5 apps to learn new languages at home

Speaking more than one language is becoming an increasingly important skill in every industry. We bring you five apps that make learning a language is easy and convenient, as the lessons and instructions you need are always at your disposal. These are available on iOS and Android.

Bhasha Sangam: Ministry of Education, in collaboration with MyGov India, developed the Bhasha Sangam App. The app allows the user to learn at their own pace and in a way that’s tailored to their strengths and weaknesses. One can learn all the 22 official languages of India for free on this app.

Rosetta Stone: This interactive app combines contextual learning with external learning aspects like achieving perfect accent with real-time feedback on enunciation, focus on real-world situations rather than endless flashcards, etc. Even if you’re not connected to the internet, you have access to all the information and study material at all times to learn 24 languages, making the app very accessible.

Busuu: The name of the app is derived from the Cameroonian language Busuu, which is in danger of extinction. This language, spoken by only eight people worldwide, inspired the app’s name and logo. In addition to entire courses in over a dozen international languages, the app offers users the opportunity to learn the endangered Cameroonian language. It also provides self-paced study and live lessons with experts.

Duolingo: The app offers courses in over 36 international languages and it does not require you to sign up to access the courses. The concept the app uses is that a translation is coupled with graphics and text, which is to be then manually translated back into the chosen language to help the user remember the new words. Additionally, the app enables users to learn new languages while playing games.

Language Curry: The platform specialises in teaching regional Indian languages. It offers Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Sanskrit, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Bengali courses. With its cultural recommendations and transliteration, it is one of the few apps that goes beyond simple translation or script-based instruction.