LiveMocha: practice a foreign language by speaking to other users

Filed under: Internet, Social Software, web 2.0

LiveMocha: practice a foreign language by speaking to other users

by Brad Linder Sep 24th 2007

Apparently it's foreign language week here at Download Squad, because a few days ago we told you about Mango, an excellent online resource for learning a new language. And today we've discovered LiveMocha, a site that not only lets you learn to speak a new language, but also lets you practice your language skills with other users.

Fortunately you don't have to choose between the services because they're both free. But since there's a social aspect to LiveMocha, we have to warn you that once you sign up, you should expect to receive a bunch of emailed friend requests. This is great if you're looking for folks to practice speaking with, but can be annoying if say, you registered with the site just to check it out for a few minutes.

Like Mango, LiveMocha features a number of easy to follow lessons in several languages. LiveMocha lessons are available in Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, and Spanish. The site features a clean interface with illustrative pictures and easy to understand voices. But what really makes LiveMocha stand out is its social angle.

You can do text chats or have voice and/or video conversations with users who want to practice a language you speak. In other words, if you're an English speaker trying to learn Hindi, you can find someone who speaks Hindi and start a conversation. Or if someone else wants to learn English, they might try you. This is miles ahead of the old fashioned, practice with the person sitting next to you in German 101 method.

Tags: education, foreign-language, language, livemocha

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Ash Connor said 5:51PM on 9-24-2007

Any one else having a hard time registering?

Bryan said 12:49PM on 9-25-2007

Brad, thanks for the great mention - we've had a tonne of interest for the service.

Ash, your problem should be fixed now.

Thanks everyone!

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