Seeking Online Resources for Learning a New Language.

p0sitron_col1dr

I spoke with someone from Cisco Talos a couple of months ago who advised they often have a need for employees that can read/speak in several languages. Additionally, seeking to learn another language will hopefully break up the monotony in 2020 as I have several certification goals I anticipate completing. I have done research online and many of reviews for various services are either great or poor. Therefore, I would like input from those who have actually used an online resource (that's cost-effective) to effectively learn another language. At this point, I am focusing on Russian and Hebrew. Thank you for the valuable input.

LordQarlyn

Hey congrats on deciding to take up a new language. Learning new languages goes beyond being merely multilingual, studies show that it actually helps our brains process and think better. After I completed my MBA and while I was still in "school mode" I enrolled at my local community college for Chinese 101, which was for the spoken part Mandarin (all dialects of Chinese use the same writing). The idea being with a business degree I would be employed in part of the growing trade with China.

Really though, the best method I can recommend to you is immersion, you simply have to practice, practice, and practice. Did I mention you need to practice? What helped me retain and improve was immersing myself with other Chinese speakers. Aside from practicing in the classroom, I would practice at local Chinese restaurants - assuming they spoke Mandarin and not Cantonese in which case I practiced my writing skills. Barring that, I signed up for Chinese chat programs and practice in that regard, often as an exchange, the person on the other end wants to learn English, I want to improve my Chinese so we did quid pro quo.

There are plenty of basic resources online for learning just about any language. They are a good supplement but the best for you is to use them as a springboard and get involved with any local speakers if any in your area. If you want to learn Russian, there's VK for you it's the Russian equivalent of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and it lets you send and receive voice messages. I am sure you will find Russians wanting to improve their English and in exchange will help you learn Russian. On a side bar, I've been listening to Russian and Ukraine pop music, so much so that I've become decent at reading the Cyrillic alphabet. Anyway, for Hebrew, again the same thing, if you can find local speakers to practice, that's wonderful, if not, the best online resource is other Hebrew speakers. I am very sure there are chat rooms, Facebook groups, or even Israeli chat apps that can connect you with Israelis.

Good luck and have a blast learning.

TechnicalJay

LordQarlyn said:

Hey congrats on deciding to take up a new language. Learning new languages goes beyond being merely multilingual, studies show that it actually helps our brains process and think better. After I completed my MBA and while I was still in "school mode" I enrolled at my local community college for Chinese 101, which was for the spoken part Mandarin (all dialects of Chinese use the same writing). The idea being with a business degree I would be employed in part of the growing trade with China.

Really though, the best method I can recommend to you is immersion, you simply have to practice, practice, and practice. Did I mention you need to practice? What helped me retain and improve was immersing myself with other Chinese speakers. Aside from practicing in the classroom, I would practice at local Chinese restaurants - assuming they spoke Mandarin and not Cantonese in which case I practiced my writing skills. Barring that, I signed up for Chinese chat programs and practice in that regard, often as an exchange, the person on the other end wants to learn English, I want to improve my Chinese so we did quid pro quo.

There are plenty of basic resources online for learning just about any language. They are a good supplement but the best for you is to use them as a springboard and get involved with any local speakers if any in your area. If you want to learn Russian, there's VK for you it's the Russian equivalent of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and it lets you send and receive voice messages. I am sure you will find Russians wanting to improve their English and in exchange will help you learn Russian. On a side bar, I've been listening to Russian and Ukraine pop music, so much so that I've become decent at reading the Cyrillic alphabet. Anyway, for Hebrew, again the same thing, if you can find local speakers to practice, that's wonderful, if not, the best online resource is other Hebrew speakers. I am very sure there are chat rooms, Facebook groups, or even Israeli chat apps that can connect you with Israelis.

Good luck and have a blast learning.

What a long useless post. You didn't mention one resource.

I found the best resources were duolingo and Busuu which are both online and apps for your phone. 

nisti2

Try Duolingo also Youtube is a great way to learn new languages. 
There is another option to go to meetups where you can share and practice.

Good luck!  

LordQarlyn

TechnicalJay said:

What a long useless post. You didn't mention one resource.

I found the best resources were duolingo and Busuu which are both online and apps for your phone. 

That's because learning a language online is like trying to learn a sport online lol. Both require getting out and doing it to really learn it. I simply recommended he does do, even if meeting a native speaker online willing to teach.

byron66

I use Pimsleur. Instead of buying it from their website, you can buy the language course of your choice from audible. That way you can avoid the high cost or monthly subscription. 
For vocabulary flashcards I use Anki. A great resource for memorization.
Find a show on Netflix in your desired language that you like. Watch it with subtitles, study the words you see often then watch it without subtitles. After you get that down watch it with subs in that language for reading practice.
Find a podcast and music for passive listening.  
Duolingo and Lingodeer are the phone apps I use.
After finishing a language course like Pimsleur find a tutor on Italki.com. I highly recommend this site.
Join a meetup.com group in your area. There's usually one around studying the same language as you and if not start one. 
Join a subreddit in target language. There are people always dropping great resources. 

p0sitron_col1dr

Thank you everyone for your insight. After reviewing the posts, as well as conversing with several people who are both in a technology-related field and outside my field (e.g. medical professionals, academia, and so on); I'm going to start with Duolingo, as well as take into account the Meetup option for now and see how well I progress. What a wealth of information from "byron66." I've saved your list of recommendations.

powerfool

Pimsleur until you get through unit 3, period