Jump to content
Linguaholic

How much money are you prepared to spend on learning a new language?


Lasonax

Recommended Posts

I'm sure some people are so cheap that they refuse to even spend a cent on learning materials or anything. They'll just download PDF files from the internet instead of buying books, and they'll use the computer for everything, so they won't have to use any paper/waste money.

Other people may even go to such lenghts that they travel to the country where the language you are learning is spoken. Because after all, we all know that by living in a country where they speak a different language than you do, you will eventually learn how to speak in that language, just by being exposed to it daily. Just being there on a short trip of two days or something, may not help you that much, but staying for a few weeks or so, could probably help a lot if you're already studying the language.

And of course, you can buy books, you can pay teachers, you can buy software... There are so many things you can spend money on that will help you learn faster/better. And it's really all up to you and your wallet.

How much money are you prepared to spend on learning a new language? Creativity allowed.

Personally the only money i've spent on learning languages is the book Remembering the Kanji. It felt pretty odd, buying a book... Or anything at all for that matter. I'm usually a very cheap bastard, that never purchases anything, but I felt like this book was well worth my... what... 25 dollars? It's nothing!

I do however refuse to pay to use some service like WaniKani to learn kanji, or something like that. Books are fine, but software? No, that's across my line.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Center Script Content

To be honest, I want to spend as little as possible on improving my Spanish. I prefer to use free resources from the internet and practice with the people who are willing to do an exchange, where I help them with their English and German, while they instruct me in how to speak better Spanish.

I have invested in some exercise books and audio tapes, but I don't think that I will pay for a course or have paid one-to-one instructions at this stage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i might have to spend a few euros very soon in a course I really need, but that's it.  I don't plan to spend more on learning this language.  Simply because there are plenty of free resources online, so why bother?  Right.  With this awful economy it'd be silly not to take advantage of the free resources online.

There are some really great choices if you are willing to spend some cash on learning a language.  I checked several great online courses online, they were all interactive and very cool.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am willing to spend as much as it takes to help me learn some French. To be honest, however, I haven

t spent much aside from coaching fees and two bulky books in my room.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it depends on how my wallet is at the time and how serious I am in learning a new language. I think spending up to $50 in books or other learning materials is reasonable, but if I really want to step it up and I'm really serious to learn a new language, then I will go as far as hiring a tutor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally , I am not willing to spend a single dime for information that helps me learn a language, simply because there are plenty of free and useful tools that are available for free all over the internet. I don't think anyone should spend money on any type of information, especially with the internet being so helpful and useful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually do think that you don't have to spend a lot in order to learn a foreign language.  There are so many free resources online that you can actually use and you just need to make sure you allocate a good amount of your time each day in order to learn.  I specifically like the Pimsleur approach and they have so many materials online that you can just download for free.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sure some people are so cheap that they refuse to even spend a cent on learning materials or anything. They'll just download PDF files from the internet instead of buying books, and they'll use the computer for everything, so they won't have to use any paper/waste money.

Other people may even go to such lenghts that they travel to the country where the language you are learning is spoken. Because after all, we all know that by living in a country where they speak a different language than you do, you will eventually learn how to speak in that language, just by being exposed to it daily. Just being there on a short trip of two days or something, may not help you that much, but staying for a few weeks or so, could probably help a lot if you're already studying the language.

And of course, you can buy books, you can pay teachers, you can buy software... There are so many things you can spend money on that will help you learn faster/better. And it's really all up to you and your wallet.

How much money are you prepared to spend on learning a new language? Creativity allowed.

Personally the only money i've spent on learning languages is the book Remembering the Kanji. It felt pretty odd, buying a book... Or anything at all for that matter. I'm usually a very cheap bastard, that never purchases anything, but I felt like this book was well worth my... what... 25 dollars? It's nothing!

I do however refuse to pay to use some service like WaniKani to learn kanji, or something like that. Books are fine, but software? No, that's across my line.

