More than $100 a semester for textbooks? $100 (and more) is the price of a single engineering textbook! Textbooks are extremely expensive, taking into account that the buyers are LEARNERS not someone who wanna enjoy it...
You have mentioned finding native speakers over the internet to converse with not only in this video, but in other videos as well., What are some of your favourite tools to do this? Do you go on chat-roulette?
Has your salary increased to go by the current pricing?
Do you think you are getting your money's worth -- up to the last penny you lay on the table?
I think all the financially asleep folks around the globe who still haven't noticed the blatant RIPOFF in their cost of living (or their curiously empty wallet..) should watch this video. Good work Steve.
Another great thing about iPads, iPhones, and any smart phone is that you can download apps for radio stations in your target language. On my iPhone, I have (among many stations from other countries) 3 apps in particular that I love: Radio France, Selection radio du Québec, and Radio RFI which includes news reports in in 13 languages. In addition, my French dictionary, verb, and vocabulary apps provide a quick reference when I'm speaking French with my grandparents. Desire+Immersion=Success.
learning a language is a lot easier when you have a background of internet piracy :) it is basically free, but it is time costly. I am learning german for already a year and a half now, and i can say i can make myself understood. However since it took me years to learn english as a child, i can't expect to be fluent in less than 4 years.... so i'ma study study study.
I think one of the reasons why language in a scholastic approach is so popular is that people expect to magically learn without having to work themselves! There really isn't much to gain to go sit in a class and receive information you might or might not need/want! I'm currently learning a new language and Internet is indeed a magnificient tool :)
Hey everybody, I am a polyglot like Steve is and I am fluent in 37 languages and am almost fluent in French. Please check my profile to see what languages I speak first, then if you want any lessons of any of my languages, please reply to this comment mentioning the language you want to learn and me to teach and help you. Thanks.
Universities are money-making institutions. If they were interested in students, things would be a lot different. I don't foresee anything changing. They will charge as much as they can for books and "services". I can see them installing pay water fountains and toilets.
All your videos are big big ad of your LInqqqqq !Your aim is earn money!.This is the problem .Problem -you go down the hill together with linq and dont understand it
Hey Steve, I just want to tell you that you are very informative. I really enjoy you vlog. Here are two questions. I know that you went through a number of ways to learn a language. However, if you had to be selective of one, which would you put the most weight on? Second and this is in two fold : What's the most you think a person would be willing to pay to learn a language? what do you think a person should pay? Thanks Steve and keep up the good work.
@mrkijohnson I may not be impartial but I put all I know into the LingQ system. That is what I would recommend. People spend from $10 to $79 a month. Some people use it free of charge as well. Why not take a look.
For the independent learner, the Internet is a goldmine. For the social learner, it's simply a resource. For those who cannot learn independently, school is the only option. Personally, I can't justify borrowing thousands of dollars to learn something that I could learn for free online, and then be forced to pay off that debt in the work force. But I can see how some people would have a richer experience taking advantage of the interaction and support available in a school.
jajaj da vero che questo uomo sempre dici cose meravigliose, me gusta escucharlo cada vez que puedo, aparte de decir cosas interesantes muchisimas inspiran asi que gracias por los videos steve. Muito obrigado
Besides taking Spanish in 6th grade middle school here in the US which basically taught me the colors, alphabet and a few phrases, I have learned everything I know about Spanish free on the internet. I started with LiveMocha and then I began reading articles and watching TV in Spanish. Now I can read and listen to most things without much difficulty unless it is a technical topic although my writing and speaking skills are still in their infancy. I am no doubt on my way to fluency - for free.
I'm not sure about the iPad... On the one hand, all the applications are fantastic, but on the other hand neither I like the consorship of Apple, nor I like the screen they used. I mean, you can use that thing as a makeup mirror... And even then, an ePaper display would be way better for reading longer books/texts.
Learning should be free to those who take it serious. The world would be a more civilized world if humanity was more educated.
How do you like your I pad? since you got it, does work good? is it complicated to use? I love to learn and if this will make it easier I like to know...I pad should pay you its a great commercial...i'm almost sold on the idea on getting one...and its easy all I need is the 700 bucks!
