it up for you to select. These are live streaming telecasts, I just watched a live Daily Yoga from Australia! You’ll get to hear native speakers which is the very best way to become fluent.

Radio is an all time favorite way of communicating and audio language learning is pretty powerful. Live-Radio.net will enable you to hear live radio stations broadcasting from all over the world. There are literally thousands of radio stations you can tune into right on your computer. There is no charge to you however you will find some advertising which helps defray their costs for web hosting.

These are real radio stations like the ones you tune into at your home or in your car that transmit programs through radio waves. They ask listeners to let them know about any radio stations which have come or gone so that they can stay up to date. You can hear native speakers which will help you with pronunciation as well as speaking speed. If your local station is listed and you’re away from home this will also let you keep up with what’s happening. This website really updates the radio we seem to have always had around.

Even though we are in a cyber age let’s not forget that physical books are always a great language resource. The British company Hodder Education has been in the business of publishing self help type books called Teach Yourself since 1938. The language series of Teach Yourself books before 1973 were hardcover books and stressed grammar. They provide courses for 60 languages so you’re sure to find what you’re looking for. In 1974 they changed to soft cover books and put the focus more on conversational language. In addition to books, Hodder Education also provides courses in other types of media such as Cd’s, multimedia and cassettes.

Another well known self help foreign language book company is called Assimil. They are a French company that was started in 1929. They have a different approach which involves learning by both reading and listening. The courses are broken down into several series and you choose the one that is most relevant for you. This includes a basics series, business series, travel, children and even a slang series just to mention a few.

Here are some excellent online resources you can find online:

Lang-8 - Forget stiff classroom exercises, here you get to work with native speakers. It’s a two way street, not only can you get help but you can also help other people learn your language.

WordReference - You’ll find this online language dictionary is in English-Spanish, English-French, English-Italian, Spanish-French, and Spanish-Portuguese. It also contains links to other languages as well..

RhinoSpike - This website is where you can have articles, stories, sentences and other text recorded by a native speaker! You can download these audio files you your iPod or listen to them on your computer or MP3 device.

BBC Languages – On this site you can get access to audio and video courses in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Greek, German, Italian and more. It  has a ton of other language related content, you’ll really want to spend some time there.

Learn a New Language – If you are finding yourself intimidated about learning a foreign language this ebook has some good tips to help you get started.

Forvo - On this website you type in a word and hear it pronounced through your speaker. The languages range from the most popular to some of the rare languages.

Anki – Do you remember using flash cards? You’ll find the cyber equivalent of flash cards here. Memorization is made fun, easy and convenient.

CouchSurfing - One of the main reasons people want to learn another language is travel. CouchSurfing encourages visitors to get up off the couch and see the world. It’s more than just a website, it is a community of people from around the world.

Tatoeba – This site goes beyond being a dictionary, it translates entire sentences into a foreign language. Members from around the world actively contribute to the website which keeps it current and exciting.

Polyglot Club – If learning languages has become your hobby or passion, here is a place where you can find a whole community of like minded people. People from all over the world have online meetings and even get together for offline events