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Author name: Alex

Alex is a freelance writer from Brussels. He is fluent in several languages and enjoys traveling frequently. He's fluent in a few languages and has an intermediate level in several more.

An Honest Review of RussianPod101 With Image of Russian Architecture

RussianPod101 Review – Testing Their Course

RussianPod101

Rating 4.3
★★★★
★
★

Summary

RussianPod101 is a fantastic resource that has hundreds upon hundreds of video and podcast lessons on offer. These take you all the way from learning your first word in Russian right up to an advanced level and so beginners and intermediates, in particular, will certainly learn a lot. While the course delves deep into Russian grammar, vocabulary and the cultural context of the language, the lack of speaking and writing practice means you would have to use it alongside another resource.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

While the platform is a bit confusing to navigate, the lessons are very well put together.

Thoroughness 4.5
★★★★
★
★

There is an almost endless array of material for you to work through and in general, explanations are very clear and concise.

Value 4.5
★★★★
★
★

I’d say that RussianPod101 is very good value for money considering just how many lessons you gain access to.

I Like
  • RussianPod101 really does have a lesson for every imaginable situation and so you can learn important words and phrases for every scenario.
  • There is a clear progression in terms of difficulty from the Absolute Beginner level up until the Advanced level
  • You get to hear a wide range of native speakers and a lot of the material introduces you to various aspects of Russian culture.
I Don’t Like
  • I found the platform quite confusing to navigate and so it often took a while to get where I wanted.
  • The material could be a bit more engaging as you are never really asked to use the Russian you’ve learned.
  • The lack of speaking and writing practice means you would have to use it alongside other resources if you wanted to get fluent in Russian.
Price

For the Basic subscription it costs $4/month $10 for premium a month and $2/ for premium plus

Use the promo code “ALLLANGUAGERESOURCES” to save 25% on a subscription to RussianPod101.

Visit RussianPod101

Having previously tried out PortuguesePod101 and come away thoroughly impressed, I was very intrigued to see whether RussianPod101 was any good as I was hoping to learn a bit of Russian before going away on holiday. After using it for a bit, I could immediately see that it had the same positives and negatives as the Portuguese version.

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RussianPod101 Review – Testing Their CourseRead More »

RussianPod101 Review – Testing Their Course Read More »

Transparent Language Review

Transparent Language Review – Not Exciting, But Language Offering Is So Vast That You May Need It

Last Updated on December 13, 2023.

Transparent Language

Rating 2.3
★★
★
★★★

Summary

Transparent Language markets itself as “the most complete language-learning system for independent learners.” While there are lots of different exercises for you to work through in their Essentials Course, I thought that the material wasn’t all that helpful and that it got very repetitive. Although the courses might not be all that useful or in-depth, with over a hundred languages on offer it might be worth checking out if you want to learn the very basics of a more obscure language such as Buriat, Kazakh or Turkmen.

Quality 2.5
★★
★
★★★

While the exercises are for the most part well-designed, diverse and easy to use, it is the core material itself that I found lacking.

Thoroughness 2.0
★★★★★

I hardly came across any explanations at all; practice was almost exclusively memorizing words and phrases.

Value 2.5
★★
★
★★★

I would only consider using if I was studying a very rare language.

I Like
  • I really like the fact that they offer up courses in languages that are usually overlooked.
  • It’s pretty well-designed, easy to use and has lots of different activities to work through.
I Don’t Like
  • The core material is severely lacking in my opinion; it’s hard for me to imagine you’ll learn much grammar or how to form even a basic sentence yourself.
  • It gets very repetitive and so I didn’t find it that fun to work through.
  • You learn virtually nothing about the different cultural contexts of the languages you’re learning.
  • Their teaching methodology was the biggest issue for me, leaving you memorizing lots of words and phrases in isolation.
Price

There is a free two-week trial period for you to try it out. Otherwise, it is $24.95 per month or $149.95 for a whole year if you just select one language. If you want access to all of the languages it is then $49.95 per month and $249.95 a year.

