Language Lifelines 4 Top Sources for Language Learning Support Online

Language Lifelines 4 Top Sources for Language Learning Support Online Language Lifelines: 4 Top Sources for Language Learning Support Online No language learner is an island.We all need others to succeed.But who are these others, and how do we find them?Its easy. You wont need a ship, a plane or even a phone.As long as you have an internet connection, there are tons of online resources you can use to find educators, native speakers and other people who can help you in your learning process.This post will show you the different online oases for language learners. Youll discover what resources are available, how to use them and who youll encounter with them.But before we explore those resources, let’s get to four important points we need to bear in mind when we ask others for language help online. 4 Points  to Remember  When Asking for Language Help Online1. Make the first move and say, “hi!”Help often goes to  those bold enough to ask for it.Nobody knows what language troubles or questions are percolating in your mind. You have to make it known to others before they can do something about it. And this process often starts with  a simple hi!Online, as in real life, somebody has got to make the first move or no social interaction would ever happen. So make it your personal philosophy to open the communication lines. (You’re the one who needs something!) Make others know that you exist and give yourself the space to ask for help.Nobody’s going to be tapping on your virtual shoulder asking, “can I help you with anything?” No, it’s your job to come out and say, “hi! can you please help me with this?”A single “hi!” can open a floodgate of support your way and you’ll never regret you said it.2. Reach out to lots of peopleA lot of things in life involve  a numbers game, from elections to sports to dating.Getting language help  is a numbers game as well. You have to contact lots of people (especially when you’re in a hurry to get help) to maximize the chances that someone will respond. If you only reach out to one person, and  the email address or username  you’re contacting is no longer in use, or theyre too busy to read your email, youll be out of luck.Plus, in many cases you may get a response, but with an  opinion or just part of an answer. You’d want to have many responses, different points of views and approaches to your problem so you can benefit from all of them. They’ll help you see the bigger picture.There’s strength in numbers and this will become apparent when you’re looking for support online.3. Courtesy goes a long, long wayWell, being rude and crass also goes a long wayâ€"but in the opposite direction.When asking for help online, the same rules apply as when you’re doing it face-to-face. Civility and courtesy open others up and make them want to go out of their way to help you. Be breezy, peppering your communications with magic words like “please” and “thanks.”Don’t be demanding  or betray a sense of entitlement for the help. You’ll turn off many potential allies.And when you do get a response from someone, let him or her know that you’re grateful for their time. Be appreciative of what you get, and you’ll get more.4. Ask yourself, “what can I do for the other guy?”You’re not the only one who needs help in this world. We all do! And you might hold the answer to some issue another person is struggling with.It may have nothing to do with language at all, but if there’s something, anything you can do to extend assistance to another, do it. Many say it’s good karma, but karma or not, you’ll make the online world a better place.And beyond that, reciprocity is really significant. Reciprocity helps create a  cycle of generosity, where you extend help and get helped in return. Your question that gets answered today won’t be the last language issue you’ll need help with. There will be a host of other issues and nuances youll tackle that may  require the input of native speakers, tutors or language partners.You don’t want to be the person who took and never gave back. You’ll easily forfeit future chances of asking for assistance. Instead, be an active member of a language learning community, fielding questions you know answers to and adding to the work of others. You’ll be a valuable member of that community and any time you ask for help, those people who’ve already experienced your kindness will go out of their way to extend theirs.Speaking of language learning communities, let’s now look at some of the best places online where you can go and ask for some  guidance.Language Lifelines: 4 Top Sources for Language Learning Support Online1. Language learning communities/forumsCommunication in online language learning communities/forums is usually in written format, via a post and/or message thread. You may have to wait for somebody to read your post and address your query. (Thus, the wisdom of reaching out to as many people and forums as possible.)Because of the nature of the communication, try to be as complete as possible in your post. Don’t just ask q uestions, ask follow-up questions too. Also, furnish details so that the people responding can have a clear understanding of what exactly you’re looking for. And as always, be appreciative of what you get. This may open a longstanding conversation where the whole community is psyched to help you out.Here are two of the learning communities you can check out:Fluent In 3 MonthsBenny Lewis, a polyglot, the guy behind the blog, has built up  a respectable community of learners who are often eager to address  language questions.Go to the blog’s main page and click “Forum” on the upper right hand corner of your screen. Two of the sections you might  be interested in are  â€œSpecific language questions” and “Ask Benny.” In the first, you can post queries involving grammar and usage. The second one is for language learning questions that you can address directly to the guy behind one of the biggest language learning blogs. As somebody who has always been on the road to learnin g a new language, he can suggest a technique  or two for you.