One of the best ways to learn a new language is through immersion in the context where it is (natively) spoken. With web technologies, immersion becomes even easier and more accessible and can be done right from the comforts of one’s own couch. Immersive language learning is all about “learning a new language in the most natural way possible”. In today’s post, I am sharing with this collection of Chrome extensions that helps you do exactly that. These are tools that enable you to learn a new language while browsing the web.
1- Fluent
Fluent uses an interesting concept in language learning. Once installed it automatically picks words on a webpage and translate them into target language. You can hover over the translated words to see the original version in English. Fluent supports French, Spanish, and Italian. It also offers other interesting features which allow users to track their learning progress, listen to pronunciation of translated words, see gender of nouns and adjectives and many more.
2- Toucan
Another cool Chrome extension that lets you learn new languages by simply browsing the net. Here is how it works: “When you visit a website, Toucan automatically translates certain words and phrases on the page into the language you’re trying to learn. That way, you can learn words in your new language within the context of a language you’re already comfortable with. ” Toucan supports the following languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, German, Korean, Italian, Arabic, Chinese, French, Hindi, Hebrew, Portuguese, and Hindi.
Readlang is an e-reader designed specifically for language learners. With a single click you can translate words and web pages to the language you are learning. Readlang remembers translated words and creates flashcards to help you memorise them. Also, Readlang lets you import plain text version of webpages to read and translate on a clutter free interface. You can even export all of your words to other learning tools such as Quizlet.
A language learning list without Google Dictionary is definitely lacking. This is by far one the best tools for contextual and immersive language learning. Once installed it works like a breeze. Simply double click on a word to access its definition. You can also select the language of your choice to have foreign words translated to it. Google Dictionary keeps a history of all your word searches which you can download in CSV format.
