Learn a Language Online

Want to pick up a new language? We've got great tips and free online resources to get you started.

Learning some of the local language is a must for international travellers, especially those who plan for extended stays in a country and who want to get outside of major tourists areas. After all, the more you know, the more opportunities you will have for learning and meeting new people. What's the best way to pick up the language? If you're looking to get beyond the standard phrasebook or dictionary, give the internet a try.

Learning a language online has many advantages: multimedia tutorials often include audio, video and pictures to allow you to see and hear the language in use. Interactive exercises and tests offer grammar and vocabulary practice, and many lessons can be downloaded to your computer or mp3 player to travel with you. Best of all -- these resources are free.

Here's how to get started.

Choose your battles

If your travel plans take you around the world, it's impossible to learn every language you'll need. Instead, consider investing your time and effort in one you'll have an opportunity to use most often. For example, French is spoken in parts of Africa, Europe, North America and the Caribbean, and Spanish will come in handy throughout most of Central and South America in addition to Spain. Other top languages in the world include Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Hindi, Russian, German and Portuguese.

It is possible to learn more than one language at once, especially if they are in the same "family" (such as Spanish and Italian). The vocabulary and grammar are often similar, and the alphabets are relatively consistent. Just be careful not to confuse the words!

Find a source to suit your needs

Look for activities that suit your level of experience and needs. Online lessons tend to range from basic beginner to intermediate levels. Regardless of your skills, make sure your lessons cover the basics: Vocabulary, grammar and comprehension are the essential elements to learning any language. Ideally, you want to be able to listen or read in your new language, understand what is being said, and reply appropriately.

There are thousands of online sources out there, here's a few to get started:

BBC Languages is a great resource to start with for learning French, German, Spanish and Italian. Other languages and activities are included as well, including essential phrases for travellers.
Open Culture Free Foreign Language Lessons has a collection of podcasts and resources for a variety of languages.
Your Dictionary.com has a list of grammar and language courses for over 100 languages, as well as supporting links to online dictionaries, radio and TV.
Word2Word offers a comprehensive directory of free online language courses listed by language.
World Nomads Travellers Language Guides contain basic phrases and can be downloaded to an audio device for travel.

Practice, practice, practice

Mastering any new skill or subject requires practice and review to ensure retention. Set aside some time each day to review new concepts and vocabulary, to practice reading and writing, and to listen to the language being spoken. Many resources offer daily activities or exercises for practice:

Before You Know It has interactive flashcards that include pictures, audio and text. The "lite" version of the software is free to download and covers 64 languages.
The Internet Polyglot features online games and activities for people with some basic knowledge of a language. It's a great resource for people learning more than one language at once or whose first language is not English.
iTunes offers a variety of free podcasts for learning new languages. Look under "Education" in the "Podcasts" section of the store. Many feeds have short daily or weekly episodes.
Dictionary.com has a multilingual dictionary, word-of-the-day and games and puzzles features.

Find support

One of the downsides of online learning is the lack of interaction with other language learners that you would normally get in a classroom environment. After all, it's hard to practice conversational skills with a computer, and no one is available to correct your errors or pronunciation. Working with a partner -- especially your travelling companion -- can help you practice your speaking and listening skills.

If pairing up isn't possible, don't worry: help is available online. Many language learning websites have communities and forums where people can share tips and advice, email, and chat in other languages. Try Fluent Yet? or How-to-Learn-Any-Language.com for examples. Language Learning Advisor has advice and suggestions for anyone learning a new language as well as resources for specific languages and learning methods.

Get used to hearing and seeing the language

A new language will become more familiar if you have the opportunity to see and hear it used in everyday situations, but it can be difficult to find this kind of immersion at home. You can help acclimatize yourself by listening to the radio, reading newspapers or watching news videos -- all through the internet.

Try reading bilingual websites on your favourite subjects that lets you compare content to test your reading and comprehension skills. If you're looking for more challenging reading, Project Gutenberg has free book downloads in dozens of languages.

