I am a travel addict. In the past year, I have traveled by bus from Guatemala to Panama and back again, and have also gone by car from my home state to Washington and Missouri. I get restless when I'm in one place for too long.
This has caused me to relentlessly acquire new languages. I worked at a language academy for awhile. They taught English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Chinese. Teachers could sit in on group classes for free. I learned a little French and Italian there. I picked up a bit more from fellow travelers.
I also studied books out of the library once I returned home, and borrowed language tapes. However, the most effective source I found was LiveMocha.
This website offers free Rosetta Stone style classes, with the advantage of an online language community. There are native speakers of nine different languages available to correct your accent as you participate in optional online chats. You can start out in the beginner's class, or the more advanced class if you have a background in the language. Right now, they have classes in Italian, French, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, English, German, Hindi, Icelandic, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
Take the chance to fulfill one of your lifelong dreams of learning another language! I'm trying three different courses right now (French, Italian, and Mandarin). What will you try?
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