@mizzifuzable People who provide educational services can be paid for their work. However, the more independent we are, the more we take advantage of the many available resources, the less it costs to learn. Universities and other institutions benefit from prestige, and from a quasi monopoly in certain areas when it comes to recruiting learners and delivering certificates. They need to compete.
I have only just ordered my iPad, I believe it will make me more independent.
@mizzifuzable What to the mean by "free"? Realistically, education is hardly ever free - the question is who should pay the costs - the students, or "somebody else" (e.g. the taxpayer). In which case, do you mean the student shouldn't pay, but somebody else pay on their behalf? Or do you really mean that teachers should receive no income, and schools should (somehow) cover all their own costs out of their own pockets?
@FluentCzech well i pay 850dlls for my teenager to go to private high school. it is out of range but i pay it. i would like it to be free, if there was such a way. i am learning arabic here in you tube and thank GOD Its almost free, cause i have to pay internet service and had to get the computer....so not all education now is too costly. if you want to learn there's volunteers and people that would teach for free...
We need the titles. so we pay to learn and get them. the credits!
When I learnt French to the point where I could talk to and half a decent conversation with the French exchange students I hadn't spent a single cent!
@Esoparagon how did you do this?! im tring to learn french but i dont know how without spending lots of money. im very passionate aout learning lang. so doing lots of work woldnt be a problem.
I went to an Ivy League university (yes, that and $2.50 will buy me a coffee at Starbucks) where the cost of instruction was $1036 per credit hour. A 4 month long French class therefore cost $4144 not including textbooks. I figure that the cost of all the other language books I buy combined will still be less than that one semester of French, and will probably teach me more.
@lingosteve The "required" classes, which I found tedious and uninformative -- especially the 600 student stadium-size lecture courses. Most of the student body, with hunger strikes (egged on by the left-wing professors) and demonstrations for essentially nothing. The lack of individualized attention and truly personalized courses of study. The extreme expense (Columbia is the only Ivy school not to waive tuition for students whose families make under $50k). The quality of the teaching.
@lingosteve I had some fantastic professors, but these were mostly adjuncts who were let go following budget cuts. (Budget cuts! With an X billion dollar endowment!) Columbia really doesn't strive to recruit or retain top talent, at least in its undergrad program. My favorite professor, erstwhile head of the Columbia English department, is now at Yale. I can see why. :)
Of course, it wasn't all horrible. I enjoyed some parts. But I didn't get $X00,000 worth of utility out of my education.
I actually argued with my French teacher today about her pedagogical approaches to a language, and I referenced the success you've had not following her method. You're internationally known now! Atleast in France
Hey Steve, I love your videos. I've recently started studying Chinese in university here in Australia. I agree textbooks are outrageously expensive and that I could and was learning Chinese on my own before studying. However when I have to go to university and learn and study I keeps me motivated and gives me a reason to be learning the language. If I just stayed at home learning I would quickly be discouraged. Being in a class with other learners is good and helpful I believe at least.
man you're right when i was at the school i never care about learning english my grades were about D- and luckly i could get a C+ the teachers are very boring and
I mean no disrespect to your fine work on the LingQ website, but can I know on what basis do you add new languages to the website? I mean c'mon Steve, Czech, Polish, and Cantonese??? I think there are better choices than these, for example Arabic and Hebrew, these two languages that have a lot of potential learners, mainly for religious and political reasons. But reasons aren't important as long as there's demand for learning these languages.
@AysarAburrub These were languages that people had asked for. People have also asked for Arabic, but we have no experience with languages that go right to left so that will be for later.
@AysarAburrub There's nowt wrong with Polish and Czech, chum. At least you can see the ladies' legs and you don't get chucked in prison for saying something against the government. In fact, it's required in order to be socially normal.
@AysarAburrub LOL Perhaps you don't realize the people who speak the languages you look down upon are a lot pleasanter to mingle with than those who speak the languages you are promoting.