(And if youre terrified of speaking in your target language, scroll down to the “Social skydiving” part of the forum. Here you’ll get plenty of encouragement to help you overcome that fear and anxiety of making very public language mistakes.)WordReferenceYou won’t be faulted for thinking that the site is only good as an online dictionary or translation tool. But click on “Language Forums” in the upper left hand corner of your screen, and you’ll be brought to a host of discussion boards that cover a wide range of individual languages and language pairings (such as Spanish-English).These forums are serious about the nuances of grammar and vocabulary. So if your question is about translations, terms and word usage, posting it here could spark a healthy discussion that would benefit not only you but also the other readers of the thread.When posting, remember to include in your post title the exact word or phrase that you need help with. Ask about only one topic per thread. If you would like to ask a different question, start a new thread. The discussion in the threads should only be limited to the word or phrase mentioned in the title.What if you post and nobody answers your questions? Well, dont fret. First, add more information and context to your question (if you think its warranted). This would help others to help you. Second, if still that doesnt get a response, click on the Report button at the bottom of your post and ask for moderator assistance.2. Language exchange sitesLanguage exchange sites are places on the web where language learners congregate to help one another  out. Sometimes the process involves monetary exchange, in the case of tutors and teachers, and sometimes it involves language exchange, where you trade knowledge of your mother tongue for another’s. Unlike the previous section where the written format is the norm, interactions in language exchange sites  usually ta ke place over video call, often via Skype.Youll meet different kinds of characters in these language exchange sites:Teacher/Tutor. You pay for lessons from both, but the difference between a teacher and a tutor  is the qualification. A teacher is often a certified professional who teaches the target language even outside the web environment. They may have teaching experience in classrooms and have studied to become a teacher.A tutor has a little less teaching experience and would usually cost less. He or she may have a different day job and is tutoring on the side. He or she may be a native speaker and could teach a lot of the practical nuances of  the target  language.Native speakers. Native speakers are the people who speak your target language as their first language. You may find that many  native speakers who are interested in language exchanges are happy to help you just because they can. They’ll be generous with their time, talk to you over Skype and try to help you out wit h your struggles.Remember that theyre volunteering their time, so you wont be able to schedule conversations whenever you like. Conversations  also tend to be  unstructured and freewheeling.Language exchange partner. Let’s say your first language is English and you want to learn Japanese. Your language exchange partner would  be a Japanese speaker  who wants to learn English. Essentially, you trade English help for Japanese help. So there will be times when you walk your partner through English, and there will moments when your partner will correct your Japanese.Fellow language learners. You should not miss out on reaching out to fellow language learners. They can teach you a thing or two about dealing with languages. The ideal person to talk to is someone whos also studying your target language.And better yet if you find others who are a little bit more advanced than you, because they can demonstrate  how they  went about tackling certain elements of the language, give you tips t hat worked for them  and point you to resources you may have missed.Here are  three language exchange sites that you  can check out:italkiThe exchange site italki gives you almost total control of the kind of language exchange experience that you want. There are plenty of choices there. You can have your pick of seasoned teachers, gifted tutors or engaging native speakers.Scroll down to the “Lessons” section and choose between “Professional Teachers” and “Community Tutors.” Or, if you want a “Language Exchange,” look for it under the “Community” section. You can then filter your options by choosing your language educator or partners  experience, availability, rates, whether they have trial lessons or whether they have audio or video introductions.Easy Language ExchangeWith Easy Language Exchange, you get support from start to finishâ€"that is, from initially looking for your ideal language exchange partner, to the actual process of interacting with him or her.ELE has a “Working Together” section where you can post your questions to the communityâ€"whether it’s a translation or some point of grammar, you can make it known there. ELE also has an inspirational blog that keeps you informed as well as keeps your spirits upâ€"for those nights when learning a whole new language feels next to impossible.ELE helps you every step of the way. Afraid