Study a Foreign Language Online
Learning a foreign language isn't easy, but the flexibility of online learning could help simplify the process.
While students can earn an online degree or certificate from different colleges and universities, online software like Rosetta Stone and free apps like Duolingo are also popular.
In general, many online programs, especially those that are free, don't allow for much speaking practice of learning a language, experts say. Still, they typically allow students to take classes from any location and even balance a job and an education.
With so many available options, students should first consider which type of class or program will most help them achieve their goals at the best price.
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Free Online Programs
There are a variety of free programs online, including some massive open online courses, or MOOCs, that allow online students to learn a foreign language, or at least the basics. The website Instreamia, for example, offers MOOCs that include videos, quizzes and interactive activities.
Another option is Duolingo, a self-paced online course where users can earn points and advance to higher levels as they progress.
Gina Gotthilf, the company's head of marketing and international growth, says that while Duolingo doesn't necessarily involve interaction with an instructor or other students, it enables you to learn at no cost and at any time of the day in small pieces.
"You can't beat a having a tutor, but it's not cheap," Gotthilf says.
Beyond Duolingo, numerous other examples of free online language programs exist. For learning Spanish, students can try Notes in Spanish -- which offers free audio and work sheets at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels -- as well as Online Free Spanish, which uses interactive activities, lessons and resources to teach students the basics.
There's usually a key difference between free programs and those that cost money, says Matt Chan, vice president of marketing for Rosetta Stone's global enterprise and education division. Many free programs primarily focus on translation exercises without much interaction with a professor, which you are more likely to find in programs like Rosetta Stone or in classes offered at colleges and universities.
Programs That Cost Money
There are also a range of programs offered online that do have a cost and that don't necessarily provide an academic credential. In exchange for paying, in other words, these might involve more advanced lessons or perhaps greater interactivity.
An example is Fluencia, which provides 15 Spanish lessons for free and then charges $7 to $15 for either monthly, yearly or twice-yearly lessons. Similarly, the online program Babbel offers free options, while full access requires payment.
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Among one of the oldest and most common examples of online language software is Rosetta Stone, which is available for both online learners as well as for K-12 and college instructors.
Using speech recognition technology, Rosetta Stone aims to help learners actually communicate as opposed to only completing simple drills or translation exercises, Chan says. You can work with a live tutor and other students who are at the same point in the program as you are, and also practice the language through games and activities.
Programs in various languages, from Spanish to Swedish to Filipino, range depending on the length of the program. But for a 12-month period, most cost a few hundred dollars.
Courses at Colleges and Universities
Another option is to pay to take a course or two at a college or university for credit. Carnegie Mellon University offers online courses in Spanish, Chinese and French that can ultimately be equivalent to two semesters of university study. Students can communicate with their instructors through Skype, face-to-face or email, according to the website.
Oregon State University's Ecampus offers classes in various languages as well, including Hebrew, Arabic and Chinese, on top of offering bachelor's degrees in German and Spanish. The cost for undergraduate courses is $271 a credit.
Lisa Templeton, executive director of OSU's Ecampus, said in an email that the online program can enable students at both OSU and elsewhere to fulfill language requirements.
Certificates and Degrees
The final option is to earn a certificate or degree.
The University of Wisconsin--Green Bay offers a seven-course certificate program, which can range from $2,100 to $3,000 depending on how much experience you have.
[Find out how to convince an employer to pay for an online degree.]
A certificate from the school typically attracts learners who have already earned college degrees but want to enhance their resume, communicate with Spanish employees in the workplace or fulfill personal enrichment.
Anneliese Waggoner, 73, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, is a retired teacher who enrolled in the Green Bay program online. Interactive textbooks, exercises and video clips, among other features, made the class particularly interactive for her, and the Saturday morning face-to-face lessons were crucial to practicing communication, she says.
"If I just did a free online course, it's very open-ended," Waggoner says. "I think I felt that the certificate gave me a goal that I wanted to achieve."
Other schools in addition to OSU offer online degrees in foreign languages. New Mexico State University and Arizona State, for instance, offer master's and bachelor's degrees, respectively, in Spanish. Students can expect to pay several hundred dollars per credit.
The master's degree program at New Mexico State primarily attracts teachers who want to earn a master's degree to advance their careers.
"I think the biggest advantage is that it lets students have the opportunity to continue their education without having to quit their normal everyday schedule," says Jeff Longwell, director of the online master's program in Spanish at NMSU. "Most of our students are professionals."
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