I must admit, despite iPads seeming to be a bit pointlessly large for most situations, that's the one time I'd put it to good use. I don't plan on taking foreign language courses and I'm very selective with what I buy to learn languages, though. Although the prospect of doing flashcards and reading preloaded articles on the train is exciting...
cool congrats on the ipad. post-USSR countries have waaay cheaper education - for instance my university costs roughly 500usd per 6months though they are going to increase it to around 600usd. and we don't have a culture of expensive textbooks in my university teachers just hand out e-lectures which we copy on our flash drives.
I understand completely why you are buying an iPad. After adding up how much I spend on language books, and decided to get an eBook reader for similar reasons.
I have it loaded up with several FSI and DLI courses. Since mine is a large screen device, I can read A4-sized pdfs full-screen, and can write notes on them pages. With the audio on an mp3 player I am all set.
I'm alway amused by those who criticise you because you represent a commercial site.
LinQ, if used by a school, isn't free but there are a great many people who actually end up learning languages with it. Compared to the existing system, that is by no means inexpensive, but has a consistent record of not working - continuing to use a broken system is just irresponsible - financially and ethically. What is there to lose by trying something new?
Immersion is no way to learn. The biggest waste of money. But the industry creams off it. Books and recordings are ok but I would torrent the pdf first to see whether I really wanted the paper version. In the end I bought Heisig, for instance, which is nearly 100 USD for the set, but I "own" it as a pdf, and just fancied the paper version for convenience.
@usenetposts ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ROSETTA STONE IN TERM S OF "IMMERSION" OR ARE YOU ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT GOING TO A COUNTRY AND IMMERSING YOURSELF?(sorry for all caps )
@fanofjapanandmusic I'm talking about going to the country, or to an enclave like Russian students used to do in the UK when it was still problematic to go to Russia - they used to go to this "Russian village" near Paris. But either way, it's not the right way to learn, it's for later, when you already did most of your learning at your desk at home.
More than $100 a semester for textbooks? $100 (and more) is the price of a single engineering textbook! Textbooks are extremely expensive, taking into account that the buyers are LEARNERS not someone who wanna enjoy it...
ZaifoTube 2 weeks ago
You have mentioned finding native speakers over the internet to converse with not only in this video, but in other videos as well., What are some of your favourite tools to do this? Do you go on chat-roulette?
ProkofievRules 2 months ago
Do you think you are paying a reasonable price?
Has your salary increased to go by the current pricing?
Do you think you are getting your money's worth -- up to the last penny you lay on the table?
I think all the financially asleep folks around the globe who still haven't noticed the blatant RIPOFF in their cost of living (or their curiously empty wallet..) should watch this video. Good work Steve.
TheDarkPan 2 months ago
I have spent $300 this semester, and I still need to spend more.
RyuPiu 6 months ago
Universities are a huge rip off. I wish I could get my money back.
ma1achite 7 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@ma1achite "Universities are a huge rip off. I wish I could get my money back." LOL yes, me too.
ZaifoTube 2 weeks ago
Another great thing about iPads, iPhones, and any smart phone is that you can download apps for radio stations in your target language. On my iPhone, I have (among many stations from other countries) 3 apps in particular that I love: Radio France, Selection radio du Québec, and Radio RFI which includes news reports in in 13 languages. In addition, my French dictionary, verb, and vocabulary apps provide a quick reference when I'm speaking French with my grandparents. Desire+Immersion=Success.
CadjinGisclair 10 months ago
learning a language is a lot easier when you have a background of internet piracy :) it is basically free, but it is time costly. I am learning german for already a year and a half now, and i can say i can make myself understood. However since it took me years to learn english as a child, i can't expect to be fluent in less than 4 years.... so i'ma study study study.
2.5 years left till fluency yummi!
De4sher 1 year ago
@De4sher I know man, I pirated Pimsleur Croatian and French and saved myself $1200 right there!
chocolatedonut31 2 months ago
@chocolatedonut31 respect for the one breaking the law from the desire to learn!
De4sher 2 months ago
Which was your first (no native) language that you learned?
thales2008 1 year ago
I think one of the reasons why language in a scholastic approach is so popular is that people expect to magically learn without having to work themselves! There really isn't much to gain to go sit in a class and receive information you might or might not need/want! I'm currently learning a new language and Internet is indeed a magnificient tool :)
clarinini 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Hey everybody, I am a polyglot like Steve is and I am fluent in 37 languages and am almost fluent in French. Please check my profile to see what languages I speak first, then if you want any lessons of any of my languages, please reply to this comment mentioning the language you want to learn and me to teach and help you. Thanks.