If you're looking for local media, try one of these directories:

Web-Radio has a list of international radio stations that can be listened to over the internet. Look for the "By Country" search listing.
The Internet Public Library has a list of links to newspaper websites around the world. News sources are a great way to keep informed about what'sgoing on in a country.
World Wide Internet TV and has recorded videos and links to TV station websites that can be searched by country or type (such as education, sports, news and music).

A word of caution: automatic translation services such as Babel Fish aren't always 100 per cent correct -- the vocabulary and grammar may be wrong. Look for websites that are written in that language or translated by professionals.

Try a free university course

Want to know more about the culture and current issues? Try the Open University Learning Space in the United Kingdom and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Open Courseware. In addition to language instruction, you can explore topics such as "Communicating Across Cultures" and "Introduction to Asian Studies". You won't get university credit, but the resources are open to the public at no cost.

Is online learning right for you? It depends on your learning style and preferences. Many people prefer written notes and exercises to online ones, or prefer to have a teacher and the support of fellow students. Others prefer the self-directed and hands on approach of online courses. The trick is to find a learning environment that works for you. Even if you opt to take a course or invest in language software, these free online sources can help supplement other lessons and help you practice for tests.

Try Red Deer Public Library Resources

- DVD collection of Foreign Films
- Downloadable Audiobooks
Check out our International Collection of books and virtual libraries in many languages

Naxos Spoken Word Library

In Library | From Home (Valid RDPL Card required for home access)
The online Naxos Spoken Word Library comprises one of the most comprehensive collections of classic audiobook material available online.

NewsPaper Direct Press Display
In Library | From Home (Valid RDPL Card required for home access)

With Press Display you have access to close to 450 newspapers from around the world, in the language in which they are published. The newspapers are updated on a daily basis. A list of the newspapers available in the database is available here.

Mango Languages

In Library | From Home (Valid RDPL Card required for home access)

Mango is an online language-learning system that can help you learn languages like Spanish, French, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Mandarin Chinese, Greek, Italian, Russian, English as a Second Language (ESL) and more.

Do you want to improve your English? Contact Red Deer Public Library Adult Literacy Program.

Websites to help with learning English

The Learning Edge - An online newspaper for adult new readers. It uses plain language. There is sound of the text. It also includes vocabulary and comprehension activities.
ABC English - This site has won an award of excellence for content, for design, for funcionality and fororiginality. This is online help with English. It has free tests and grammar help (for beginners, intermediate, and advanced levels) reading comprehension tests, and links to world news.
International Dictionary - Online dictionary with translations that includes many languages, cources, glossaries, crosswords, spelling games, etc.
Learn the Net - This site teaches everything about using the internet in clear and easy-to-follow directions. It is very user friendly.That means that is easy to use and to read.
The Cool Way to Learn English - This site has pages for students: 75 interactive quizzes, 15 discussion forums, lessons, learning pages, chat room and links. Pages for teachers include: lesson plans, reproducible materials, ideas for discussion and communication activities, a chat room, and a job board.
Dave's ESL Cafe - This is the Internet's Meeting Place for ESL teachers and students from around the world.
English Club - This is a very complete site with a Learning Centre for students with lessons and special interests in grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, listening, speaking, reading, writing, English for professions, and learning about ESL exams like TOEFL.
ESL Lounge - This site offers free lesson materials for ESL classes, fully printable worksheets for ESL needs, song lyrics, reading comprehension, ESL articles, guides to English grammar and teaching ESL around the world.
Interesting Things for ESL Students - This says of itself that it is a fun study site for students of ESL. It has word games, puzzles, quizzes, exercises, slang, proverbs and much more.
Break the Wall. Improve Your English. Welcome to Learning English with CBC. This is a joint project with CBC Edmonton and the Government of Alberta. This site uses CBC Edmonton radio news and feature stories as tools for Albertans learning English.
Language Portal of Canada. The Language Portal of Canada is a Web site that showcases Canadian expertise in the area of language. It informs readers about Canadian resources that deal with different aspects of language. It offers:
* free access to language tools online;
* articles and writing tips, word games and exercises (the Well Written, Well Said section);
* a collection of links to language-related works and sites (the Discover section);
* Canadian writing tools and content produced by governments, universities, and others;
* language-related articles signed by our contributors;
* information in English and French, and in some Aboriginal languages;
* and much more.