Podcasts for Learning Foreign Languages

Last fall when I was just getting into podcasting, I was enamored with the idea of using podcasts to learn a foreign language. I even commented on it in First Crack #6.

If you’re following my ThingsToDo list, you see I’d like to get my tongue around Dutch and bring my German back up to speed. Then there’s French. Always took classes as a kid. Never quite got it.

Anyway, my favorite Deutschlehrerin, Steffanie aus Stockholm, just wrote about the power of podcasting to learn a foreign language.

It looks like my German is still good enough to understand that Steffanie and I share the same views on this:

  • There are so many podcasts, you can find a subject that interests you in a language you want to learn. Like learning 2 things for the price of one.
  • The best podcasts are normal people, talking about normal things, in normal voices – ideal for understand how language is acutally used, and different dialects.
  • You can listen to podcasts over and over again. Picking up something new each time. I always keeps the good ones, and Steffanie’s.

5 thoughts on “Podcasts for Learning Foreign Languages

  1. Juno

    I had the exact same idea – way before podcasting even existed, I had been recording audio files of myself reading Korean from my Korean language learning books. The reading of and then listening to of one’s self reading of a foreign language is an excellent way to learn languages. And now with podcasting as the latest big thing, I figured someone else would have connected the two and would have also reached the same conclusion that podcasting is a powerful way to learn a foreign language, both to the one recording the podcasts, and the ones who listen to them. So on a whim, I did a google search on Foreign Language podcasting, and found this page. Awesome! I’m glad there are others who have realized the power of this medium and methodology. I’m in the midst of setting up a recording studio for Korean language learning podcasts- when it’s ready, I’ll be setting up a “Language Immersion Podcast (LIP)” site at http://language.juno.tv and/or http://lip.juno.tv. Just thought I’d let you know – it may take awhile though- I’ve got the domain, but I’m currently buying a new home, so I’ll need to transfer my studio equipment over the next couple months…

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