Chezrocksall 1 year ago
I don't want to know what it was like to learn languages in the darkages (before 10 years ago)
jugglingotaku 1 year ago
Universities are money-making institutions. If they were interested in students, things would be a lot different. I don't foresee anything changing. They will charge as much as they can for books and "services". I can see them installing pay water fountains and toilets.
robertogan 1 year ago
All your videos are big big ad of your LInqqqqq !Your aim is earn money!.This is the problem .Problem -you go down the hill together with linq and dont understand it
troecurov 1 year ago
@troecurov You watch the videos you want and I will make the videos I want. Simple.
lingosteve 1 year ago
Hey Steve, I just want to tell you that you are very informative. I really enjoy you vlog. Here are two questions. I know that you went through a number of ways to learn a language. However, if you had to be selective of one, which would you put the most weight on? Second and this is in two fold : What's the most you think a person would be willing to pay to learn a language? what do you think a person should pay? Thanks Steve and keep up the good work.
mrkijohnson 1 year ago
@mrkijohnson I may not be impartial but I put all I know into the LingQ system. That is what I would recommend. People spend from $10 to $79 a month. Some people use it free of charge as well. Why not take a look.
lingosteve 1 year ago
For the independent learner, the Internet is a goldmine. For the social learner, it's simply a resource. For those who cannot learn independently, school is the only option. Personally, I can't justify borrowing thousands of dollars to learn something that I could learn for free online, and then be forced to pay off that debt in the work force. But I can see how some people would have a richer experience taking advantage of the interaction and support available in a school.
paladin1000 1 year ago
don't you want to learn romania I can help since I'm romanian
fullredplatinum 1 year ago
The average cost of textbooks is over $100 PER BOOK. My university required teachers to have books because it made them money.
biantai888 1 year ago
jajaj da vero che questo uomo sempre dici cose meravigliose, me gusta escucharlo cada vez que puedo, aparte de decir cosas interesantes muchisimas inspiran asi que gracias por los videos steve. Muito obrigado
ARVELAEZ 1 year ago
@ARVELAEZ Gracias por esas palabras.Steve
lingosteve 1 year ago
Good point as always Steve.
u2bealot 1 year ago
Besides taking Spanish in 6th grade middle school here in the US which basically taught me the colors, alphabet and a few phrases, I have learned everything I know about Spanish free on the internet. I started with LiveMocha and then I began reading articles and watching TV in Spanish. Now I can read and listen to most things without much difficulty unless it is a technical topic although my writing and speaking skills are still in their infancy. I am no doubt on my way to fluency - for free.
ZomgThatWasCrazy 1 year ago
I'm not sure about the iPad... On the one hand, all the applications are fantastic, but on the other hand neither I like the consorship of Apple, nor I like the screen they used. I mean, you can use that thing as a makeup mirror... And even then, an ePaper display would be way better for reading longer books/texts.
AndreR241 1 year ago
Learning should be free to those who take it serious. The world would be a more civilized world if humanity was more educated.
How do you like your I pad? since you got it, does work good? is it complicated to use? I love to learn and if this will make it easier I like to know...I pad should pay you its a great commercial...i'm almost sold on the idea on getting one...and its easy all I need is the 700 bucks!
thanks for sharing
mizzifuzable 1 year ago 3
@mizzifuzable People who provide educational services can be paid for their work. However, the more independent we are, the more we take advantage of the many available resources, the less it costs to learn. Universities and other institutions benefit from prestige, and from a quasi monopoly in certain areas when it comes to recruiting learners and delivering certificates. They need to compete.
I have only just ordered my iPad, I believe it will make me more independent.
lingosteve 1 year ago
@lingosteve cool let me know how it works!
mizzifuzable 1 year ago
@mizzifuzable What to the mean by "free"? Realistically, education is hardly ever free - the question is who should pay the costs - the students, or "somebody else" (e.g. the taxpayer). In which case, do you mean the student shouldn't pay, but somebody else pay on their behalf? Or do you really mean that teachers should receive no income, and schools should (somehow) cover all their own costs out of their own pockets?
