Skype is free when you use it to dial up another person’s computer, no matter where in the world they are. You can hook up with someone in say, Brazil, and start chatting up and teaching eachother your native language. All you need to do it is a headset, such as the Logitech ClearChat Pro USB Headset, Skype itself, and a decent Internet connection. Anything faster than dialup would get the job done.

How to find people to exchange languages with? Well, there are forums like this one with discussions specially made for Skype language exchange. There are also cool new social networks created just for Skype language learning, such as soZiety and PrimeSkype. Just check one of those places out and meet up with someone and start chatting.

Using a voice chat system like Skype is far superior to just chatting in a chat room or via Instant Message. With voice chat, you get to work on your pronunciation more and for people who have a listening learning preference, it’s just easier and more effective to just talk and listen.

The Web sure has revolutionized the ways we learn and exchange information and learn!

Even though Latin has no practical use anymore, it can be helpful to know some, especially if you’re in a scientific or medical field. I’m finding out, as a nursing student, that a lot of medical terms are based on Latin. So, having some knowledge of Latin would certainly help when I hear a medical term while on the job, or when I need to conjugate a word at a moment’s notice.

If you’re not in the medical field, it can still be beneficial to study Latin a bit to gain a better understanding of the Romance languages such as Spanish and French, which are based on Latin. As I study my medical stuff, I’m often surprised to see that a lot of the Latin words are very similar to their equivalent Spanish ones. So, I developed a way to remember my medical terms by knowing the Spanish equivalents. Also, believe it or not, the English language is also partly based on Latin too, so by learning some Latin you can gain a better understanding of English.

However, I wouldn’t spend too much time studying Latin. It’s pretty much a dead language, and you’d be better off spending the majority of your time learning a practical language like Spanish. Latin’s just good for a little exploring and, if you’re like me, learning a zillion medical terms.

Latin Learning Resources:

Latin Language

Latinum Latin Language Podcast

Downloadable Latin Textbooks and Guides

Beginners’ Latin - UK National Archives

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But nowadays, the art of language-learning has decreased dramatically, with most people being able to speak only one or two. Americans especially are “crippled” in this area, and the majority of us can only speak our native language–English.

Ryan over at The Linguist Blogger has compiled a list of modern people who have learned how to speak multiple languages fluently. A good number of Americans are in that list, and it’s cool to read about them. Hopefully they can act as role models for us to get in gear and start learning some languages.

I mean, at this stage in their lives their minds are like sponges–they absorb EVERYTHING. Why not take the chance to soak up some Spanish with that sponge? So far they’ve learned how to count up to about twelve I think, and say other miscellaneous words they learned from watching TV. How hard is it to teach them a phrase or two here and there? When I asked him why he wasn’t teaching his kids Spanish, he just sort of shrugged it off.

Now, I know that a lot of bilingual people do raise bilingual children. I also know that there are a lot who don’t even bother–people like my brother-in-law. When I have kids, I’ll be sure to teach them what I learned. I wish I had someone to teach me another language or two when I was little; it is so much easier at that stage.