Paid Online Language Courses - Which is Best for You?

Paid online language courses are booming because of "globalization". There's a lot of companies offering great ways to learn, but make sure you know what you're getting. Read on to find out which online language course best suits your taste.

Live Mocha
http://www.livemocha.com/

It's an interactive paid online language course, not a CD-ROM like Rosetta Stone. You can practice with a native speaker. You will most certainly love the fact that you can at first choose to study the language for free, and then if you want, you can upgrade. You have to register (it's free) as a member first. Livemocha.com boasts of more than 35 languages to learn. Unfortunately when I signed up, it took them forever to send the confirmation link through email.

As as a registered member, you get access to a community, set up your own special profile, or enroll in the [Language] Plus, which is basically the paid upgrade of your course. You can also earn points that translate into medals the better you get and the more contributions you make to the Livemocha community. At first when I was led to the profile section I couldn't quite figure out how I can avail of the free Beginner/Intermediate course before I consider an upgrade. I saw the link on the bottom of the Home page that says "Learn French" and that kicked it off. Oh well. It's interesting to note that even though Livemocha.com says it is purely online study, you still need to download some materials such as audio, video, and pdf rom them if you want to keep your lessons.

Mango Languages
http://www.mangolanguages.com/

Every paid online language course takes pride in letting everybody know that their teaching method is the easiest way to learn another language. Mangolanguages.com teaches only 12, but they claim "it's so easy to use, you'll see incredible results after just one lesson!" Mango specifically caters to libraries as a languare resource. Just like Livemocha, you have to sign up to get your own account. But if you want to try a Mango sample course, you can simply click on a particular language and the Start Course button. A new window will pop up, like a Media Player. This will show about 100 courses but guess what? Since it's only a sample course, you only get to try Lesson 1. This lesson teaches only the very basic greeting terms and sentences.

The lesson control panel comes with media controls such as volume, keyboard control, and play modes. As you go through the lesson, you'll get explanations on particular sentences and grammar. If it's likely that your local library has Mangolanguages.com resource, you should take advantage of it. The New York Public Library rated Mango as the Best of Reference when it comes to online language courses.

Loquella
http://www.loquella.com/

With Loquella.com, you know exactly what you're getting. You basically check out their sample course right on their website. Lesson 1 only, just like Mango, and then you can start subscribing for $12 a month to get full access to all the languages and levels. Also, you can download the lessons on your iPod or MP3 player: Twelve hour lessons only $49 - $59 each. It appears Loquella.com can be a convenient way to learn a new language by toting it along with your mobile device, but they only have three languages being offered this time: Spanish, French, and Chinese (and/or Mandarin). It's a good supplement but the paid online language courses offered are very limited.

Rosetta Stone
http://www.rosettastone.com/

Why do online companies always need to ask for your email address before you can access their stuff? Rosettastone.com is no exception. I fully understand this, but if you hate spam you should really have a "special email" just meant for signing up in online stores and receiving junk emails.

Rosetta Stone lets you see through their demo how their method works. I don't know why everybody says their method is the best among all paid online language courses, but I've tried them before, and I can say it's a pretty slow and "elementary" way to learn. They use a lot of pictures so if you're not very gifted in learning a new language, this is a great way to start. Rosetta Stone is quite an expensive language package. This is the reason why, it's better to get a Rosettastone language course at your local library than to buy it yourself. Then again, if you own it, you can pass it on to a friend who wishes to learn as well. In the Test Drive tab of Rosettastone.com's homepage, you can check out the demo when you pick a language, and then buy. Then you see a bunch of words interspersed with one another on the drop down list. Rosetta Stone should really consider fixing this up. Good thing they have a Site Feedback that will help customers contact them for site, installation nd download problems as well as troubleshooting.

Verbal Planet
http://www.verbalplanet.com/

The first thing I thought upon watching the Demo of Verbalplanet.com was they would show me how their method works. Instead, they showed me how they are different from the rest of other paid online language courses. There's no catch, because they actually let you talk with other language learners and tutors worldwide. The lessons are tailored to your capability, it's a one-on-one method of study, and there's a live conversation involved.

To learn from Verbalplanet.com's language course, you have to install Skype. If you click on the Try Before You Buy box and choose your language, you will be redirected to a list of tutors with specific pricing. You can book a tutor on a set price per 45-minute lesson. Tutors have feedbacks and sometimes offer a free first lesson. You can view their profile and even find out if they also teach other languages.

Verbalplanet.com is an interesting online language course. They also sell electronic study aids and tools so you can learn on the go. I could not find an About Us page but since they're selling in pound currency, they are obviously a UK company. Now here's a fun fact: Verbalplanet.com offers language teaching jobs to anybody who is qualified. So...if you think you've finally mastered a language (or have a native dialect you can teach), why don't you apply as their very own tutor? It's like earning back what you paid for their course! Unfortunately, when I tried clicking on Apply Online link, they have the tutor registration closed.