As a native English speaker that has 6+ years of Spanish and language studies under my belt, I have seen the good, the bad, and the best when it comes to language learning resources. Provided is a list of some of my favorite underrated language resources that have made drastic improvements in my language learning journey. Happy studying!
1. For Those Looking for the Best Free App: Language Transfer
Current languages supported: French, Spanish, Swahili, Italian, Greek, German, Turkish, Arabic, and Ingles Para Hispanohablantes.
I like to think of Language Transfer as an interactive podcast. Each lesson is a language tutoring session recorded in real-time. It has everything when it comes to vocabulary, memorization, speaking, and listening skills. The tutor who records all of the lessons keeps the learning fun and teaches in a way that will have you speaking by lesson 5. Each lesson is about 3–7 minutes which makes it convenient and great for those looking to ease into a new language or rekindle the love for a past studied language. You also get a few cultural insights and accent tips as you start to transfer what you already know about English to a completely different language.
They have an app that is available on most devices, but if you are limited on phone space you can also access all of their content via their website or their YouTube channel.
The only con: if you listen to the lessons in public, you drastically increase your chances of looking like that crazy person that is talking to themselves. (Guilty!)
2. For Those Looking for Extra Help: Skillshare
Current languages supported: French, Spanish, German, Italian, English, and Portuguese
For the longest time, I associated Skillshare with pottery classes, paint therapy activities, social media marketing, and the occasional interior design class. I was pleasantly surprised that there are language courses both free and paid on the website.
A top favorite of mine is the 3-Minute Languages courses by Kieran Ball. The best part about 3-Minute Languages is that the audio versions of the courses are also available on the creator’s YouTube channel which is great for those that do not want to commit to the Skillshare membership plan.
3. For the Art Lovers: Museum Media and Archives Content
Links:
- Spanish Museum Content: Museo Del Prado Exhibition Media Archives
- French Museum Content: Musée du Louvre
- English Museum Content: The Met
Imagine a day where you start out with a tour of the best museums Milan has to offer. As you look at the spread of food painted in front of you in the Last Supper, you realize that it is already time for lunch. You decide to leave and eat your lunch in the first floor of the Louvre. Once you are finished listening to your French tour guide tell you about the hidden charms of the Mona Lisa, you complete your day with a quick trip to the Met to enhance your English listening skills.
Now what if I told you that you could do all of those things in a day from the comfort of your home! Although it does not beat the real experience of being in an museum, there are several free virtual tours and interactive websites available to accompany your language studies. Museum archives from all over the world offer free videos, learning activities, and reading materials to help the viewer further understand the history behind their famous art pieces. It does take a little bit of digging to find the archives section on most websites, but usually they can be found near the bottom of a museum’s webpage or menu. Lucky for you, I included a list of some of my favorite websites and archives to get you started! What I love about this option is the fact that it is versatile and available in nearly every language.
As you explore these artworks don’t forget to mark your favorite art collections down in either your notes or google maps. That way you can remember which museums you wish to visit as you plan your next trip!
4. For the Fashion Lovers: Vogue
Some of my favorites:
- Italian: Vogue Italia: https://www.vogue.it/
- Spanish: Vogue España: https://www.vogue.es/
- Portuguese: Vogue Brasil: https://vogue.globo.com/
- French: Vogue France: https://www.vogue.fr/
Although my finest pair of oversized sweatpants would beg to differ, I have always had an interest in fashion. Looking at each county through the lense of Vogue is a great way to better understand the attire and culture of a country while also obtaining reading practice in your target language.
If you are looking for listening practice instead, tune in to Vogue’s YouTube channels to hear about fashion trends from top celebrities. Just the other day, I learned the Spanish word for purse is “bolso” by watching Vogue España’s video titled “Qué lleva en su bolso Blanca Suárez” (What’s in Blanca Suarez’s Bag). Although I do not think that this will help me catch the right bus, I think it will prove to be very valuable if I find myself purusing the shop windows in the heart of Madrid.
5. For Those Who Want to Feel Like James Bond: The U.S. Military’s DLIFLC GLOSS
I feel like every traveler or polyglot has dreamed of what it would be like to live in an international spy movie. Fighting crime, traveling the world, mingling with locals, and having a seemingly endless supply of funds – all while wearing your most elegant suit.
This free resource feels so classified, it is almost criminal. I was both shaken and stirred that more people didn’t know about this valuable language learning tool!
In all seriousness, the U.S.’s Defense Language Institute for Foreign Language Center released the “Global Language Online Support System” (GLOSS) as a supplemental resource for those that are currently in their language training program. This resource is free to the public and offers a variety of languages, such as Arabic, Spanish, Japanese, French, and Greek. The one con is that some popular languages, such as Italian, are not yet offered. However, there are many interactive language learning exercises to choose from that range from levels 1-4. What I love about this resource is that you get to pick from a wide range of topics to study rather than just memorizing vocabulary. Wether you want to learn about a region’s culture or geography, GLOSS has it all.
You can find the GLOSS language lessons at: https://gloss.dliflc.edu/