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What makes a

language learning

software

EFFECTIVE ?

Increasingly more people decide to study a new language by

themselves, either as an addition to a language course at an

educational institution, or as a stand-alone learning method. One

popular learning aid is computerized language learning software.

This method allows the learner to decide on his or her own when,

what, how much and often even in which manner to study. Many

different products are offered, in book stores as well as online. Two

outstanding brands are “The Birkenbihl Approach” and “Instant

Immersion”.

Read more about the Birkenbihl language learning software here.

Brought to you by Birkenbihl-Sprachen Visit us: www.birkenbihl-sprachen.com

But what makes a language learning software

good?

How should you decide on which product to

use?

To make the decision easier, you should keep in mind some key features. In this

article, several factors are presented which should not be neglected when making a

purchase decision. Do not forget this checklist:

Beware of your level of knowledge

Make sure you chose the proper language learning course according to your

previous knowledge. Usually, different products for various learning stages are

offered. If you have previous knowledge, take an advanced course. If you feel very

uncomfortably, you may decide on the beginner´s course. Also your general

language learning abilities may be of interest. If you are able to learn new languages

quickly and without effort, you would probably feel more comfortable being

challenged.

Check the topics that are covered

If you already know most grammar points, rather chose a course covering mainly

listening comprehension or writing skills. The product decision should also reflect

your goal. If you desire to speak the foreign language, focus on speaking and

listening comprehension. On the other hand, if you ought to write documents in de

respective language, find a program that helps you to improve your writing skills.

Also, have a look at the content of the texts and dialogues. Many software programs

cover cultural aspects and geographic features of the country. However, there is also

content dealing with the history of the language or even completely different topics

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that have nothing to do with the language or the country and its people itself. If you

are interested in what the texts are about, learning will be easier!

Variety in exercises – interactive games, quizzes, movies,

stories

Usually, people prefer different exercises simply because it makes more fun. Many

digital courses today include fun quizzes, short movies, exciting games or

multimedia applications designed to remember vocabularies easily. Funny stories

often help to remember contexts and phrases and sentences quickly. The funnier or

even comical the association in your mind, the easier you will remember words,

phrases and grammar.

Make sure you can install the program on multiple

devices

Often, language learning software can only be installed on one computer. However,

today´s society is in constant rush and we need to have things available wherever

we go. Only some courses can be installed on multiple electronic devices. Make sure

you can save audio files on your ipod, games on your smartphone, the whole

program on your ipad. Furthermore, the learning progress should be updated on

each device, so that you have the possibility to work on the same lesson from

different devices without having to start over again.

The program should allow for personalization

This means, is there the opportunity to change the background colour to your

favoured one? Can you highlight phrases you do not understand at the moment?

Does the system allow you to stop and continue whenever you want to? Can you

control the speed of the dialogues? Is there the possibility to makes notes on parts of

the lesson or on specific exercises? That is a lot of questions. But they are crucial!

Everybody has his or her own learning style. This style should definitely be

supported by the program!

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The software should be updated automatically by the

supplier

Mostly this is not the case. However, technology allows suppliers to make minor

changes in the software so that you always learn with the latest version of the

software.

Aesthetic, modern design and graphics

Some people do not care about the design of the language program. But many do. I

you do not enjoy looking at it because it looks old-fashioned or because you do not

like the colours that are used, it will be harder for you to learn with the program. It

should be like “love at first sight”.

All in all, there are a lot of things you should consider. Several bad-quality language

learning software is offered. However, there are also some really recommendable

ones. One last tip: Some suppliers offer free testing of some courses! That is a good

way to find out if the software fits to your aim and to your language learning style.

You can find a trial version for the Birkenbihl Approach, for example. This language

learning software is very effective. Software is going to be renewed in some days, so

the design is even more modern and can be personalized to your desires. The

Birkenbihl Approach, in a nutshell, relies on the subconscious to learn languages

and thereby makes learning languages very easy!

If you wish to read more about this method, visit their website and check out the

language learning software. Various products to learn a new language are offered,

such as learning French for beginners or speaking Russian for beginners.

Read more about the Birkenbihl language learning software here.