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Author name: Tara

Tara is a passionate Taiwanese-Canadian language learner and aspiring polyglot. She speaks French, Mandarin, and Spanish to varying degrees of fluency, and has a basic foundation of Japanese. She is particularly fascinated with researching the most effective language-learning techniques and applying them to her own studies.

Japanese Level Up Mini-Review: A Step Up From Basic SRS

Japanese Level Up

Rating 3.5
★★★
★
★★
Price:

$119.99/level, $299.99/all levels

Summary

For beginners and intermediate Japanese learners who are frustrated with their learning process and just can’t seem to find the right resource, Jalup might just be the answer to your struggles. The app has improved the basic Spaced Repetition System flashcard method by ensuring that each new card combines with previously learned content. This means that, if you have been following their program, you will fully understand every sentence that is presented to you. There are six levels, from total beginner to ‘Jalup expert’; as a beginner, you will learn to read and write the basic Japanese alphabets, and gradually increase your understanding of vocabulary, grammar, sentence structures, and kanji. By level 4, all definitions and explanations are in Japanese. The app claims to “Make you fluent so you can enjoy anime, manga, and video games,” teaching you practical Japanese and enriching practice with stories that parallel what you have already learned. The downside to this app is how expensive it is. Although each level has 100 cards that you can sample for free, to buy a full level within the app costs over $100 (or slightly cheaper if you want the Anki-version.)

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Magic Lingua Mini-Review: Pricey But Potentially Worth It

magic lingua

Rating 3.1
★★★
★
★★
Price:

Courses cost between $31.99 and $499.99

Summary

Magic Lingua provides a series of individual courses for language learning. They advertise that you will gain enough confidence in speaking that you will be able to not only start a conversation with anyone, but do so without thinking about grammar and vocabulary. The full courses are offered for beginner, intermediate, and advanced speakers depending on the language (advanced is considered the B1 level). The voice-recognition software seems to do an adequate job of recognizing which words you are pronouncing correctly, and it does appear to help improve speaking abilities by actively reenacting dialogues with you. Therefore, the app alone may help develop your confidence to start conversations in your target language. Although not subscription based, each full course must be purchased individually. The 2-3 week crash courses seem more reasonable for the price, but the full 10 week courses are a hefty $200+. They consist of 10 modules plus hundreds of video lessons and speaking exercises. There is the option to complete the modules with live tutor sessions, or alone. Magic Lingua is probably worth your time if you don’t mind spending a lot on one app, but with the current price it might be better to look for alternatives. There are some free lessons available on their website for you to test out, but check back for more languages and levels in the future.

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Mandarin HQ Mini-Review: Accessible, Real Spoken Chinese

mandarin hq

Rating 4.0
★★★★★
Price:

Freemium, Courses cost between $67-$87

Summary

Although a tad expensive for the quantity of content provided, if you have ever struggled with understanding different accents or slang terms when listening to native speakers, Mandarin HQ’s videos will certainly help make real conversations more accessible. Each of the 150 lessons focuses on one question, with six different people asking and responding to the question in order to familiarize your ear to different voices and accents. The format of each lesson goes through the process of listening, listening and reading [Chinese subtitles], listening and reading [English subtitles], and then a quiz. The dialogue is at a natural speed, accompanied by a transcript to help you study the material. The website has a lot of free, high quality content, such as short video lessons and interviews. There are also sample beginner and intermediate videos available under the “course” section, so you can check out if Mandarin HQ matches your learning style before deciding if you want to purchase the full course.

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The Staircase Method Mini-Review: Simple and Personable

Staircase Method

Rating 2.8
★★
★
★★★
Price:

Temporarily Free

Summary

The Staircase Method seems to put a heavy emphasis on translation from English-French as their learning method. They provide “Courstories” for all levels, which basically consist of a series of translation prompts in the form of a story. Once you have provided your translation, you may both listen to an audio clip and read various acceptable translations. Even total beginners will learn to construct French sentences through these stories and, in theory, because the story guides your learning, you may be more likely to see it to the end. There is no automated software, as the program believes in basing its content on “human intelligence and creativity”. Consequently, when you type in your translations, it’s up to you to decide whether it matches one of the suggested translations. This makes the Staircase Method somewhat unique, as there are often several options you can choose from to best suit your “French voice”. At the end of the course, you will receive a certificate in the mail, hand-signed by the author. Although the site is personable and learner-centred, it’s not clear whether the stories will keep you engaged. However, if you manage to check out their site while they are providing free access, it may be worth your time. Their free blog may also be worth checking out, as it provides voice recordings with transcriptions to practice listening comprehension.

