Knowing another language is a valuable skill—one that could boost your salary and your brain. While there are many paths to picking up a foreign language, here are ten of the most tried-and-trued ways to become bilingual or even a polyglot.
10. Learn While You Surf the Web
Chances are, you, Lifehacker reader, are on the internet a lot. If you’re trying to learn a new language, turn that web browsing time into learning time as well. The Language Immersion extension for Chrome helps you build your vocabulary and language knowledge by translating parts of the web page you’re on into your target language. Previously highlighted Readlang is similar, but it also creates flashcards for you and offers other study tools. Bonus tip: read newspaper sites written in your target language for even more practice.
Language Immersion for Chrome
Language Immersion for Chrome
Language Immersion for Chrome
Experience a new language while you browse the web.
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Language Immersion for Chrome Teaches You a New Language While You Browse the Web
Language Immersion for Chrome Teaches You a New Language While You Browse the Web
Language Immersion for Chrome Teaches You a New La
Chrome: Surrounding yourself as much as possible with a new language you want to learn is one of…
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Readlang Helps You Learn a Foreign Language as You Surf the Web
Readlang Helps You Learn a Foreign Language as You Surf the Web
Readlang Helps You Learn a Foreign Language as You
The most effective way to learn a foreign language is to immerse yourself as much as possible in it …
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Boost Language Skills and Travel Like a Local by Reading Foreign News
Boost Language Skills and Travel Like a Local by Reading Foreign News
Boost Language Skills and Travel Like a Local by R
Local newspapers offer insights into an area’s culture, which makes them great reading…
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9. Hack Your Home and Your Gadgets to Use the Other Language
Besides your browser, the everyday objects you come into contact with can also be a source of learning. You don’t have to label your pets with Post-It notes, but switching to a foreign language in your phone, tablet, computer, or gaming system could burn more foreign language words into your memory.
Hack Your Gadgets and Home to Teach Yourself a New Language
Hack Your Gadgets and Home to Teach Yourself a New Language
Hack Your Gadgets and Home to Teach Yourself a New
Learning a language at a later stage in your life is hard. Your time is at a premium, and your…
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8. Use Anki for Smart Vocabulary Practice
Anki is one of the most recommended tools for learning in general. The smart flashcards teach through repetition and adapt to your particular strong or weak points.
Anki Teaches Text, Audio, or Images Through Repetition
Anki Teaches Text, Audio, or Images Through Repetition
Anki Teaches Text, Audio, or Images Through Repeti
Windows/Mac/Linux (all platforms): ANki, a free “spaced repetition system” (i.e.…
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7. Use Duolingo for Personalized Foreign Language Coaching
Previously mentioned Duolingo is our favorite language learning tool. The free web and mobile apps help you track your progress, connect you to a community of fellow language learners, and motivate you to learn more with virtual rewards and badges.
Learn a Language for Free While Helping to Translate the Web with Duolingo
Learn a Language for Free While Helping to Translate the Web with Duolingo
Learn a Language for Free While Helping to Transla
Duolingo is a fantastic new way to learn a new language for free—while also helping to translate…
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Five Best Language Learning Tools
Five Best Language Learning Tools
Five Best Language Learning Tools
Learning a new language is difficult, which is why there’s a huge market for tools and apps to …
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6. Take a Free Online Class or Download a Free Language Audiobook
There are free online classes for just about every subject these days, and foreign languages are no different. Open Culture’s collection of free language learning resources (audiobooks, websites, textbooks, and more) is still a treasure trove. It covers four dozen languages, from Amharic to Yiddish.
Learn 48 Languages Online for Free: Spanish, Chinese, English More
Learn 48 Languages Online for Free: Spanish, Chinese, English More
Learn 48 Languages Online for Free: Spanish, Chine
Download free language lessons. Collection features audio lessons in 48 languages including…
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A Master List of Free Online Language Lessons
A Master List of Free Online Language Lessons
A Master List of Free Online Language Lessons
Open Culture has a comprehensive list of totally free resources for anyone looking to learn a…
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5. Sneak in Learning Time with Your Phone
Spare time on the go, like when you’re on a line or commuting, is prime time to brush up on your language studies. Besides Duolingo and Anki, we’ve featured numerous mobile apps that train you in a short amount of time, just with your smartphone. There’s the funny CatAcademy and 5-minutes-a-day Drops (for iOS), Quizlet Lock Screen (for Facebook mobile and desktop), and Lingua.ly (for Android), to name a few. http://lifehacker.com/how-can-i-make…
How Can I Make My Commute More Productive?
How Can I Make My Commute More Productive?
How Can I Make My Commute More Productive?
Depending on where you live and work, your commute may range from a few minutes to a few hours…
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CatAcademy Teaches You a Foreign Language with Funny Cat Photos
CatAcademy Teaches You a Foreign Language with Funny Cat Photos
CatAcademy Teaches You a Foreign Language with Fun
iOS: Yes, you read that right. You can learn a new foreign language (currently, Spanish) by doing…
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Drops Teaches You Foreign Language Vocabulary in Just 5 Minutes a Day
Drops Teaches You Foreign Language Vocabulary in Just 5 Minutes a Day
Drops Teaches You Foreign Language Vocabulary in J
iOS: When you’re trying to learn a new language (or any other skill), it’s often better…
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The Quizlet Lock Screen Teaches You Foreign Language Vocabulary with Your Facebook Feed
The Quizlet Lock Screen Teaches You Foreign Language Vocabulary with Your Facebook Feed
The Quizlet Lock Screen Teaches You Foreign Langua
Learning a new language takes a lot of work, but one of the many facets of that is learning simple…
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Lingua.ly for Android Teaches You New Foreign Language Vocabulary
Lingua.ly for Android Teaches You New Foreign Language Vocabulary
Lingua.ly for Android Teaches You New Foreign Lang
Android: Previously, we’ve featured Chrome extension Lingua.ly that allows you to learn new…
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4. Write Down Everything You Hear When Studying a Foreign Language
We learn more effectively when we write things down. Just the act of writing helps cement information in our brains. One of the most effective ways to learn a new language—especially when you don’t have anyone else to practice with—is simply dication. While listening to language lessons, write down everything you hear. This will train your ear for accents and such but also, most importantly, force yourself to pay attention.