FluentCzech 1 year ago
@FluentCzech well i pay 850dlls for my teenager to go to private high school. it is out of range but i pay it. i would like it to be free, if there was such a way. i am learning arabic here in you tube and thank GOD Its almost free, cause i have to pay internet service and had to get the computer....so not all education now is too costly. if you want to learn there's volunteers and people that would teach for free...
We need the titles. so we pay to learn and get them. the credits!
mizzifuzable 1 year ago
C'mon Steve 3 grand for a language course?
mednos 1 year ago
@mednos That is what is says on their brochure, $4,200 for three months. All of their courses are priced the same.
lingosteve 1 year ago
If you use the internet wisely, you could get to an advanced level in a popular language for free.
AkaoKiyotsu 1 year ago 3
@AkaoKiyotsu could you expand on this? im 17 and im realllly interested in learning french fisrt and then japanese.
fanofjapanandmusic 1 year ago
When I learnt French to the point where I could talk to and half a decent conversation with the French exchange students I hadn't spent a single cent!
Esoparagon 1 year ago
@Esoparagon how did you do this?! im tring to learn french but i dont know how without spending lots of money. im very passionate aout learning lang. so doing lots of work woldnt be a problem.
fanofjapanandmusic 1 year ago
yea...classes, textbooks, you're throwing you money away.
We have this wonderful thing called the internet with cheaper better resources.
Teach yourself books, phrasebooks, and stuff are pretty inexpensive.
Codylangaugesblog 1 year ago
any chance of adding arabic on lingq?
ukentrepreneur 1 year ago
@ukentrepreneur Yes, but cannot say when.
lingosteve 1 year ago
I went to an Ivy League university (yes, that and $2.50 will buy me a coffee at Starbucks) where the cost of instruction was $1036 per credit hour. A 4 month long French class therefore cost $4144 not including textbooks. I figure that the cost of all the other language books I buy combined will still be less than that one semester of French, and will probably teach me more.
debaiona 1 year ago
@debaiona Which school?
lingosteve 1 year ago
@lingosteve The venerable (and insufferable) Columbia University. Can you tell I didn't enjoy my time there? :)
debaiona 1 year ago
@debaiona My son Mark went to Yale. What did you no like?
lingosteve 1 year ago
@lingosteve The "required" classes, which I found tedious and uninformative -- especially the 600 student stadium-size lecture courses. Most of the student body, with hunger strikes (egged on by the left-wing professors) and demonstrations for essentially nothing. The lack of individualized attention and truly personalized courses of study. The extreme expense (Columbia is the only Ivy school not to waive tuition for students whose families make under $50k). The quality of the teaching.
debaiona 1 year ago
@lingosteve I had some fantastic professors, but these were mostly adjuncts who were let go following budget cuts. (Budget cuts! With an X billion dollar endowment!) Columbia really doesn't strive to recruit or retain top talent, at least in its undergrad program. My favorite professor, erstwhile head of the Columbia English department, is now at Yale. I can see why. :)
Of course, it wasn't all horrible. I enjoyed some parts. But I didn't get $X00,000 worth of utility out of my education.
debaiona 1 year ago
I actually argued with my French teacher today about her pedagogical approaches to a language, and I referenced the success you've had not following her method. You're internationally known now! Atleast in France
p90xNick 1 year ago
its nothing new. all these courses are money grabs
daysin1234 1 year ago
@daysin1234 where i live its also common to spend upward of $500 per semester for books only used a few times. Rip offf
daysin1234 1 year ago
Hey Steve, I love your videos. I've recently started studying Chinese in university here in Australia. I agree textbooks are outrageously expensive and that I could and was learning Chinese on my own before studying. However when I have to go to university and learn and study I keeps me motivated and gives me a reason to be learning the language. If I just stayed at home learning I would quickly be discouraged. Being in a class with other learners is good and helpful I believe at least.
kerodean 1 year ago
buying a ipad = very good investiment
man you're right when i was at the school i never care about learning english my grades were about D- and luckly i could get a C+ the teachers are very boring and
GetzuCero 1 year ago
I mean no disrespect to your fine work on the LingQ website, but can I know on what basis do you add new languages to the website? I mean c'mon Steve, Czech, Polish, and Cantonese??? I think there are better choices than these, for example Arabic and Hebrew, these two languages that have a lot of potential learners, mainly for religious and political reasons. But reasons aren't important as long as there's demand for learning these languages.