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Lingoni Mini-Review: Comprehensive German Lessons

Lingoni

Rating 4.3
★★★★
★
★
Price:

Quarterly memberships start at 49€, 299€ for lifetime access

Summary

Lingoni evolved from YouTube’s popular channel, German with Jenny. This web application provides video lessons, vocabulary training, and podcasts for A1-B2 German and French learners. Each lesson and vocabulary training is accompanied by a series of exercises, including but not limited to: translation practice, sentence building, listening practice, and correcting mistakes in pre-written sentences. The podcast also includes a worksheet where you can fill in the blanks while listening to improve your listening comprehension. Lingoni encourages 70% comprehension before allowing you move on to the next lesson. Overall, it seems to provide effective support for both beginner and intermediate learners to advance their skills. If you’re interested in checking out Jenny’s teaching style, there are lots of free videos available on her YouTube channel.

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Dreaming Spanish Mini-Review: Free Immersion From Zero

Dreaming Spanish

Rating 4.2
★★★★
★
★
Price:

Free

Summary

Dreaming Spanish is a series of Youtube videos that have been transformed into a language-learning platform. Each video provides full Spanish immersion, even from the Super-Beginner level. Additionally, the speaking pace in each video increases depending on the level, which allows you to progressively improve your listening comprehension. The creator, Pablo, states that through listening, you will be able to naturally develop the accent, vocabulary, grammar, speaking abilities, and comprehension of a language. Dreaming Spanish publishes a new video every 3 days. The website automatically tracks how long you have spent watching its content, and you can sort by level, topic, or by which of the 15+ guides are presenting in the video. For those of you looking for a free, immersive method to study Spanish, you should definitely check out Dreaming Spanish.

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CantonSkill Mini-Review: Basic Cantonese Practice

CantonSkill

Rating 3.3
★★★
★
★★
Price:

Free

Summary

CantonSkill is a free app that provides basic Cantonese lessons similar to, but less comprehensive than, that of ChineseSkill and Duolingo. Rather than expecting you to learn through pattern recognition alone, it provides simple vocabulary and grammar explanations. The user interface is quite basic, and there are several bugs with the voice recognition. However, even with the limited content available, it has received positive attention for thorough beginner content. If you’re looking for an introduction to Cantonese, this is a great free option.

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Accelerated Spanish Mini-Review: Learning Through Mnemonics

Accelerated Spanish

Rating 4.0
★★★★★
Price:

Freemium, Paid plans start at $87/mo

Summary

Accelerated Spanish is unique to other programs in that it emphasizes learning through mnemonic techniques, helping organize Spanish vocabulary in a ‘Memory Palace’ and fitting every word you learn into a natural sentence construct. The program itself consists of 12 free comprehensive beginner lessons in neutral Latin American Spanish, with quizzes, practice materials, flash cards, and a workbook. At the end of these lessons, there is an option to pay for more personalized content with their coaching program, which provides pronunciation feedback, assignment corrections, and custom lessons. The Coaching program will help you develop concrete goals, guiding you to expressing yourself like a native speaker, even if you do not yet have an extensive vocabulary. This may seem counterintuitive, but the program provides you with a strong enough foundation that you will be able to use Spanish to describe the words you have not yet learned. Accelerated Spanish is part of Master of Memory, which researches effective learning methods and sharing their discoveries with the world.

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Learn French With Alexa Mini-Review: Video Lessons and More

Learn French with Alexa

Rating 4.3
★★★★
★
★
Price:

Freemium, Premium subscriptions start at $35/mo

Summary

Subscribing to French With Alexa grants access to both audio and video lessons, quizzes, worksheets, and even live online French lessons where you can ask Alexa questions directly through a chat function. The program provides a course outline detailing 40 core lessons from levels zero to C2. Each core lesson has a number of supplementary videos and exercises to support them. Given the lack of interaction, you will probably need to supplement your studies with oral and written practice through language exchange or tutoring (check out iTalki and Langcorrect for some options!). Alexa’s approachable demeanor and decades of experience teaching French make her a good resource for those wanting a slightly more affordable alternative to in-person French classes. You can also check out her YouTube channel for some free content.

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Gymglish Mini Review: English Algorithm-Based Assessment

Gymglish

Rating 3.0
★★★★★
Price:

$ 43.00

Summary

Gymglish provides immersion-style English language education. Unlike most apps, which offer unlimited learning upon purchase, Gymglish delivers 15 minute lessons to your email, 4 times per week. During each lesson, the AI will assess and adjust your skill level based on your responses to the last 150 questions. The lessons are designed for individuals who have a basic grasp of the language, and can understand grammar explanations in English without translation. The daily lessons follow a humorous storyline, in addition to providing iconic songs or movie clips relevant to English (American) culture; they emphasize listening comprehension, grammar drills, new vocabulary, comics, and culturally-relevant videos. Unfortunately, with an exorbitant price tag and limited lessons per month, it’s more economical to experience the free trial and then look for an alternative resource.

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