Learning Languages Online for Seniors

There are plenty of reasons for aging adults to learn a new language:

a. You have the financial means and the leisure time to travel and you want to converse with the locals in their native tongue.
b. Like a brain game, learning a new language sharpens your cognitive skills, which can help to fight dementia.
c. You might be a descendant of immigrants and want to reconnect with a lost past linguistically.

Luckily for seniors who are interested in picking up new language skills, there are plenty of resources available to help you out. While you can take a course at a local school, technology has provided us with the opportunity to learn new linguistic skills from the comfort of our own homes. A recent New York Times article, “the Web Way to Learn a Language” explains the trend:

With the growth of broadband connectivity and social networks, companies have introduced a wide range of Internet-based language learning products, both free and fee-based, that allow students to interact in real time with instructors in other countries, gain access to their lesson plans wherever they are in the world, and communicate with like-minded virtual pen pals who are also trying to remember if bambino means
baby.

There are various programs on the web, some of which require a membership fee, others of which are free. They each have their individual benefits for your unique educational goals. Here are a few of our favorites:

RosettaStone – The best-known language program allows you to converse with native speakers (tutors) in realtime. The colored flash card system speaks to the needs of seniors, as it enables them to differentiate between words with color categorizations.

LiveMocha – With LiveMocha, you can start off learning a language for free and then eventually pay a membership fee and upgrade to advanced course. Includes an interactive social network, which allows you to make new personal connections while learning a new language.

The British Broadcasting Corporation – This learning tool, courtesy of the BBC, is free and provides instructions and translation services in 36 different languages.

If you have had any success with a particular online language course, send us an email and let us know. We would love to hear about your experience!

The Web Way to Learn a Language – (The New York Times)