AysarAburrub 1 year ago
@AysarAburrub These were languages that people had asked for. People have also asked for Arabic, but we have no experience with languages that go right to left so that will be for later.
lingosteve 1 year ago
@AysarAburrub There's nowt wrong with Polish and Czech, chum. At least you can see the ladies' legs and you don't get chucked in prison for saying something against the government. In fact, it's required in order to be socially normal.
usenetposts 1 year ago 6
@AysarAburrub LOL Perhaps you don't realize the people who speak the languages you look down upon are a lot pleasanter to mingle with than those who speak the languages you are promoting.
Qcumber 1 year ago
@AysarAburrub
Somehow Czech and Polish are much more attractive to me,
a native Chinese speaker.
Since I enjoy literature and music of those Eastern Europe languages.
Glad to know LingQ will add Czech and Polish :P
ApocalypsPlz 1 year ago
I agree, schools use very boring textbooks and unuseful stuff... Will they change it one day?
loki2504 1 year ago
I must admit, despite iPads seeming to be a bit pointlessly large for most situations, that's the one time I'd put it to good use. I don't plan on taking foreign language courses and I'm very selective with what I buy to learn languages, though. Although the prospect of doing flashcards and reading preloaded articles on the train is exciting...
PaulSLambeth 1 year ago
Looking forward to your ipad demonstration.
syzygycc 1 year ago
cool congrats on the ipad. post-USSR countries have waaay cheaper education - for instance my university costs roughly 500usd per 6months though they are going to increase it to around 600usd. and we don't have a culture of expensive textbooks in my university teachers just hand out e-lectures which we copy on our flash drives.
yuriythebest 1 year ago
@yuriythebest wow we should adopt that way of learning! it would be way cheaper! and i pefer it!
fanofjapanandmusic 1 year ago
I understand completely why you are buying an iPad. After adding up how much I spend on language books, and decided to get an eBook reader for similar reasons.
I have it loaded up with several FSI and DLI courses. Since mine is a large screen device, I can read A4-sized pdfs full-screen, and can write notes on them pages. With the audio on an mp3 player I am all set.
FluentCzech 1 year ago
4000 bucks is a lot of money for an ESL course.
AbcSchoolOfPolish 1 year ago
Comment removed
rraassll 1 year ago
seems like a waste of money, but do what you want with your cash, if you find it useful enough then why not :p
andrewl5201 1 year ago
I'm alway amused by those who criticise you because you represent a commercial site.
LinQ, if used by a school, isn't free but there are a great many people who actually end up learning languages with it. Compared to the existing system, that is by no means inexpensive, but has a consistent record of not working - continuing to use a broken system is just irresponsible - financially and ethically. What is there to lose by trying something new?
We need to differentiate cost and value.
acromel 1 year ago
Immersion is no way to learn. The biggest waste of money. But the industry creams off it. Books and recordings are ok but I would torrent the pdf first to see whether I really wanted the paper version. In the end I bought Heisig, for instance, which is nearly 100 USD for the set, but I "own" it as a pdf, and just fancied the paper version for convenience.
usenetposts 1 year ago
@usenetposts ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ROSETTA STONE IN TERM S OF "IMMERSION" OR ARE YOU ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT GOING TO A COUNTRY AND IMMERSING YOURSELF?(sorry for all caps )
fanofjapanandmusic 1 year ago
@fanofjapanandmusic I'm talking about going to the country, or to an enclave like Russian students used to do in the UK when it was still problematic to go to Russia - they used to go to this "Russian village" near Paris. But either way, it's not the right way to learn, it's for later, when you already did most of your learning at your desk at home.
usenetposts 1 year ago