Why You Learn More Effectively by Writing Than Typing
Why You Learn More Effectively by Writing Than Typing
Why You Learn More Effectively by Writing Than Typ
The act of writing helps you clarify your thoughts, remember things better, and reach your goals…
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3. Learn Through Entertainment
Studying a foreign language can feel dull, especially when you’re memorizing the most important 1,000 words in your target language. Pop culture, on the other hand, is a great way to learn a new language—music, memes, TV shows, and other entertainment are more fun to dive into than most textbooks. Spend time watching movies in other languages (with the subtitles on), listen to podcasts in the other language, and/or learn through music videos. Isn’t that how the mermaid in Splash learned to speak English?
Memorize the 1,000 Most Common Words in a Language Before Immersing Yourself In It
Memorize the 1,000 Most Common Words in a Language Before Immersing Yourself In It
Memorize the 1,000 Most Common Words in a Language
We’ve heard time and time again that the best way to learn a new language is immerse yourself…
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Use Music, Memes, and Other Pop Culture to Learn a Foreign Language Faster
Use Music, Memes, and Other Pop Culture to Learn a Foreign Language Faster
Use Music, Memes, and Other Pop Culture to Learn a
Many of us have learning a foreign language on our bucket lists, and the more we immerse ourselves…
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How Actively Watching Movies Helped Me Learn Spanish
How Actively Watching Movies Helped Me Learn Spanish
How Actively Watching Movies Helped Me Learn Spani
For the last year and a half I’ve been learning Spanish. I grew up around Spanish and took…
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How to Get Subtitles On Your Digital Movies
How to Get Subtitles On Your Digital Movies
How to Get Subtitles On Your Digital Movies
If you need subtitles on your movies, you can always find them on the DVD, but if you’re…
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Learn a new language with a podcast
Learn a new language with a podcast
Learn a new language with a podcast
Web site Open Culture has put together a huge collection of foreign language podcasts to help you…
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Lyrics Training Improves Your Foreign Language Skills Through Music
Lyrics Training Improves Your Foreign Language Skills Through Music
Lyrics Training Improves Your Foreign Language Ski
Learning a foreign language doesn’t have to be dry and boring rote memorization. Clever web…
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2. Talk Constantly in the Other Language
Application is the key to learning a foreign language as fast as possible (and not forgetting what you learned). Benny Lewis recommends speaking with a native speaker for at least 30 minutes a day if you can. If you don’t have anyone nearby to practice with, WeSpeke and Verbling both can pair you up with a partner for conversations.
Application Is the Key to Learning a New Language, Fast
Application Is the Key to Learning a New Language, Fast
Application Is the Key to Learning a New Language,
No, it’s not the Rosetta Stone. Like most skills, the key to really acquiring a foreign…
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How to Successfully Learn a New Language This Year
How to Successfully Learn a New Language This Year
How to Successfully Learn a New Language This Year
Until the age of 21, I had several New Year’s resolutions to learn Spanish that never panned…
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WeSpeke Lets You Practice Languages By Speaking with Another Partner
WeSpeke Lets You Practice Languages By Speaking with Another Partner
WeSpeke Lets You Practice Languages By Speaking wi
When it comes to learning another language, the best way to drill it into your brain is immersion…
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Verbling Pairs You with Native Speakers So You Can Practice Speaking New Languages
Verbling Pairs You with Native Speakers So You Can Practice Speaking New Languages
Verbling Pairs You with Native Speakers So You Can
The best way to learn a new language fast is to start applying it right away, but a big barrier for …
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1. Use Spaced Repetition, Study Before You Sleep, and Other Research-Backed Tips for Language Learning
It’s not as easy for adults to pick up a new language as it is for little kids with their sponge-like brains. But you can still master a new language and learn efficiently if you know how your brain works when confronted with this challenge. Here’s the science of learning a new language: why spaced repetition is best, you should study at night, look for content in the other language in subjects you enjoy most, and why you should mix the old concepts with new ones while you’re learning. This language learning plan from Fluent Forever author Gabriel Wyner can help you structure your own personal language course.
The Science of Learning a New Language (and How to Use It)
The Science of Learning a New Language (and How to Use It)
The Science of Learning a New Language (and How to
Learning new languages is a natural instinct for children, and yet it becomes more difficult as we…
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I Learned to Speak Four Languages in a Few Years: Here’s How
I Learned to Speak Four Languages in a Few Years: Here’s How
I Learned to Speak Four Languages in a Few Years:
Lifehacker reader Gabriel Wyner was tasked with learning four languages in the past few years for…
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Illustration by Tina Mailhot-Roberge.
Lifehacker’s Weekend Roundup gathers our best guides, explainers, and other posts on a certain subject so you can tackle big projects with ease. For more, check out our Weekend Roundup and Top 10 tags.
The post Top 10 Tips and Tools for Learning a New Language appeared first on IT Clips.
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