Visit Transparent Language
…

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Transparent Language Review – Not Exciting, But Language Offering Is So Vast That You May Need It Read More »

Michel Thomas Method Review – Avoid At All Costs

Michel Thomas Method

Rating 1.7
★
★
★★★★

Summary

One of the most famous language teaching courses out there, Michel Thomas is a household name. The platform advertises itself as “The method that works with your brain” and boasts a teaching method “with no books, exercises, memorizing or homework” in several of its course descriptions. It’s available in 18 languages with courses that have material suitable for absolute beginners. I tried out the French foundation course and found it to be severely lacking and as such cannot recommend it at all. You may, however, have more luck with the other language courses that they offer.

Quality 2.0
★★★★★

Very easy to use, and the audios are decent quality, but I found that Michel Thomas’ discouraging manner flustered students, which detracted from the content’s quality in my experience.

Thoroughness 2.0
★★★★★

In my opinion, Michel Thomas doesn’t go into much depth and any explanations he offers up are just at a surface level.

Value 1.0
★★★★★

I wouldn’t use these even if they were free due to Michel Thomas’ teaching style which ruined the material for me.

I Like
  • Um…in all honesty I’m not sure if I enjoyed any of it!
I Don’t Like
  • Michel Thomas never praises the students, often interrupts them and creates a negative learning environment.
  • The pacing of the lessons often seems off to me and in certain places they feel very hurried.
  • I thought all of the lessons were almost identical and so it got quite monotonous working through them.
Price

There are several different courses available with prices ranging from $11.99 to $100.

Visit Michel Thomas

Before working my way through the French foundation course, I had never tried a Michel Thomas course despite hearing so much about it.

…

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Michel Thomas Method Review – Avoid At All Costs Read More »

Language Transfer Review

Language Transfer Review – Better Than A Lot Of Expensive Courses

Language Transfer

Rating 4.3
★★★★
★
★

Summary

The Language Transfer’s courses approach language learning with what has been coined as “The Thinking Method’. These audio courses serve as a great introduction to the nine languages currently available. They go into lots of depth on how each language works, teaching you all of the main grammar points and giving you the tools needed to learn independently and intuitively. For beginners looking to learn a language, these free courses are an effective and efficient way to start your journey.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

Might look a bit basic but the content is very well designed.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

The courses don’t follow the traditional learning path but have a lot of depth.

Value 5.0
★★★★★

It’s completely free and better than most paid resources.

I Like
  • Lessons are efficient in that they cover a lot of material in a short amount of time.
  • The lessons teach you a mix of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation each time and so you really come away understanding how the language is formed.
  • Mihalis (the founder) presents everything in a very calm and relaxed manner, thoroughly explaining everything as he goes while encouraging the student who answers his questions.
  • For each language, the course is created independently and follows its own learning path.
I Don’t Like
  • While the content is very good quality, it could maybe do with varying the presentation a bit as there are no exercises, quizzes or work for you to produce.
  • The lessons kind of progress in a strange manner as you don’t follow a traditional language learning route, such as starting off with greetings, etc.
  • You won’t hear any native speakers on most of the courses and you don’t ever actually hear a conversation.
Price

Completely free, but if you find the courses to be useful, consider making a donation.

Visit Language Transfer
…

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Language Transfer Review – Better Than A Lot Of Expensive Courses Read More »

LinguaLift Review – You’d Be Better Off Using A Textbook

LinguaLift

Rating 2.7
★★
★
★★★

Summary

LinguaLift currently offers courses in Japanese, Russian and Hebrew. I chose Japanese and working my way through the lessons was very much like going through an online textbook. Very text-based, the material is best suited to beginners although the slow pace and heavy use of English means that it takes a while to make progress. While it’s nicely designed and includes lots of interesting content about Japanese culture, you don’t learn how to speak or understand conversations as the focus is on learning how to read (which it does very well).

Quality 3.5
★★★
★
★★

Very easy to use and nicely produced but all lessons look the same.

