How can we help?
Didn't find what you were looking for?
New post2 comments
-
I see this request a lot in the forums, and while I like learning languages myself, I just don't think foreign language is something KA could implement. This is coming from someone who is already multilingual. For one thing, learning a language isn't always easy. Teaching it isn't any easier. I'm a student TA and I help teach other students Japanese (one of the most difficult languages to learn apparently), and there's just some things a physical classroom offers that an online course can't.
KA could include audio and videos of a native speaker for whatever language you want to learn, but it's not the same as hearing it in person and actually building skills from having a conversation with another person. (Can you talk to a computer? I guess.)
You could say something into a microphone and the computer will say your pronunciation is correct, but a software can only be programmed to such an extent for it to identify what MIGHT be the correct way to pronounce it.
People learn languages better when it's face-to-face with someone who knows, like actually knows, the basics. They can tell you if your pronunciation is off and can give you pointers on the speech structure and regional influences (e.g. the word 'chopsticks' can be interpreted as 'bridge' in various regions of Japan.)
There's just a lot of things that KA needs to consider (especially in the way that subjects are taught here) if they want to implement language courses. The most reliable languages classes (online or physical) are expensive, so I understand your desire to be able to learn a language without any costs. Unless if KA can do it right, the mobile app Duolingo is probably the most reliable source to use if you want to learn a new language, and it's free too.
Please sign in to leave a comment.