Top Websites For University Students To Learn A New Language

Moving abroad? You must be going through a range of emotions; from dread to the excitement, an international student goes through a motley of sentiments. This is expected because there will be many challenges thrown at you. A few of them would be quite daunting. One of them is language. Yes, if you are going to a country that does not speak your language, you are in for a challenge.
Before things go awry, you must take preventive measures. How? Of course, you should learn the new language. Now, it may be possible that you are unable to find proper language classes in your city; for example, it was very difficult for me to find Japanese classes in my city for quite a long time. So, what do you do? You do what I, and many others, do. You switch to an online platform for language learning.
You can start with any of the 5 websites I have mentioned below. Many courses on these websites come with a price tag, though there are a few that are free but with limited access to resources.

Read about them below and decide what course is better for you.

1. Coursera
   You must have heard of Coursera. In case you haven’t, let me tell you that it is among the largest online repositories of courses. On the platform, you can undertake a certificate or online degree program on languages. For example, the National Research Tomsk State University offers a Global MA in the English Language, and Teaching Leadership, the University of California, Davis offers a course on basic Spanish, and the Peking University offers a course on Mandarin for the purpose of clearing the HSK Test. Since these courses come from influential institutions across the globe, there shouldn’t be doubts as to their authenticity.
2. edX
   edX is a well-known platform for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that was founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Over here, you will find plenty of options to consider for improving your linguistic abilities. To name a few, there is Estella Chen’s MandarinX which offers a professional certificate in Mandarin Communication, Waseda University Learn the Language and Values of Japan, Wellesley College’s Italian Language and Culture series, and Universitat Politècnica de València’s Professional Certificate Course in Basic Spanish.
3. Duolingo
   Sometimes, you don’t really need to hold command of the language; you just need to know the basics. When such is the case, you should consider using various language learning applications. One such application I would suggest is Duolingo. It is a highly customized, easy-to-use platform that offers small-sized lessons that are quick and interactive. The application effectively maps your progress, tailors questions accordingly, and introduces several games and challenges to keep you occupied. It has also started the Duolingo English Test that helps its users to certify their skills in English.
4. Open Culture
   How about a place that collects and presents all the necessary information on language learning at one place? Well, Open Culture is exactly that! It serves as a massive resource center where you can find information on nearly everything. It maintains a separate ‘Languages’ tab that enumerates details of all kinds of online certificate programs, free movies helpful for learning languages, free e-books and textbooks, and podcasts. All the articles will guide you to authentic platforms for language learning. You simply need to go through them and identify where you want to study from. Imagine Open Culture as your ultimate guidebook on how to crack the linguistic problem.
5. Udemy
   Udemy is yet another platform where people come together to impart and receive education through interactive sessions. You can explore all kinds of language learning courses available at very reasonable costs. Some of the courses available on the platform include isiXhosa for Beginners, Croatian Language, Learn Bengali, Azerbaijani: Beginner to Intermediate, and Lithuanian Course for Complete Beginners. In addition to conventional courses on languages, there are also those that improve your conversational skills in regular and professional lives. Udemy is a perfect platform for those who do not have the resources to invest in courses available on edX and Coursera.

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The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the CEOWORLD magazine.