Online language courses

mabelbabel1
mabelbabel1 Posts: 391 Member
edited October 2014 in Chit-Chat
Has anyone used and can recommend an online language course? I want to learn French.

Thanks.

Replies

  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
    I use Duolingo. They have a French learning program, I've been using it to brush up my Spanish and to learn French.
  • OKfarmgal
    OKfarmgal Posts: 160 Member
    I love Rosetta Stone!! I homeschool and my kids wanted different languages. It really helped them online talking to other people and native speakers.
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
    Just FYI, Duolingo is 100% free and accessible from any internet access. I'd personally recommend it over paying for Rosetta Stone. I taught ESL for a while and I feel like the overall program differences are well-worth it. Just my two cents though.
  • mabelbabel1
    mabelbabel1 Posts: 391 Member
    Thanks both for your replies.
    @OKfarmgal - I was looking at Rosetta Stone, but reluctant to pay so much without hearing people's experiences.
    @Quasita - I shall have a look at Duolingo, sounds good.
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
    @mabelbabel1 Sorry to be delayed here, but wanted to come back since I got tagged, see what was up.

    The cost of Rosetta Stone is one of the major downfalls. The concepts used in the courses, where they use active, real life practice to teach language, work well for a lot of people but are no longer the most unique. RS is a program that is employed a lot in ESL classrooms and for educational purposes, I believe it is one of the only programs approved for language instruction of its kind when it comes to standardized education, but the full course can be very expensive.

    The reason why I suggest Duolingo is because it is wrapped around the same types of concepts. It uses the similar tactic of providing visual, audio and written representations of the vocabulary, and focuses on vocabulary while putting a person straight into phrase usage. The utilization of real-time word by word translation helps a lot as well. I also really like the fact that the ultimate goal of the program is to get people fluent enough to translate resources found online, as a communal effort.

    This is not to say that Rosetta Stone is a bad program by any means... Just saying that you can definitely achieve basic language skills in several languages without the cost... not to mention the encouragement of reaching achievements is kind of fun ;)

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