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Babbel - Language Learning

Submitted by Tara, 29 March, 2019
Last updated on 10 February, 2021
Category
Education

Description of App

Learn Spanish, French, Italian, German, and many more languages with Babbel. Developed by a team of language learning experts, Babbel has helped millions of people speak a new language with confidence.

THE BABBEL METHOD
Here’s what makes Babbel more effective than any other language learning app:

1. Confidence — Our goal is to get you speaking from your very first lesson. And our elegantly designed courses give you the confidence to get there. We teach you how to engage in practical, everyday conversations, making it easier for you to have authentic experiences in your new language.

2. Comprehension — Our lessons immerse you in relevant culture and real-life conversations. We want you to really take in the language, not just memorize useless phrases. And we provide helpful hints in English (or your native language) to make your new language more relatable.

3. Retention — We know you’re busy. That’s why our lessons are short but sweet: about 10-15 minutes, and designed to send your new language straight to long-term memory. We regularly refresh your memory with our dynamic review sessions, which target areas where you need improvement most. Finally, we make sure you really grasp what you’re learning by bringing it back later in a new context.

FEATURES
• 14 languages to choose from
• 10-15 minute, bite-sized lessons that fit conveniently into your schedule
• Lessons covering a wide range of useful topics, from travel to business (and more!)
• Speech recognition technology to keep your pronunciation on point
• Courses at a variety of skill levels, making Babbel ideal for both beginners and more advanced learners
• Our robust Review Manager helps you retain new vocabulary
• Learning progress that’s synchronized across all your devices, so you can easily pick up right where you left off

LANGUAGES
Spanish, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Polish, English, Indonesian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian

WORKS FOR YOUR GOALS
After just one month, you will be able to speak confidently about practical topics, such as:
• Transportation
• Shopping
• Directions
• Making friends and socializing
• Dining
And much more!

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT BABBEL
“Babbel is one of the stalwarts of the online language-learning sphere.” -The Next Web

“Babbel’s lessons, unlike Duolingo’s, first focus on building basic conversational skills.” -The Economist

“Babbel exceeds expectations, delivering high-quality, self-paced courses in 13 languages.” -PC Magazine

*Named 2016’s “most innovative company in education” by Fast Company*
*The World’s Highest Grossing Language Learning App*

PLEASE NOTE
You will need a subscription in order to get access to the full learning materials for one language. Each subscription will be automatically renewed unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current payment period. Your iTunes account will be automatically charged at the same price for renewal within the 24-hour period prior to the end of the current payment period unless you change your subscription preferences in your iTunes Account Settings. When a subscription is canceled, access to the app’s courses and features will expire at the end of the current payment period.
You'll get access to all courses for the following durations:
1 month
3 months
6 months
12 months

Version

20.17.0

Free or Paid

Free With In-App Purchase

Apple Watch Support

No

Device(s) App Was Tested On

iPhone

iOS Version

12.2

Accessibility Comments

The majority of buttons and the menus are clearly labelled, it only seems to be the back buttons that aren't labelled. The problem which makes this app unuseable on iOS is that the keyboard to type in your answers isn't accessible. All the letters just announced "dimmed" and you can't double tap or move your finger around using split touch to activate them.

VoiceOver Performance

VoiceOver reads most page elements.

Button Labeling

Most buttons are clearly labeled.

Usability

Some parts of the app are accessible with VoiceOver, but not enough to make it usable.

Other Comments

This system is a great way to learn a language. For most languages it seems, you can get up to B1of the CEFR. It works great on Windows, with Google Chrome and NVDA, it's just a shame it's not useable on iOS. The first lesson for every language is free, and then you have to pay. It provides realistic dialogues with lots of vocabulary, translation and filling in the blanks exercises, and flashcards. There is also the ability to speak into the microphone to test your pronunciation, this works on iOS and on Windows. I like the fact you have to complete exercises as you're going through each lesson, I think it helps to reenforce things better than listening to a podcast and reading notes. I love Pod101 but Babbel definitely has its place too.

App Store Link

https://itunes.apple.com/app/id829587759?mt=8

Developer's Website

http://www.babbel.com/

Recommendations

0 people have recommended this app

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Comments

Keyboard Issue and Accessibility Update?

By Misty Dawn

2 years 2 months ago

I was wondering if using a bluetooth keyboard with this app would make that part usable.

Also, how is this app doing as far as accessibility nowadays?

January 20201

By Travis Roth

2 years 2 months ago

I looked at Babbel maybe 3 months ago. At that point, it was so inaccessible it was not even possible to login without some serious hacks. The website is more usable, while I tested the website with Windows, I don't see any reason the experience wouldn't be about the same with Safari. It isn't ideal, but more usable than the iOS app with the biggest issue a lot of complete the blank sentences where the field is not labelled so you have to spend a lot of time reading the sentence, determining where the blank is supposed to be, so you can then figure out the language you're trying to learn.

Why I I Have To Ask

By Kara

2 years 2 months ago

I have to ask what I think is a relevant question. Why is this app even listed here if it isn’t very accessible? This website is here for the blind community to find accessible apps to use.

Reasons for knowing about inaccessible apps

By Squirrel

2 years 2 months ago

In reply to Why I I Have To Ask by Kara

It's nearly as important to know what app's aren't accessible, as this can save wasted time and money. It can help with drawing developers attention to accessibility issues, and also provide a means of tracking an app's level of accessibility over time.

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