Alright, so bear with me here. This might take a minute to explain fully. I like to learn- specifically, I like learning languages. But when you take a look at professional software, ones like Rosetta Stone and Fluenz, it can get pricey. I’m talking, triple-digit-spending-for-one-lesson pricey. And I’m a college student, so I really don’t have the money to just casually spend a couple hundred on one lesson. That’s what got me to looking for less expensive alternatives to pursue this hobby of mine. There’s a lot of great resources out there- it’s amazing! So many people/developers apparently agreed that some things were way too expensive, and they decided to change that. It’s fantastic- I could cry.
But, see, if you’re like me, and like learning languages here and there as a hobby (again, college student), or for professional reasons, or because you know someone who speaks another language and it sounds cool to listen to them switch back and forth between them, or whatever your reason is, it can be really daunting about which website to pick. Trust me, I love the options out there! But man, when there are so many, which one do you choose?
And so now we (finally) get to the whole reason behind this blog. Firstly, I want to showcase all these great developers that want to make language-learning more affordable- they deserve a round of applause. I also want to make you, the wonderful language-learner, knowledgeable about just how many choices you’ve got to pick from if you’re not into spending all that money (no judgement here; I’m certainly not). But, on top of that, I also want to give you my thoughts about some of the options out there- price, courses available, languages available, neat features, mobile app companions, things like that. That way, hopefully, it’ll be a little less daunting for you, too. If you have someone go through the different tools and explain what they’re like and their benefits and downsides, you can pick which one will work for you, rather than have to pick one out of the blue and hope for the best.
Language is incredible! And we live in a world where technology allows us to speak together in an instant, regardless of language barriers that we may face. And because of that, it’s become more and more reasonable to learn even the most basic phrases in other languages (look at how many they teach in schools now!). It’s a journey so many people choose to undertake for so many different reasons; I’m just here to make that journey a little bit more affordable, and a bit easier, too.
Alrighty, that’s everything I’ve got for you today! Thanks for sticking through it- I hope to see you for the next post! The first review goes up on Thursday 2/15/18, so if you’re interested, be sure to check back then!
Bilingual on a Budget 