Online foreign language learning is being introduced by Lonely Planet.
Lonely Planet unveils online language tool for travellers
Online foreign language learning is being introduced by Lonely Planet.
Lonely Planet’s Fluent Road courses are tailored specifically to travellers, covering relevant travel-related language, vocabulary and grammar.
Launching with Spanish, the company plans to extend to Italian, French, Portuguese and German in the near future.
A free trial is available for new users followed by a subscription of $9 a month.
Using a building-block technique, the course is designed specifically for travellers wanting to learn the words and phrases needed to confidently navigate common travel situations.
It incorporates subjects such as dining, accommodation, shopping and directions that take users beyond speaking to actually understanding casual conversations and connecting with the local culture.
Four different Spanish accents are presented – Mexican, Argentinian, Spain or neutral Latin American – permitting travellers to also learn the accent of the region they are visiting.
World traveller Sonia Gil, a multi-linguist and co-founder of digital language learning programme Fluenz, has created the courses.
Lonely Planet trade, reference and language publishing director Piers Pickard said: “We believe that learning the local language when travelling abroad helps travellers get more from their trip.
“Extending into online language learning is a natural progression for Lonely Planet and Fluenz is a great partner for us. They focus on practical language skills so that travellers can adapt their working knowledge into almost every travel situation.”
Gil said: “As an avid traveler and speaker of five languages, I greatly believe that having a baseline comprehension of a language can enhance the overall travel experience.
“I also understand how difficult it is to find time to learn a language. This is why we so carefully structured Fluent Road to be a primer ahead of trips, a useful tool during your trip and an ongoing tool following your return.”
