Can’t Travel, But Still Have the Travel Bug? Learn a New Language

by Teri E. Popp, Tastemaker in Residence

At the end of last summer, when it became obvious that travel would continue to be severely impacted by the pandemic, I first grieved the loss of my overseas travel schedule. But, then I moved on to what I could do with myself to prepare for my adventures to come once travel restrictions are lifted.

After I’d skimmed through the past couple of years worth of National Geographic Traveler for future trip planning ideas, I decided to dedicate myself to honing up on my foreign language skills. In my case, I can read and write German, and, to some degree French; however, my speaking skills are severely lacking. So, I cast my net in search of on line German language programs.

My daughter’s partner suggested I try Duolingo, a free language app, if you’re willing to view the advertising that hosts the program. I started off with the free course first and determined that it was a very workable format for me. I liked it well enough that I paid the $99 for the year worth of on line courses. And the nice thing about Duolingo is that you can study a long list of languages; including the typical big ticket travel destinations, as well as lesser spoken languages such as Navajo, Celtic, Hawaiian or even Klingon.

While I had 2 years of college German and 1 year of high school French, this, or any of the other on line and off line courses, can start you off on the level best situated for your learning. Duolingo tested me on my skills and started me off where I needed to be to continue on my path to (hopefully) speaking German.

To try various on line foreign language courses, you can visit the following sites:

Babble at https://www.babbel.com/

Pimsleur at https://offers.pimsleur.com/free-trial-1401?gclid=CjwKCAiAg8OBBhA8EiwAlKw3kjirwZ1ybmWJ4HBaN0duM-NszNf-EefUE1yt_MpNdcy-9VY5Y34DERoCtKgQAvD_BwE

Rosetta Stone at https://www.rosettastone.com/lp/sbsr/rmsitewide/?utm_source=GeistM&utm_content=GN_CompetitorSearch_Topdust&utm_campaign=GS_RS_NonBrand_Content_Exact_Competitors&gclid=CjwKCAiAg8OBBhA8EiwAlKw3klg04CRHiGntgxCUdJN1vlJru_8lKBdO-nKxwCYE8ia47aDg-o52HRoC_tkQAvD_BwE&gdpith=1 I’ve tried this one before, and it’s not my favorite, but lots of people seem to like it. And, to be fair, I haven’t tried it in a long time.

Memrise at https://www.memrise.com/

Lingualift at https://www.lingualift.com/ This app has a limited amount of languages at this time, but plans to offer more soon. In addition, it offers tutoring as part of it’s package.

Hello Talk at https://www.hellotalk.com/ which offers chat lines with foreign language speakers.

Bussu at https://www.busuu.com/

And I hope to see you on the road or in the air again soon! Tschuss!!