Keep Up in a Foreign Language this Summer

Requirements can be a pain in the you-know-what. Math, foreign language, physical science. I thought this was college, doesn’t this mean I can choose my own classes? Apparently not. While math, science and English classes can be easy to pick back up after summer, foreign languages can get pretty dusty if you leave them alone for three months. Unfortunately during the summer, our native Spanish speaking professor isn’t speaking to us in fluent Spanish at 8 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. That way we would be able to keep up on our verb tenses, conjugations and vocabulary. But instead we get stuck with sleeping in and long periods of time where there is little brain work involved. Does this sound like a fair trade off? It definitely isn’t a balanced trade off. To keep our French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin, Greek, Latin, and German in tip top shape, here are some little ways to keep our foreign languages dust-free this summer.

There are a multitude of web sites that value language, and understand the need for foreign language competency as an important trait to anyone in our global society. Here are a few of them that concentrate on vocabulary, verbs, along with giving learners opportunities for social networking in their foreign language.

Byki – This website offers 74 different languages to learners, which includes the site’s desktop software, online applications, free

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content, articles and games. The site seeks to go about teaching language from a different angle, that appeals more to the comprehension of adult learners. If you’re seeking to begin learning a language, or pick up where you left off on a language, this site is for you.

Lingolook – This web application was especially designed for English speaking travelers to foreign countries. The guide features basic vocabulary that travelers need, in an easy, user-friendly way. The application uses flashcards to test users, and when travelers are in a hurry for “Where is the restroom?” in French, users simply click on essentials, which leads them to a list of questions that are deemed “essential” questions, then click on “Where is the restroom?” which leads the user to a screen with the written English phrase, the written French phrase, and when clicking on the French phrase a voice says it aloud so the user knows how it is pronounced. To see for yourself, check out the site and see the demo.

vocabfish – A site that allows users to learn over 2000 words in 10 languages. With a scorecard, the site allows its users to track their progress, while the site goes back to the words that the user misses in order to test the weak spots. This site was created to master vocabulary not only through recognizing words but “recalling and pronouncing them.”

italki – This unique site connects people from around the world to learn from each other. The site is used to help connect people online to do free language exchanges, while even setting students up with teachers for paid online lessons. italki also has materials for self-study, along with questions & answer tools and group discussions.

Though we’re living in the 21st century, not all learning has to be virtual. Look up organizations in your area who promote the culture of your desired foreign language.

Alliance française is an organization that seeks to promote French culture and language outside of France. With organizations

Photo by Karen Horton

like this, who’s primary concern is teaching French as a second language, it is great to get hooked up with a membership so that learning a language isn’t simply just reading flashcards and memorizing automated foreign voices from online. But rather being a part of a community of people who are embracing the culture of a particular language, that is what is going to matter and be most valuable.

Get connected with a pen pal who is a native speaker of the language you are learning, and start writing letters! Or start emailing, if that’s your thing.

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