Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Are there any other apps / methods that you can recommend as good examples of how to learn a language? I'm trying to learn Lithuanian (GF), and there is very little material available, so I'm looking to build something myself.



Play narrative-heavy computer games that are translated into Lithuanian. I did this to supplement other methods I used while living in Poland. The Diablos were especially well-localized. Bonus is, it teaches you all kinds of obscure words and expressions that even native speakers sometimes aren't familiar with.


Podcast-focused services like Popup Chinese and ChinesePod get results.

http://popupchinese.com/

Steve Kaufmann's product is one of the very few that supports actual reading. His Youtube channel is also excellent.

http://www.lingq.com/

Oh, and AllSetLearning picture book reader is definitely worth downloading! They also have a good pinyin app.

http://www.allsetlearning.com/products/chinese-picture-book-...

That said, if your goal is learning Lithuanian rather than product building, you don't need an app. You need books and audio. For an overview of how to use them, try reading Barry Farber's How to Learn Any Language. Here's my own summary and results using his strategies: http://toshuo.com/2007/learn-a-language-by-taking-advantage-...

Disclosure: I'm friends with John from ASL and Dave from Popup, but my recommendation is genuine. The reason we became friends was our mutual interest in Chinese and blogging about our language learning years ago, before there were many others doing so.




Consider applying for YC's Spring batch! Applications are open till Feb 11.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: