Learning a language: How to choose the best method?

Knowledge of the foreign languages will always be in demand. According to data of the independent research company “Common Sense Advisory”, global market of linguistic services is dynamically emerging. In 2014 there were spent $73 billion only on linguists’ services in comparison with $34 billion in 2013 where 15% of all volume where spent on translation.

Taking into account common growth tendency and online technologies development it is not hard to define that demand growth for linguistic services will go on and according to preliminary data, will be about 10% till the end of 2015. Furthermore, the research agency forecast increase translation specialists quantity for 42% in 2020, which was 1.5 million persons in 2014. But “Ednet Insight” informs that volume of e-learning market will be about $198 billion.

 There are many different offline and online ways of language learning if it is about beginner level.

Offline methods:

• Offline courses in groups;
• Personal lessons with a tutor;
• Language learning on one’s own with a manual;

Online methods:

• Online courses via Skype;
• Personal lessons with a tutor via Skype;
• Language learning on one’s own on specific online services;

There are much more methods to improve existent knowledge and each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, if it is about beginner’s level and the most efficient way from the perspective of price, quality, time and comfort, than the most convenient one in demand is individual lessons via Skype. At first, the price of such lessons is much lower, than personal offline ones. At second, it exists a possibility to learn a language with a native speaker and it increases quality of knowledge. At third, learning with a native speaker allows achieving faster particular knowledge level and at last, it is possible to study while staying at home.

There are many different online services for learning foreign languages. They all are oriented on different ways of study. For example, LinguaLeo is assigned for study on one’s own with lots of useful data, HopeSpeak is the social network for English learning and a freelance marketplace 2Polyglot provides a platform where it is possible to find qualified tutors of almost any language including native speakers.

A decision about choosing an online service depends on a study method chosen by a person. If it is a services supposed to be paid for anything, than it is better when a resource provides any guarantee of money safety and protection frauds (i.e. option “Safe Deal” on 2Polyglot). If you are looking for a free online service, than, of course, overriding arguments are authoritativeness, feedbacks on the Internet and a base of study data and tests (i.e. LinguaLeo).

There are infinite number of schools and courses of the foreign languages. The average price is from $80 to $800 per 16 hours ($5 to $50 per hour) and a personal tutor costs from $2 to $30 per hour (according to data of the freelance platform 2Polyglot). Such price is explained by necessity of language schools to rent accommodation, to pay salaries and so on.

Of course, if a price matters most of all, time for study is limited and language learning is some kind of a hobby, than the most optimal variant is using specific online services for language learning on one’s own, bit this is necessary to remember that they require payment for extended possibilities and additional data. Therefore, if a future polyglot is ready to invest in one’s knowledge for a better result, than it would be useful to pay attention to study via Skype, perhaps even with a native speaker. It gives a possibility not to be tied to a territorial factor and to take lessons without living home.

How much money do translators earn

 The international linguistic freelance platform 2Polyglot analyzed global market of translation services and defined average translators’ income amount in different countries.

Days are passing, technologies are being improved, but despite of scientists’ forecasts, machines have not managed to replace human work. Google Translate has not eliminated routine work of a human translator for eight years of its existence and still keeps being the main competitor only for paper dictionaries despite of complicated analyzing algorithm of human translated texts on the Internet and a lot of additional features. Recently different media wrote about incorrect translation the phrase “dignity revolution” in Google Translate, which means the imperfect systems and its vulnerability.

Therefore, profession of translator still keeps being actual and definitely is going to be such several next years. That is not a secret that mow the most needed knowledge in linguistic and philological areas is possessing grammatically complicated languages, i.e. Chinese, Arabic, Japanese or enough rare ones, i.e. Hebrew. Furthermore, every day there appear more and more data requiring translation: audio, video, articles, researches etc. Besides data, there grows the quantity of specialists of linguistic area and especially, the competition is high among people who know widespread languages i.e. English, French etc.

How did it influence the translation services market in the world?

According to data of the independent research company «Common Sense Advisory”, global market of linguistic services is dynamically emerging. In 2014 there were spent $73 billion only on linguists’ services in comparison with $34 billion in 2013 where 15% of all volume where spent on translation.

            Taking into account common growth tendency and online technologies development it is not hard to define that demand growth for linguistic services will go on and according to preliminary data, will be about 10% till the end of 2015. Furthermore, the research agency forecast increase translation specialists quantity for 42% in 2020, which was 1.5 million persons in 2014.

Translators’ salaries in different countries

The income of an ordinary translator mostly depends on several factors:

·         Whether a specialist has a full-time job or works as freelancer looking for tasks on a freelance platform.

·         Translation or interpreting.

·         Success of a company (for full-time job worker).

·         Work volume.

·         Complexity and prevalence of a language.

·         Location.

It is necessary to add that the freelance translators’ income often may exceed salaries of ordinary employees due to an absence of limit for income sources and location. A freelancer may choose a task with any available payment and customer’s country of habitation and that allows to increase income from executed work. Furthermore, the quantity of tasks can be limited only by specialist’s available time. However, the work in prosperous company with high salary in such countries as the USA, Canada and Germany guarantees stable and well-paid job without necessity of permanent search of orders. Unfortunately, not every even highly qualified linguist manages to get a job in such companies abroad, but fortunately, there is another option.