Before you start making things up in your mind, I will have to disappoint you: no, Putin did not teach me Russian himself. I am referring to video’s on YouTube that allow people to learn a new language or improve their language skills, which is the case for me. For my bachelors I learn Russian, but I never expected websites, such as YouTube, to become so useful in improving my Russian language skills. Many different websites, apps and videos exist nowadays to help you with learning a language and they are incredibly useful.
Tandem, Billingua and other apps
Tandem is an app designed for those interested in foreign languages and who do not only want to learn a language, but are also open to teaching others the languages they know. The concept of the application is actually very simple. You first register in the app, and give them information on the languages you speak and what your current level is. After these two steps you let the app know which languages you would like to learn or improve and what your current level is. With this information the app shows you other Tandem users who are interested in learning the language(s) you already speak and who can help you further develop your skills with their language knowledge. Apps such as Tandem are a great opportunity to not only learn new languages, but also to extent your network, and we all know: the best way to learn a language is by speaking it.
Other apps like this exist as well. Billingua, for example, works almost the same as Tandem, but this app tries to match you up with someone who shares the same interests as you have! The app Idyoma tries to find native speakers of a language you are trying to learn in your area, so you can easily meet up and practice. However, if you would like a professional to teach you a language, there are also apps out there that offer you the possibility to find you a language teacher via the application.
Putin’s speeches
As I mentioned earlier, I use YouTube to increase my Russian language skills. Now we all know that there are plenty of vocabulary and grammar explanation videos out there on YouTube. They are very useful and personally have helped me trying to get a grip on Russian grammar (believe me it’s difficult). However, another thing that has helped me out are Putin’s speeches. Some language teachers on YouTube put English and Russian subtitles underneath videos of Putin’s speeches and it is a great way to learn Russian listening and pronunciation through actual real-life content (and not the boring slow-rate audios provided by most language books). Check out this speech by Putin during the COVID-19 pandemic:
All in all, I think the internet and applications can help us a lot in learning a language. Whether it might be learning the alphabet on YouTube or watching the speeches of a president, or trying to find native speakers online. In my case, YouTube has helped me out quite a bit!
Sources
5 apps to practice languages with native speakers – LatinAmerican Post
RUSSIAN SPEECH: Vladimir Putin – Quarantine in Russia (with Russian and English subtitles) – YouTube
I wholeheartedly agree with you. I think that especially to become fluent in a language you have to hear it being spoken by native speakers. I quickly improved my English by watching YouTube or tv series/films as well as reading.
And because of the internet and Youtube or for example tv series/films you get a better sense of the language. Before this all became available it was harder to come into contact with videos or other content you could just watch with subtitles.
I really enjoyed this post. As someone who learned English from watching Disney channel when I was very young, I sort of missed the challenging part of learning a new language- it happened much more subconsciously. However, now that I’ve moved to the Netherlands, I really want to learn Dutch, but I am faced with the problem that I don’t even know where to start. I think these kinds of videos are a really great idea for learners who have some grasp on the language, but really wish to work on their skills more. I will definitely look for something similar for Dutch – thank you for educating me on this! 🙂
Never had I thought of watching presidential speeches on YouTube to improve my language skills but I can definitely see how that can be helpful! I also think that being an English speaker with another native language gives somewhat of a benefit when learning a third(+) language. Then your brain has presumably already made some connections which overall makes it easier to learn more languages. But I am no brain specialist, so I’ll stick to the digital.
It is really helpful to know of all these language apps that allow you to speak with other people to learn. I think that is definitely the best way, especially when speaking with a native speaker, as you also get a sense of the culture through the language. I have discovered with Dutch how much cultural understanding is needed to be able to speak the language properly. Even more so than English, unless when located in native English-speaking countries, as English is so widespread and internationally spoken. But words and phrases such as “burgerlijkheid” or “gluren aan de buren” you surely understand better with some understanding of the culture (and of course there are many more).
I think it is great that there are so many tools out there today for learning a new language, and the same goes for almost every other skill you can think of. I have used Duolingo for a time, and I think it is amazing how they made learning a new language almost like a sort of game. By presenting you a reward system, you automatically get more motivated to keep going. I did not know about those apps that match you to other people trying to learn a language, but I think it is a great idea. While I can imagine that the struggle to get starting may be a bit larger, it also seems more fun and has a social value.
This post was very interesting to read! I love that you can learn how Russian grammar functions through Putin’s speeches! Do you think that apps such as Tandem and Billingua, which have you pair up with someone, are more beneficial than for example duolingo?
Also do you prefer Youtube over Tandem and Billingua?
I work as an English tutor for children and this post is of great interest to me! I actually used Tandem but it is really hard to make a conversation there. You just run out of topics to discuss but maybe it only happened to me hahah. Also, this app can be definitely useful but for me it is hard to learn a language by writing texts. Speaking is what I prefer but obviously, it is more difficult to find a native speaker to talk to for free.
As for YouTube, I also use it a lot! I give some short videos to my students to watch and they find it really entertaining. However, I usually use TED or TedEd but presidential speeches is also a really great idea! Thank you!