Iwould not want to spend that much in learning spanish , the most I would spend would be $150 maximum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not prepared to spend money on learning a language for one major reason. This reason is, when I was learning how to speak my first language nobody taught me. I pretty much learned how to speak by listening to others and replicate. So for some reason in my mind this has not changed. If I were to learn another language, my thoughts would be that I would pick it up and eventually be able to speak it. And so I would not see the need to spend money on learning another language. And I'm sure I'm not the only one has these values edged deep in their subconscious.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wouldn't spend more than 100 pounds (or even dollars on a language learning software/materials because I don't feel it's worth it for me, with the languages I'm learning,  I have learnt through free resources, materials and online friends,  it might help me learn faster and understand more if I pay on resources,  but because I do it as a hobby I don't think it's worth it.

I tried Rosetta Stone once, belonged to someone I know,  very pricey! But didn't find it very effective, I only found the Spanish version helpful because it help me remember vocabulary and I already taught myself before for free. I also found it boring.

I tried the Russian version too and that was so complicating,  so I tried free resources I found online,  and that helped me more to understand the language.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, come to think of it, I've spent hardly any money on specifically learning a language. I tend to use resources like a library and the internet. I read a lot so I spend money on books all the time, but the only language resource one I ever bought, and still own, was specifically on learning to read and write, Ancient Egyptian.

I think most of the words and things from other languages I have learned have come from reading, voraciously, fiction and non-fiction...and I am picky about who I read from both sides. LOL

Big fan of Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, Carl Hiaasen, Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas series, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of books, and various fiction books as well as non-fiction books ranging from outdoor survival to sewing. We have a pretty good sized library of our own.  :smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't have a lot of money to spend on learning a foreign language. So, I utilize free apps, i.e. Duolingo, I go to second-hand book stores and find deals on audio books in Italian, CDs and children's books to read in Italian. If money were no object, I would fly to Italy and live there to immerse myself in the language. I would connect with other Italians who want to learn English and meet for wine and practice conversational Italian. :grin:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am a practical person. If I can learn a language on my own, with just the resources I have available, then I won't spend a cent on it. Why pay out of pocket when you have so much online and offline resources with you, right? If you know anyone speaking your 'dream' language who at the same time speaks your native tongue, then that's just great; you can have yourself a living translator.

If, however, there's a really great need to learn the language immediately, then maybe I would consider alloting some money on a tutor.

  :wink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I personally wouldn't really spend any money behind it, because I know that I don't need to. There are many language learning websites and also apps for your phone that help you, and are completely free. I also have a lot of friends who speak the languages that I want to learn, which is cool because I talk to them a lot. And it's all free.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I pay for quality,  so if there happens to be software that I truly feel can help me then I don't mind shelling out a few more dollars for it.  However I've found a significant amount of free and low cost tutorials out there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

The only thing that costs a lot in my case are coursebooks. I love actual paper books and absolutely must have at least one for each language. Then there are grammar exercises, those I prefer to buy in a paper version too. But that would be it. I don't like language courses and if I ever use apps, those are free. So are conversation with language partners :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would be willing to spend a lot of money to learn a new language, if I would get my hands on a really good teacher, that could teach me a language professionally. That would beat any overpriced crash courses and online handbooks for sure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am pretty cheap, but when it comes to studying languages, I'm willing to spend some. I'll actually go and buy books on my own to study... I never do that with anything else (well, not often anyway). I won't spend a ridiculous amount to learn a new language since there are free resources online, but I'm willing to spend some money. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm currently a little squeezed for money, so I'm sure you can already tell where my answer's headed LOL I have always preferred to pay for taught lessons in a classroom setup. But I honestly feel these days, unless you have the money, there's really no reason for anyone not to at least attempt to learn on their own, taking full advantage of the wealth of free online resources. This is the route I'll be taking in the near future. So for now, I want to spend as little money as possible on learning my chosen foreign languages :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I normally combine free and cheap.

Example for Japanese:
$ 10 USD per 45 minute Skype session, twice or trice a week.
$ 10 USD per month for WaniKani (to learn kanji).
$ 5 USD per month for Memrise Premium (although I'm considering to go back to free, the paid extra's are worthless).
¥ 200-250 JPY per song on iTunes.

Then the other stuff (pen pals, YouTube, thinking in my head and language exchange) are for free.

Heh, I just realised I never pay for language learning in my local currency (EUR). :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I spend what it takes to learn the language efficiently. I find out what the best resources are ahead of time, and try to get them for a good price. I hire tutors on italki for conversation. I travel to the country, but I think of this as a vacation, or perhaps the reason i learn the language, rather than the price of learning a language.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...