How to Make Your Language Learning More Efficient: 3 Practical Tips to Choose the Best Tools

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@ alexlash Alex Lashkov journalist, tech entrepreneur

There 1.5 billion English learners in the world, and very often these people can’t attend offline classes. So, they have to use online tools on the web and mobile. Data shows that such assistants positively impact language learning efficiency.

However, there are too many different services, apps and websites out there, which makes it harder to form an ideal language learner’s toolbox. Let’s talk about what to consider while choosing software for educational purposes.

There should be a free version to try

Learning tool should be useful from the very beginning. This is the only things matter, no promises of future success and top-notch experience. So, if the website or an app does not provide a free version you can start using to understand whether the service is good enough for you, this should be a warning sign. Also, offering limited-time free access is not good as well, because learning a language takes a lot of time, you will not be able to assess all pros and contrast.

And vice versa, the availability of the free plan along with thoroughly described paid premium features are a huge advantage. Such a scheme will let you understand whether the tool is useful for you, and how you can make better use of it by paying money.

Simple example — there are plenty of grammar checking and proofreading services that might be used for mastering writing skills. Some of them provide only video demos, and you need to register and purchase a plan to start using it. WhiteSmoke uses this approach, while Textly AI-based writing assistant allows usage of its free version and features premium plans. Thus, users can catch basic writing mistakes right away, and dive deeper with the premium plan.

Video tutorial with no screenshots of the interface. The user can access it only after the purchase

There is no effective learning without a good UX

According to Stanford University’s stats, it takes three to seven years to achieve a good level of proficiency while learning English. This fact also means that if you use some learning tools, it is likely that you will do it for a long time.

There is nothing worse than using unfriendly, inconvenient, brain-melting tool for years. UX flaws kill productivity. It will be tough to learn the language while you are struggling with the lousy interface instead of having fun.

This is why you should test any tool you’d like to use before paying for it. Also, searching for reviews on the web might be a good idea as well. There are multiple software stores and marketplaces, where users can tell others about their experience of using a particular app or website. Sometimes, such websites even award software for good UX, as FinancesOnline marketplace does, for example:

Award for a good interface of the tested software

Privacy should not be overlooked

Nowadays, all type of websites and apps are trying to accumulate as much user data as possible. Learning tools are no exception. Developers want you to upload as much information and do as many exercises as you can so that it would be tough for you to switch to competitors.

It is logical from the business point of view; however, there still should be at least minimal options for users to manage the privacy level. Language learning services are also used not only for learning itself but for completing some personal tasks, i.e., composing a personal email or message for a social network.

Nobody wants such sensitive information to be disclosed during the security breach. This is why your language learning tool should provide some privacy options. You should be either be able to choose what data the service might store or do not trust any information to it at all.

It might be tricky to find such tools, as the most popular projects usually lack such functionality. However, there are also tools like Textly.ai mentioned above has a Pastebin mode similar to secret chats in messaging apps — when the text is edited in this mode, no date is stored on the server. When the user closes the windows, all the data is removed.

You should always think about your privacy, and prefer tools that delegate at least some control over your data to you.

Final thoughts

Language learning is tough, often costly, and takes a lot of time. It is possible to make this process more engaging and effective with the help of the specialized tools. However, you should make sure you’ve conducted proper research to pick the best options available online.

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