that you’re going to run out of things to say to your partner? Read this post from ELE so you can keep the interaction going.Conversation ExchangeThe interface is very basic, which also makes it easy to navigate.On the Conversation Exchange  home page, youll have to choose if you want a “penpal” or a “chat partner.” Hit any of these buttons and youll be taken to a  search page where you can browse through the profiles of members containing basic information like gender, age and location, even their hobbies and interests. There’s also a short intro and picture to give you a better feel for your potential language partner.As always, reach out to several people so that you can have your choice of language partners that suit your personality and language requirements.3. Question and answer sitesQuestion and answer sites are community-driven places where users can post a host of questionsâ€"which can then be answered by other users. Essentially,  its a place where the answers to your questions, language-related or otherwise, are crowdsourced.Question and answer sites make use of the wisdom of other users. And this is both a boon and a bane. It’s positive  because youre getting answers from a large pool of folks, but it can also be problematic as anyone can post an answer to your query, regardless of his or her qualifications.Thats why you should always take the info you get from these sites  with a healthy grain of salt. Its better  if you ask subjective questions such as,  â€œwhich German language course in the market would you recommend?” Reserve fact-related and g rammar-related language questions for learning communities and strictly moderated forums like those on WordReference.Here are two question and answer sites you can use for language learning:Yahoo AnswersThis is a very famous question and answer  site from the once mighty Yahoo. Again, take what you read from it with a grain of salt. Not everything written there is correct, even those tagged as the “Best Answer.” But ask an opinion question, and you can be sure that plenty of people will make their thoughts known.QuoraThis  site is geared toward a more mature audience and more in-depth queries. Quora  has attracted many knowledgeable experts in different fields and Quora is probably where most witty, academically-inclined native speakers are. Used properly, the site can also function as a review hub for insights on the many different language products marketed online.You can sign in through your Gmail or Facebook account. The first time you log in, youll be asked to set up your a ccount and pick your topics of interest from a given list. Scroll down and choose language and your target language. This will make it easier for Quora to feed you questions you might be interested in.Continuing on to the next page, youll be asked to choose topics that you know about and  can help others with. Moving on from that page, youll land on your home page where you can ask  your first question.Type anything in the search box and, before youve even finished your question, Quora will suggest  past questions that are similar to the one youre constructing. Because, who knows, your question might have already been asked and answered! If it hasnt been, you can submit your question (which you can do anonymously by ticking a box on the upper-right side of the page). You can also choose to add more details to your question if you like.Hit Submit Question and let the midnight elves behind Quora get to work.4. Government-related language organizationsNational governments not only prot ect their citizens, but they also have the noble function of promoting their language and culture around the world. They often have an educational arm that provides a significant leg up to those who express a willingness to learn their language, including scholarships and opportunities to study abroad. Check them out to see what they have to offer in terms of content and opportunities for study.Some of the  most well-known of  these organizations are:British CouncilThe British Council works in over 100 countries to promote international and intercultural cooperation through the English language.Instituto CervantesNamed after Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote,  Instituto Cervantes’ mission is to promote Spanish as a second language, opening up opportunities for the study and use of the language in countries the world over.Goethe InstitutGermany’s version includes forums and tutorials, as well as language learning resources organized by categories such as German at wo rk.Alliance FrançaiseThe Alliance Francaise  has more than 100 years of experience spreading the French language around the world, and is passionate about educating  the teachers who will in turn become ambassadors of the language.Istituto Italiano di CulturaThis institute supports education in Italian through language courses, cultural events and more.Now, with all of the resources  for language learning that have been presented here, you can feel supported in  pushing forward in your  language learning journey. Yes, even on those nights when acquiring the language may seem a lost cause. I encourage you to have at it.Don’t lose motivation, plenty of help is on the way.Good luck! And One More ThingSometimes support comes in the form of resources.And FluentU is here to give you all the resources you need!FluentU takes real world videos and turns them into personalized language lessons.We have a wide variety of videos, like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse ScreenFluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive TranscriptsYou can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.