Friday, March 6, 2020
Connect with World Languages 6 Language Learning Social Networks to Explore
Connect with World Languages 6 Language Learning Social Networks to Explore Connect with World Languages: 6 Language Learning Social Networks Social networks are supposed to show us the freshest updates on our friend groups and in the world, right?So why is it that each days newsfeed seems so much like the last?Pictures of babiesNews posts and comment section argumentsEnvy-inducing vacation photosWhat if there was a social network where you could actively grow and learn?What if you could turn your social media time into language learning time?You definitely can!Well show you six social networks where you can connect with native speakers and other learners from around the world, build your vocabulary and practice your language skills.Yes, technology for language learning is every language students best friend, and social media is an exceptionally fun way to learn any language.Ready to get scrollin? Why Use a Language Learning Social Network?Language is inherently social, so its just more natural to learn it socially.The ultimate goal of studying a language is to be able to communicate effectively in conversations and in writing. Language learning social networks get you chatting casually with native speakers, which wont just give you essential communication practice but will also expose you to new vocabulary, slang and cultural lessons youd normally have to travel for.Plus, as you start to make friends on these networks, youll have people to both answer your questions and hold you accountable. Whether its posting a question in a public forum or shooting a message to a new native speaking friend, itll be easy to get your grammar roadblocks and vocabulary confusions solved. Having these types of language learning connections also creates a whole community of people who are invested in your language development.If you like this type of authentic language learning, an innovative tool to check out alongside language learning social networks is FluentU. Its another fun way to learn your target language the way native speakers really use it. FluentU provides real-world videos, like movie trailers, musi c videos, inspiring talks and more, which have been transformed into a language learning experience.Each video comes with interactive captions, flashcards and exercises built to teach you new words in an engaging, memorable way. Not only will you be actively building your vocabulary and listening comprehension skills, youll also be absorbing pop culture in your target languageâ"giving you lots to post and chat about on one of the social networks below!Connect with World Languages: 6 Language Learning Social NetworksitalkiAlso available: iOS | Androiditalki may be best known for its one-on-one language lessons, but it also offers terrific community features on its website whether or not youre taking lessons.For instance, you can post pieces of writing to the Notebook section for native speakers to correct. An Answers section allows you to ask questions and/or peruse responses to other users questions. A Discussions section allows you to discuss whatever is on your mind, whether you re seeking friends, asking a pressing language question or just wanting to chat about current events in your target language.Aside from posting publicly, you can also view other users profiles on the Language Partners page. From there you can send messages or hit Add Friend to start building up your network.As its also a platform for professional teachers, italki offers one of the most varied and colorful learning experiences that can be found on the web.For focused study, you can hire one of the platforms professional, experienced language educators wholl teach you everything from grammar to slang to day-to-day conversations. All you need to do to get started is to select your preferred teacher, then schedule a paid trial lesson.All in all, the nice array of options make italki a great social network for language learners.SpeakyAlso available: iOS | AndroidSpeaky is a free language exchange app that can connect you to a world of learning opportunities.Just select what language you want to practice and sign up through your Facebook or Google+ account. With more than 180 countries and 110 languages represented, you can practice common or even many uncommon languages.Speaky allows you to connect with other users who share your interests, so youll always have something to talk about. Its easy to scroll through a feed of profiles to see whos online and learn more about them. Every users profile shows what languages they speak, what theyre learning and what level theyre atâ"and Speaky also makes it easy to distinguish native speakers in particular.Through a web browser, you can engage in audio or video chat. Through the app, you can text chat. Audio messages and file sharing are also in the works.Connecting like this is a helpful way to get real-world practice in your target language in a comfortable setting that encourages learning and growth.HiNativeAlso available: iOS | AndroidGot a question? HiNative can help!HiNative is formatted as a question-and-answer p latform for language learners. Simply post a question in text or audio. To make it simpler, you can even use HiNatives built-in question templates or post a picture to give other users some context.Then, native speakers can respond with text and/or audio answers. This makes HiNative a good way to ask grammar questions, find out how something is pronounced, seek clarification on slang or even ask whether your pronunciation is correct.In addition to language questions, HiNative also accepts questions about culture, so you can get tips and insights into countries around the world.If youre feeling friendly, you might also try answering peoples questions about your native language or country.HiNative has users from over 170 countries and supports over 110 languages.The basic version of the app is free, but the premium version ramps up the social network-style features. Youll be able to hear every voice answer (including to other users questions), a search feature, notifications and prem ium tickets that highlight your questions to get them more attention.LanguingAlso available: AndroidIf youre looking for a versatile tool to find and chat with people around the world, Languing is a good bet.You can search for friends using various filters like language, proficiency level and age. Languing is designed to make finding and messaging friends as easy as it is on a regular social network. It also offers audio, video and text chat, which is great to practice all the key skillsâ"reading, writing, listening and speaking.Theres even a built-in translator so you can look up tricky words without leaving the platform.Supported languages include English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Croatian, Dutch, Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.LingualiaWhen you sign up for Lingualias language lessons, you also get access to its language learning social network.This network aims to help you make new friends who are native speakers. From there, you can also p ractice your target language, ask questions, receive help and help others (a good deed always feels good).Lingualia offers Spanish and English. You can interact with other learners with a free subscription. Additional website features like dialogues and example audio require a paid subscription.UniLangUniLang is a language learning forum, which is like an old-school social network.There are a number of different forums to meet your learning needs on UniLang.To get started, check out the General Language Forum, which is great for getting your feet wet in the forums and discussing languages in general. Youll find a community of avid language learners! Some topics that are discussed include language games, translations, words you just learned, words youre struggling with, etc.UniLang also has a Culture board to help you learn about world cultures. Topics include literature, politics, religion, music, clothing and more.For focused help in your target language, look to the wide array of language-specific forums. There are forums for common languages such as English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese and Japanese, but there are also forums for less common languages like Faroese and Basque.Some forums also discuss specific language groups, like Celtic languages, North American indigenous languages and Sami languages. If youre learning a constructed language or developing one yourself, theres even a forum for that.Perhaps best of all, UniLang is an active forum, so new posts appear regularly.So if youre looking to friend and follow your way to better language skills, look no further than these six language learning social networks! And One More ThingWith FluentUs social media share buttons, you can even bring your language learning life into your regular social media existence by sharing your favorite videos on Facebook, Twitter and other sites. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you l earn real languagesâ"the same way that real people speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse ScreenFluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive TranscriptsYou can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word youâre learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that youâre learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.
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