Podcasts, the latest innovation in language learning

When it comes to language learning, the image that immediately springs to mind is someone wearing thin 90s headphones, walking around repeating phrases to themselves. It’s Carrie Bradshaw learning French in Sex and the City; Colin Firth mumbling Portuguese in Love, Actually. Back then, robotic CDs and tapes were the pillar of learning a new language. 

Part of learning a new language is learning the nuances that come with it: whether that is idiomatic expressions, specific vocabulary that doesn’t directly translate to your native language, or thick, regional accents that can be harder to understand.

Today, when thinking of learning a new language, you picture a little green owl and a 100-day-long streak. But just how effective is that? In the same way that a holiday phrasebook, filled with sentences like “the shoes are blue”, can be useful, it cannot help to cultivate a deeper understanding of the language’s culture. Even if fluency isn’t your goal, pre-learnt phrases can only get you so far. This is where podcasts come in. Like any topic now, there is a wealth of podcasts that offer various aspects of language learning, all designed to cater to different skill levels and topics. They go deeper than those apps that just scratch the surface. 

Part of learning a new language is learning the nuances that come with it: whether that is idiomatic expressions, specific vocabulary that doesn’t directly translate to your native language, or thick, regional accents that can be harder to understand. Podcasts can help to explain these nuances, all while easily slotting into your daily routine. With many episodes being on the shorter side (most are under half an hour), they are versatile enough to be listened to while commuting, exercising or doing chores.  

For beginners, where being able to hold a conversation is more important to you than understanding the ins and outs of the present perfect tense, audio learning such as podcasts are the best way to do it. Rather than sitting down to write out grammar rules and long vocabulary lists, you can listen to and replicate basic conversations. That’s especially useful for travelling, where spelling isn’t as important as sounding natural. 

One of the best pieces of advice when it comes to language learning is to immerse yourself in both the language and the culture, and podcasts can help to do that. They are more up to date, unlike traditional listening CDs, and help to give a real sense of the current cultural landscape.

For beginners, a standout podcast is the Coffee Break podcasts, available on Spotify and Apple. These offer short (less than half an hour) episodes covering the basics of French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish, featuring a teacher and a pupil which you learn alongside. 

One of their major strengths is that they have specified episodes that you can dip in and out of, rather than courses that you must listen to in chronological order with each building on the last. You can choose an episode based on what you’re preparing for. For example, it’s especially great for travelling, as the first season of the podcast covers conversations often had while travelling, such as restaurant and shop interactions and getting help with public transport. 

However, podcasts are also a great tool for intermediate and advanced learners. One of the best pieces of advice when it comes to language learning is to immerse yourself in both the language and the culture, and podcasts can help to do that. They are more up to date, unlike traditional listening CDs, and help to give a real sense of the current cultural landscape. For example, News in Slow (Language) is not only useful for keeping up to date with current affairs, but it’s also designed for language learners, so the podcasters speak slower and explain idiomatic expressions specific to that language. 

With summer just around the corner, the wealth of language podcasts available offer a fun, free, and flexible way to pick up a new language; whether it’s in preparation for your travels or to build on existing knowledge.

Higher-level learners might need to dig a little deeper, especially if they’re looking beyond the most popular languages. But there are some excellent finds out there. For Spanish, La Faquin Condicion Humana is excellent, consisting of 30-minute stories from a variety of native speakers, each helping to broaden vocabulary and cultural awareness. The Korean podcast Spongemind helps listeners learning Korean by releasing two versions of the same episode: one in Korean and one in English, to ensure you can fully understand the content. For French learners, Les Chroniques Criminelles resorts to one of the backbones of podcasting: true crime. A great strategy is to pair podcasts in your target language that fit your other interests, ensuring that you’ll never get bored of your target language.  

With summer just around the corner, the wealth of language podcasts available offer a fun, free, and flexible way to pick up a new language; whether it’s in preparation for your travels or to build on existing knowledge. Now, with specifically created podcasts ranging from the basics to true crime and pop culture, there’s no reason not to try learning a new language this summer!