Resources

Want more practice with your foreign language at Bentley? Looking to brush up on your skills or start learning a new language? Join us at the Center for Languages and International Collaboration (CLIC) for our 20-minute weekly Language Corners! Led by native-speaker Language Partners, these sessions offer practice for all levels and help you immerse in foreign cultures beyond the classroom. Perfect for those planning to travel abroad or interested in different cultures. Follow us on Instagram! In person @ CLIC.

 

 

The following tools are geared towards novice students or those who want to brush up on their previously acquired language skills. Some of these apps have a fremium model or offer a free model but ad-supported.

 

Duolingo combines a variety of techniques such as: listening to the pronunciation, reading sentences, voice recording, forming phrases by ordering words and matching images to words. It is based on grammar-translation method and it is structured like a video game, which makes it engaging. You can learn 95 languages!

 

Drops combines visually appealing word games with mnemonic associations and it focuses on vocabulary-learning. For students who are learning character-based languages or languages with a different writing system, Drops has a companion app included, Scripts. Drops also now offers a companion app to support kids learning languages, Droplets. You can learn 35+ languages!

 

MemRise also focuses on vocabulary-learning strategies and makes it fun by using memes, which use unique and entertaining associations with the vocabulary being learned. The free version of the app gives you access to the same number of languages as the Pro version, just with fewer functionalities. MemRise offers over 200 languages!

 

Español Interactivo is a free monthly app designed to practice and improve your Spanish. Each of the monthly editions contains interactive exercises, a current news story and a recorded discussion, at three levels – Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. Features include: interactive exercises, focus on vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening, audio, reading (with glossary) a recorded discussion about the news story, and access to previous issues.

 

https://speakly.me/
Speakly uses a method that teaches you the 4000 most used words in a language and helps you navigate through real-life scenarios. You can learn Estonian, Russian, Finnish, Spanish, Italian, French, and German!

 

 

A “language exchange” consists essentially of a conversation that takes place between two people who teach and learn from each other, in turn. The following are free and popular apps

 

HelloTalk connects you with native speakers to chat with for free. It offers Translation, Transliteration, Voice-to-Text and Text-to-Voice features that makes it easier to communicate with the person you are trying to teach to/learn from.

 

Bilingua connects you with a native speaker who shares similar interests to you and is learning your native language. This will help learning informal expressions, slangs, idioms, and other language features.