Thoroughness 2.5
★★
★
★★★

Great for teaching reading and the cultural context of a language but not communication skills.

Value 2.0
★★★★★

The material is comparable to a textbook but much more expensive.

I Like
  • LinguaLift is one of the best resources out there when it comes to teaching you about the cultural context surrounding the language.
  • The texts are quite humorous to read and each lesson concludes with a reward which usually comes in the form of a video about some part of the culture.
  • It really succeeds at teaching you how to read Japanese and the course is easy to follow.
  • Don’t have to pay extra to access courses in more than one language.
I Don’t Like
  • All of the lessons look almost identical which gets monotonous.
  • The course is mostly in English and it takes a while for you to actually encounter all that much Japanese.
  • Other courses will almost certainly have you speaking and learning the language at a quicker pace.
  • The focus on reading means you don’t get to listen to much Japanese and there is no way to practice speaking or holding a conversation.
Price

$19.99 a month or one year is $156.00. Languages: Japanese, Russian, and Spanish

Visit LinguaLift

In order to write this review, I subscribed to LinguaLift for one month. And, although they have courses available in Japanese, Hebrew, and Russian, I decided to focus this review on their Japanese course.

…

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LinguaLift Review – You’d Be Better Off Using A Textbook Read More »

Talk in Arabic Review – An Extremely Disappointing Experience

Talk in Arabic

Rating 1.7
★
★
★★★★

Summary

Talk in Arabic is a random collection of lessons rather than a course. The main positive point is that it covers a wide range of Arabic dialects. Unfortunately, it does so very thinly, with many dialects lacking a significant number of lessons. To make matters worse, many of the lessons are quite bad, simply being a few phrases read out loud. The poor quality and lack of cohesion between the lessons makes it impossible to be anything more than a quick peek at some different dialects. Anyone seriously interested in learning Arabic should look elsewhere.

Quality 2.0
★★★★★

Some lessons are good but too many are really poorly made.

Thoroughness 1.5
★
★
★★★★

Far too many gaps in the content and many dialects have very few lessons available.

Value 1.5
★
★
★★★★

You’d probably be better off finding free lessons for different dialects on Youtube.

I Like
  • It’s great that they attempt to cover so many different dialects of Arabic.
  • Native Arabic speakers teach all of the lessons and as such it is a very authentic resource.
  • Some of the lessons look at scenarios that arise in the country of the dialect you’re learning and it is therefore quite useful seeing the cultural context.
I Don’t Like
  • Some of the dialects had very few lessons available, and those lessons were often short, disconnected, and poor quality.
  • Learners could never advance from beginner to intermediate using Talk in Arabic as a main resource.
  • A lot of the content is not well thought out or doesn’t cover the topic in much depth with some ‘lessons’ really being only a phrases that are read out.
  • Not worth the cost.
Price

Talk in Arabic costs $12.95 per month, $90.40 per year or $197 for a lifetime subscription. All of these get you access to all of the content available on the platform.

Visit Talk in Arabic

When I heard of the idea behind Talk in Arabic, a platform for lessons from several different Arabic dialects, I was extremely excited to try it out. The vast majority of Arabic learning platforms focus on Modern Standard or Egyptian Arabic. There aren’t a lot of resources to study dialects such as Sudanese or Algerian.

…

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Talk in Arabic Review – An Extremely Disappointing Experience Read More »

An Honest Review of ArabicPod101 With Image of Arab Architecture

ArabicPod101 Review – Better Than More Expensive Courses

ArabicPod101

Rating 4.2
★★★★
★
★

Summary

ArabicPod101 has loads of audio and video lessons that cater to students learning their first few words in Arabic right up to advanced learners. Covering a wide range of subjects, the lessons explore anything from Arab culture and particular grammar points to specific scenarios and essential vocabulary. The lessons progress in difficulty and are perfect for beginner and intermediate learners although not much focus is placed on learning how to speak and write. While the lessons are generally very good, learners need to pay attention as some of them are in Modern Standard Arabic while others are in the Egyptian and Moroccan dialects.

