Review of LingQ.com
Pronounced like the word “link” (not “ling-kyu” as it is often mispronounced), LingQ is an an online and iOS app based language learning system created by Steve Kaufmann (see my interview with him...
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Interview with Steve Kaufmann, Founder of LingQ.com
With 11 languages under his belt, Steve Kaufmann is an extremely accomplished language learner. His extensive language learning wisdom in shared in his book titled The Way of the Linguist: A Language...
View ArticleReview of Rosetta Stone
With $210,000,000 in sales last year, Rosetta Stone is far and away the best selling language learning product on the market today. But Rosetta Stone’s sales figures say more about the company’s...
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Showing Up is the Key
w Descarga este artículo en español. / Download this article in Spanish. The following post is by Khatzumoto of All Japanese All the Time and is republished here with his permission. Khatzumoto’s...
View ArticleReview of LiveMocha
With over 5 million registered users spread across 200 countries, LiveMocha is the world’s largest language learning community. And with sufficient venture capital and corporate partners behind them,...
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eBooks: A Language Learner’s Best Friend
w Descarga este artículo en español. / Download this article in Spanish. Just as the printing press democratized access to the written word, ebooks are again revolutionizing how information is...
View ArticleIntroducing The Polyglot Project
The Polyglot Project, a collection of language learning tips from polyglots and language enthusiasts across the globe (including yours truly), is now available as both a physical book on Amazon and as...
View ArticleReview of Brainscape Spanish
by John Fotheringham Spanish is one of my next target languages and I was quite excited when Amanda Moritz of Brainscape asked me to do a review of their new Spanish language learning app for the...
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How to Conquer Chinese Characters
漢字 (pronounced hanzi or kanji) are arguably the most intimidating part of getting started in Chinese or Japanese, but I believe they can also be the most enjoyable if tackled correctly. Since beginning...
View ArticleThe Secret to Learning a Language in 10 Days?
Check out this beautifully illustrated talk about how to learn foreign languages using the Pimsleur approach. No, I don’t believe you can learn a language in 10 days, but you can certainly get started...
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Review of The Michel Thomas Method
With Michel Thomas’ passing on January 8, 2005, the world lost one of the best language learners and teachers to ever live. And live he did. Born to wealthy Jewish factory owners in Poland, Michel...
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Review of Skritter
Skritter’s simple slogan sums up their product well: “Learn Chinese characters and Japanese characters by writing them.” Their website and iOS apps provide an effective, enjoyable, innovative way to...
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Language Immersion Using Social Media
Social media. Business marketers and political parties use it as a means of promoting their products, services, and campaigns. Others use it to discuss health and social issues. But social media is as...
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Why You Should Learn Languages with Lang-8
I’ve already written many tens of thousands of words about how to learn Japanese using modern online tools, so it’s time to let someone else share their point of view on the subject. In this guest...
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Skritter Public Beta for Android & Free 3-Week Trial
If you are learning Japanese and/or Mandarin Chinese and have an Android device, I highly recommend checking out Skritter’s new public beta app. As I mention in my review of Skritter, they offer one of...
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Spaced Repetition: What is It? Why & How Should You Use It?
What is Spaced Repetition? Spaced Repetition Systems (or “SRS” for short) are flashcard programs designed to help you systematically learn new information—and retain old information—through intelligent...
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Top 10 Tools for Watching Japanese Videos Online
We have been conditioned by well-intentioned mothers to believe that television will “destroy our brains”. This might well be true if one spends their time watching “reality” TV shows that don’t...
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10 Gift Ideas for the Language Learners in Your Life (Including Yourself!)
The season of giving is upon us! Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Saturnalia, The Gregorian New Year, The Lunar New Year, or just TGIF, here are some gift ideas to help...
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Interview with Benny Lewis of “Fluent in 3 Months”
My “Book Battle” with Benny at his signing in Seattle. Benny Lewis, also known as the Irish Polyglot, is one of my heroes. Not only has he demonstrated that it’s possible to reach conversational...
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Olly Richards Interviews Me About How to Learn Mandarin
If you are learning Mandarin Chinese, check out this video interview Olly Richards from I Will Teach You a Language recorded last year. Olly is a great interviewer and even went to the trouble of...
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