Speaking in tongues???

Sunday's NY Times had an interesting article by Anne Eisenberg on online tools that will help you learn foreign languages. She identified LiveMocha (livemocha.com), a FREE site that participants can get use to get up to 160 hours of beginning or intermediate lessons in French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Hindi or English. I thought it was amazing that there is no charge for tutoring; instead, members tutor one another by webcam, chat or email. It's a way to exchange language skills along with experiencing contact with someone who speaks the language you want to learn. You become partners in this enterprise!

Another useful option that she discussed is podcasting. Praxis Language, based in Shanghai, offers free lessons in Mandarin Chinese (ChinesePod.com) or Spanish (SpanishPod.com) as podcasts. The rest of the materials, such as transcripts, are available for a fee. There is a monthly fee for premium content.