Quality 4.5
★★★★
★
★

The presenters very clearly explain the grammar, vocabulary and cultural context while still making the lessons entertaining.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

The content covers a wide range of topics at varying degrees of difficulty.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

The Basic plan is great value but the other plans might not offer enough to justify the higher prices.

I Like
  • The lessons clearly progress in terms of difficulty and less English is used as you move up levels.
  • Good chemistry between the hosts makes the lessons more enjoyable.
  • There are a lot of lessons and they’re well thought out.
  • The Basic plan is very affordable.
I Don’t Like
  • While the lessons mostly focus on Modern Standard Arabic, it is strange and confusing to find the Egyptian and Moroccan dialects sometimes thrown in.
  • There is not much focus placed on speaking and writing.
  • I found it quite confusing to navigate the dashboard.
Price

Basic Plan – $4/mo Premium Plan – $10/mo Premium Plus Plan – $23/mo

“ALLLANGUAGERESOURCES” to save 25% on a subscription to ArabicPod101.

Visit ArabicPod101

Having previously tried and been disappointed with Rocket Arabic and Talk in Arabic, I was hopeful ArabicPod101 would be better but began to think that maybe the resources for studying Arabic just aren’t that good.

…

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ArabicPod101 Review – Better Than More Expensive Courses Read More »

Glossika Review – Not Cheap But Useful

Glossika

Rating 3.6
★★★
★
★★

Summary

Glossika has learning resources for over fifty languages that impressively range from Armenian and Czech to Icelandic and Tagalog. While not suitable for absolute beginners, lower intermediates could use the resource to familiarise themselves with sentences in their language of choice using Glossika´s intuitive approach. Listening to native speakers and repeating what they say can help learners to improve their comprehension skills and spoken fluency. While it is amazing that so many languages are included, learners would have to use numerous other resources alongside it. The cost is unjustifiably high.

Quality 3.8
★★★
★
★★

The audio recordings are well made but other aspects could be improved

Thoroughness 3.8
★★★
★
★★

Glossika covers an impressive number of languages but their method requires you to intuitively learn

Value 3.5
★★★
★
★★

Polyglots may find the price to be fair but for most language learners it’s not

I Like
  • There are lots of languages available, including many that are rarely covered by other resources.
  • The subscription gives you access to all of the languages making it possible to study one language and review another at the same time.
  • It will force you to speak the language which will improve your confidence and prosody.
I Don’t Like
  • As all of the languages cover the exact same material, the diversity of the languages and cultures are reduced to a simple formula with no cultural context involved in their teaching.
  • There are a fair amount of errors in the materials.
  • The cost is excessively high compared to other resources.
  • There are no explanations of grammar.
Price

You can try out Glossika´s learning method for free with their week-long trial. Their basic subscription is $16.99 a month. The monthly subscription costs $30.99 a month. The annual subscription costs $24.99 a month and will set you back 299.88$ in total.

Click the link below to save $5 on a subscription to Glossika.

Try Glossika For Free

Few resources cover as many different languages as Glossika does. Because of this, I was excited to try it out and see what it’s like to use.

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Glossika Review – Not Cheap But Useful Read More »

An Honest Review of Francais Authentique With Image of The Arc de Triomphe in Paris

Français Authentique Review: Testing Out Their Courses

Français Authentique

Rating 3.8
★★★
★
★★

Summary

These audio lessons focus on teaching you authentic French that is used in everyday life. As everything is in French, it is not suited to beginners although it will certainly help intermediate learners gain fluency and improve their comprehension skills. Speaking and writing are not featured much but the listening and reading resources are generally very good. It will help you improve these skills but it is up to you to put in the time to practice the lessons.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

Very easy to use with good content. Could maybe vary up the exercises a bit more.

Thoroughness 3.5
★★★
★
★★

The vocabulary explanations in French are great though this approach means you learn grammar intuitively without any analysis of how it works.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

Very authentic and is worth checking out. Not everyone will be a fan of the heavy amount of repetition. Cheaper than a lot of resources.

