Foreign Languages: Learning Languages Online

If you can't take time off from work to immerse yourself in a culture to learn its language, online tutorials may bring you a step closer to fluency. Many are free and provide cultural pointers that help you understand the daily lives of foreign language speakers. A good way to find the best website for learning your language of choice is to visit an educational portal that links to sites specializing in it. From there, it's easy to surf the options and determine which one is right for you.

Looking for the popular favorite? Parlo has consistently received raves for its free tutorials and extra services. Focusing exclusively on English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, the site offers the high quality that dedicated students seek. Pages for each of its five languages offer news briefs as well as articles on culture and history, all marked Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced so that you don't feel either overwhelmed or under challenged. While the basic tutorials cost nothing, if you're willing to pay, you can participate in a more traditional classroom experience: a three-month subscription guarantees you homework assignments, tests, and a cyber tutor who will review your coursework and e-mail or chat with you about your progress.

Once you've mastered the basics at Parlo or another tutorial program, you can improve your language skills by tuning in to online radio stations around the globe. To find a broadcaster in your language of choice, just log onto a radio portal and browse the menu. And if you're desperate to decipher that introductory quotation to Brave New World but don't feel like learning French, type it into a translation site, press Translate, and voilá!