These Apps, Podcasts Help You Learn New Languages

Babbel is free to try, but it's a subscription-based app that costs $12.95 a month for each language. The rate drops to $6.95 a month if you commit to 12 months.

• Rosetta Stone. More than 25 years old, Rosetta Stone may be one of the oldest digital platforms for learning a language. Choose from one of two dozen languages — or opt for unlimited languages instead — and try out the software for free for three days, whether it's on an Android or Apple smartphone or tablet or a Mac or Windows computer.

You learn words, grammar and pronunciation nuances with an immersion-style approach, so you're not just translating a new language into your native tongue but also reasoning in it, the developers say.

Along with downloadable audio lessons, offline learning, stories and a phrasebook for travelers, Rosetta Stone is offering unlimited live group coaching with a human instructor for free until June 30, 2020.

After the trial period, Rosetta Stone prices start at $11.99 a month, with a three-month commitment for one language, or $7.99 a month for unlimited languages if purchased annually. A onetime lifetime subscription fee of $199 gives you access to unlimited languages.

• Google Translate. More of an instant translation tool than a language learning platform, the free Google Translate was updated and expanded recently to 103 languages for text translation.

If you want offline support that doesn't require a cellular data connection, 59 languages are available that you can download before traveling.

But Google Translate has other ways to translate one language into another. You can use the smartphone's microphone for speech translation. Speak English into your device and it will verbally tell a person something in the language you designate.

Plus it supports translation of handwriting, bilingual conversations, a quick-access phrasebook and even an augmented-reality feature. You can translate text in images instantly, in as many as 38 languages, by pointing your phone's camera at a sign, menu or photo.

CoffeeBreak

Podcasts let you listen, multitask

Listening to podcasts has become a popular way to learn another language. They're free to subscribe to, and you can do other activities while listening, like strolling around the neighborhood.

Consider this the evolution of ordering cassette tapes to learn a language. When you subscribe, a new episode conveniently appears on your device, whenever it's available.

Search your favorite podcast platform — iTunes already loaded on Apple products; Google Play Music or Google Podcasts for Android devices; Pocket Casts for both platforms; or Overcast for Apple devices, among many — and include the language you want to learn, such as Spanish or Japanese.

Here are some well-reviewed general language-learning podcasts available today.

• Innovative Language Pod 101 focuses on conversational, everyday speech. It began in 2005 and is one of the oldest podcasts for learning a language, with lessons ranging from beginner to advanced in nearly 35 languages.

• News in Slow is available in French, German, Italian and Spanish (the dialects in Spain or Latin America). As the name suggests, it takes excerpts from news broadcasts in other languages and slows them down. It also has transcripts, so you can follow along.

• The Fluent Show Cohost Kerstin Cable has already created more than 100 episodes of this podcast, designed to get you excited about learning another language by sharing tips, stories, news and ideas to inspire you. A recent episode covered the best books about languages and linguistics.

* Coffee Break Languages is a popular podcast offered by Radio Lingua. As the name implies, it gives you bite-size lessons for French, German, Italian, Spanish and Chinese. It's limited to basic vocabulary and quick phrases, but more advanced lessons are available in French and Spanish.

Birgus Technology

These devices are devoted to translation

While many prefer to use their smartphone as a teaching tool — and a device that's super convenient to bring on a vacation to another country — other handheld language translation tools are an option.

They focus more on helping you speak another language when you need it, rather than as a teaching tool.

• Birgus Two Way Language Translator ($159) has high user ratings and claims to have a 98 percent accuracy rate when translating 70 languages.

The sensitive microphone picks up your conversation and will not only speak the translation to you and, say, a waitress in Seoul but also display the text on the high-definition touch screen. A caveat: You will need to connect this to a Wi-Fi network for it to work.

• Pocketalk Classic Language Translator Device ($199) is also a very portable instant voice translator with a touch screen, but it includes unlimited global cellular data in 133 countries for two years. The device can translate up to 74 languages and promises software updates to add new features.

• ili Translator ($199) may be a good option if you prefer a portable solution that doesn't require an internet connection. It is a small offline language translator programmed with the most popular travel words and phrases — in Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

But it is a one-way device, so it won't translate any of those languages into English. You'll have to ask yes-or-no questions or narrow things down with a series of queries to passersby.