I Like
  • Everything is in French which is great! The complete immersion will help you improve.
  • The PDFs accompanying the audio lessons are very useful as you can read them while listening.
  • The vocabulary explanations were very clear and serve to clarify the meaning in your mind and give you other ways in which you can use the word or phrase.
  • Motivation is key and Johan provides you with clear instructions on how to get the most out of his teaching method.
I Don’t Like
  • This method is a bit too repetitive for me. I don’t think I could listen to the audios ten – thirty times as is recommended.
  • Speaking and writing takes a backseat. This is because Johan believes that improving your comprehension skills and your vocabulary will eventually lead to speaking and writing coming naturally.
  • The audios are clear to listen to, authentic and well done but are not the most riveting things in the world.
  • You are supposed to learn intuitively and automatically which explains why there is no in-depth focus on grammar. Not all learners will relate to this approach.
Price

Divided into three bundles of courses that increase in difficulty:

Pack 1 costs 49 euros and contains 4.5 hours of audio. Pack 2 costs 129 euros and includes 17 hours of audio. Pack 3 is 149 euros and includes 14.5 hours of audio as well as 3.75 hours of videos.

All three packs together cost 327 euros and this includes 3.75 hours of video, 36 hours of audio, 355 pages of text and should take you over a year and a half to complete.

For a look at how Francais Authentique is taught and whether it fits your learning style, you can access a week of free lessons on the website.

Visit Francais Authentique

This course isn’t for beginners – you’ll be completely immersed in French

I had never heard of Francais Authentique prior to writing this review and upon checking out the website I was immediately intrigued as absolutely everything is in French.

…

Français Authentique Review: Testing Out Their CoursesRead More »

Français Authentique Review: Testing Out Their Courses Read More »

An Honest Review of Semantica Portuguese With Image of Portugese Architecture

Semantica Portuguese Review – The Most Authentic Brazilian Portuguese Resource

Semantica Portuguese

Rating 4.2
★★★★
★
★

Summary

Semantica is an amazing resource for visual and aural learners looking to learn Portuguese by immersing themselves in Brazilian culture. Through their unique video lessons, Semantica does a great job in providing its users with real life scenarios that they will come across in Brazil. While some beginners may find it a challenge, those that respond well to this style of teaching will surely enjoy the lessons. There is a wealth of material to explore and a lot of room for students to progress.

Quality 4.5
★★★★
★
★

The videos are very well produced and entertaining. The accompanying lesson materials, though useful, are not as good.

Thoroughness 3.5
★★★
★
★★

Their coverage of real life situations is great but the grammar explanations are lacking.

Value 4.5
★★★★
★
★

This is a unique product and definitely worth considering spending your time and money on.

I Like
  • The video lessons were great and on the whole were very entertaining. They really immersed you in Brazilian life.
  • It is great that the vast majority of the resources and dialogue are in Portuguese.
  • The lessons progressed in difficulty with the last lessons being very hard.
  • The Semantica staff seem very helpful. They react well to users’ feedback and use it to improve the product.
I Don’t Like
  • I think it could have done with much better grammar analysis.
  • While you can practice your pronunciation, you never get to actually speak.
Price

Semantica has a number of different subscription plans. Regardless of what plan you choose, all of the videos are accessible to you. The shortest option is to sign up and pay on a month-by-month basis which costs $19/month. $199 for a whole year. Past that there is the option of paying $399 for lifetime access.

Visit Semantica Now

Semantica teaches Portuguese in a way that keeps you truly engaged

When I heard about the idea behind Semantica, I was immediately intrigued. I really enjoyed using it and found the video lessons to be very entertaining; I was soon happily going from lesson to lesson following the protagonists’ storylines!

…

Semantica Portuguese Review – The Most Authentic Brazilian Portuguese ResourceRead More »

Semantica Portuguese Review – The Most Authentic Brazilian Portuguese Resource Read More »