The Language Learner Is Up and Running

Learning a new language is a rewarding, rich journey. It is a journey fraught with challenges and frustrations and can be quite intimidating. Luckily there are many tools available for the dedicated language learner that make costly university courses or tutors unnecessary. Here at the Language Learner we will find and review the myriad of tools, books, and software available with an eye towards efficiency, effectiveness, fun, and cost.

What is the best approach to learning a new language outside of the classroom setting?

My journey begins with the Russian language, but we will be discussing many approaches, techniques, programs and such that apply to any language you may be learning.

The Russian Language specific approach will include:

Tools: The best of audio, tools, programs and software to aid in russian specific language learning.

Practice: Reference lessons, helpful charts, useful phrases and vocabulary and grammar work that I have accumulated along my journey.

Culture: Any and all things russian. Simply a selection of interesting things, russian culture related that are intended to help immerse and familiarize a learner.

Why Study a Foreign Language?

Whether learning to speak English, German, Russian, French, Spanish, or others, learning a foreign language opens the doors to another culture. Languages are more than words and phrases, there are rich cultures and histories behind them. Learning a foreign language introduces you to millions of new people that you can meet and build connections with. It widens our understanding of the world and can provide us access to new viewpoints and understandings. Mastering a foreign language can also open up financial opportunies or career paths. Perhaps you will become a translator or an international business representative.

Ultimately learning another language is about people. Mastering additional languages allows one to make more meaningful connections with a wider number of people. Anyone who has travelled to a foreign language speaking region can understand the frustration of not being able to translate what is being spoken around you. It is an isolation from humanity that is not very pleasant. Learning a foreign language empowers us to participate in the lives and happenings of a greater number of people on this planet.

Plan to learn any of these languages?

Afrikaans, Albanian, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Belorussian, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Chechen, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Farsi, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Kazakh, Korean, Latin, Latvian, Lithuanian, Luxembourgish, Macedonian, Malay, Mongolian, Norwegian, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Turkmen, Tuvan, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Zulu

The language learning tools and approaches discussed will help whichever is your chosen foreign language to learn.