Options are plentiful when it comes to learning a foreign language online. Though most college educators may suggest a student enroll in a school, there are programs, platforms and software outside of a formal classroom that can help a student learn a second language.
When students learn a language online, they are learning a culture, says Chloe Huh Prudente, assistant director for language learning services in the Student Success Center at Temple University in Pennsylvania. “Even when someone is not trying to be a language professor or language professional, there are different ways to hone your skills and use that language in professional settings.”
Gonzalo Baptista, associate professor of Spanish at Morgan State University in Maryland, says there are career advantages to learning a second language.
“Bilingual candidates get a higher salary compared to monolingual candidates,” he says. “So it’s always a benefit for them to be able to communicate and expand their knowledge.”
According to a 2024 survey by Preply, an online language-learning platform, workers in the most populous U.S. cities who spoke multiple languages earned 19% more than employees who spoke only one language. And 40% said their multiple-language skills helped them land their job.
College Programs
With advances in online learning, schedules and cost are less often barriers for those wanting to learn a new language, experts say. Students can find different college programs across the U.S. that can be tailored to learning needs and can earn a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree in a foreign language online.
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Like many schools, Temple offers specialized certificates to accommodate professional careers, like the Spanish for Health Professionals Certificate for nursing students who will be working with patients whose first language is Spanish.
The accelerated Summer Language Workshop at Indiana University–Bloomington offers a selection of languages, from Croatian and Serbian to Uzbek and Vietnamese.
Though there is a tuition cost, there are funding options for undergraduate students, according to Chris Foley, associate vice president and director of Indiana University–Online.
Foley participated in the summer workshop’s Russian course while a student at the University of Arkansas years ago. He says the program aims to make foreign language study available to “people who can’t come to campus or devote an entire summer to learning” and helps meet the needs of learners in the 21st century.
IU also offers online degrees and certificates in Spanish, French and German.
Morgan State has the iPal Program, a virtual exchange for university students where foreign language is a key component as they communicate with global peers at least once a week during each semester.
“Professors here prompt their students to speak English, and on the other side we are eager to invite our students to speak in Spanish with other people,” Baptista says.
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Learning Platforms and Apps
Duolingo, Babbel and Rosetta Stone are popular platforms for those seeking to learn a foreign lnguage.
Duolingo offers more than 30 languages and allows learners to follow a course and track their learning. Babbel is software-based e-learning that requires a subscription and emphasizes grammar and vocabulary in learning numerous foreign languages.
Rosetta Stone, meanwhile, has an immersive computer-assisted method that uses images and audio to replicate classroom learning.
All three platforms have free or trial versions. Their regular prices vary from about $10 a month to more than $100 a year, with a larger one-time flat fee for an unlimited subscription to Babbel or Rosetta Stone.
When choosing a program, students and families should first search for a human component, Prudente says.
“There are apps that can provide conversation practice versus apps that kind of produce spaces for learning a language for the first time,” she says.
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Other Resources to Learn a Foreign Language
Some noncollege online language programs use other approaches and often are free.
Memrise, for example, uses a flashcard approach. Students who opt for Memrise Pro rather than the free basic service can pay about $60 a month, or more for annual and lifetime subscriptions. Memrise officially offers more than 20 languages, though a user community has created others.
Quizlet, which also uses flashcards along with seven other instructional methods, has an audio text-to-speech feature in 18 languages. The program has limited free usage and paid options that cost about $8 a month or about $36 a year.
Mondly, another program, is similar to Duolingo and has 41 language options. It has a free option, or you can pay about $12 a month or about $48 a year for the premium plan — and more for lifetime access.
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How to Study a Foreign Language Online originally appeared on usnews.com