There is a myriad of benefits to learning a new language… the obvious being your ability to communicate when traveling in a foreign country, which in turn, opens you up to new worlds and new cultures. But it’s the long-term benefits that make this mental exercise an attractive consideration for your daily regimen.
Studies have found that learning a new language can improve your all-around cognitive ability, making you better at storing and processing new information, jumping from subject to subject, and multi-tasking. It may even help you master your own native tongue. Here are some of our favorite language learning tools.
Michel Thomas Method
This is the perfect course to give you a basic understanding in the shortest amount of time. The Michel Thomas Method is focused on removing stress and tension from the learning environment. It works in concert with the way your brain prefers to receive, store and then retrieve information, so you can assimilate easily, and you don’t forget.
Pimsleur
Pimsleur leverages ‘Graduated Interval Recall’ to help you learn and retain a new language. This is based on a principle that states, “if learners are reminded of new words at gradually increasing intervals, each time they will remember longer than the time before.”
Babbel
Babbel is a subscription-based language learning app and e-learning platform, that claims to be “The shortest path to a real-life conversation.” They teach skills you can use right away, enabling deep immersion and more confidence to interact with native speakers.
Duolingo
Duolingo is a platform that includes a language-learning website and app, as well as a digital language proficiency assessment exam. A good vocabulary builder for early-stage learners, the app and the website are free.
Actively learning a new language provides the mental gymnastics you need to future-proof your brain and stay sharp well into your retirement years. So, let’s get started!