If you’ve ever wondered what the best age to start learning a second language is, then an international research team publishing through the university consortium UNIC might have your answer! The team has recently confirmed what many of us might well have assumed, and that is that starting learning another language early results in significantly better listening and reading comprehension by grade nine. With more and more language learners discovering the HelloTalk family of language-learning apps, younger language learners will certainly be aided in their language studies by HelloTalk’s English Stories. It’s an English reading app for ages 4 to 18. Engaging content is crafted by a professional TESOL team according to the Lexile Framework for Reading. Content follows a science-led English reading path, effectively matching the reading ability of readers.
A Simple, Smart Language-Learning Hack
Following on the theme of younger language learners, a trending article caught our attention here at HelloTalk. It features the story of a teacher and single mother who has come up with a simple, yet seemingly effective language “hack” for her two daughters, solving the demand for screen time, whilst helping them with their second-language learning. Not wanting to give in completely to children’s pester power for more device screen time, parents could consider adopting this mother’s novel approach. Granting her daughters their screen time, she insists it is conducted in their target language, being Spanish.
The Most In-Demand Second Languages
With opportunities to work online for international organizations multiplying, and with more languages increasing in relevance, learning a second language could not be more advocated than it is in 2022. Together with the number of bilingual remote job listings rocketing, many US job seekers have also noticed changes in language requirements and preferences amongst employers’ job listings. This prompted US-based Preply (as reported by Employee Benefits News) to release their list of the most marketable second languages for applicants wanting to make themselves more attractive to employers in a remote workforce. The top spot goes to Spanish. Also gaining momentum as a first language in the US, it’s hardly surprising that over 75 percent of remote working jobs in the US request the language as “preferable”. Chinese, including both Mandarin and Cantonese, is not only the third-most spoken language in the United States but the mother tongue of the most populous country on the planet. Chinese is also, therefore, the language of one of the world’s largest online marketplaces. The third most requested second language amongst employers is French, closely followed by Portuguese language.
HelloTalk brings language learners from across the world together. A leading language and cultural exchange app, HelloTalk encompasses English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, serving a diverse community of millions of HelloTalkers, and representing over 150 international languages in total! If you’re ready to interact with real native speakers for free and expand your second language and cultural knowledge, then download HelloTalk for iOS and Android now!
