Outstanding Language Resource Localized in 20 Languages
Bab.la offers free dictionaries, vocabulary sets, flash cards, quizzes, games, conjugation tables, phrases, travel survival guides, a forum and, yes, even more.
The website is localized in Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Danish, Dutch, English, Esperanto (!), French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish and Turkish. Wow!
What does "localized" mean?
"Localized" (localised in British English) means that Bab.la's interface is available in all these languages, so speakers can surf the site in their native tongue. This can be useful for intermediate and advanced learners who want the challenge of surfing in their target language.
Learning Resources for 20 Languages
All the above languages also have learning resources available!
Of special note on Bab.la are the free Survival Guides, downloadable PDFs for quick access to phrases and language essential for travel conversation, complaints and computers. Chatting, computing and complaining has never been so simple!
The phrasebooks available are also of special note, as they cover quite a lot of ground that is often not covered in traditional phrasebooks. These are separated into four main categories: Application, Academic, Business and Personal, and are available for all the languages above - quite a boon to anyone needing quick access to phrases used commonly in application processes and academic, business and personal settings.
To give a quick example of this, you can quickly find useful common phrases for email communication, invoicing, reference letters, announcements and invitations, reservations and more.
Dictionaries, Vocabulary Sets, Quizzes, Games and Conjugation Tables
The dictionary area of Bab.la offers quick and easy translation between all the languages above.
The vocabulary section offers vocab sets for job, school & university, travel, self-study, fun & hobbies and official exams.
The quizzes and games are fun for children and can even help keep teens and adults entertained while learning.
The conjugation tables are quite useful for the appropriate languages, which currently include Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Polish and Portuguese. Some of these are also offered in sets, such as Polish <> German or French <> Italian, for the polyglots out there who like learning another language via a foreign language they already know :)
Tools: Broswser Plugins, Webmaster Widgets, Mobile Apps
All in all, Bab.la offers an amazing amount of material for free! There's even more that hasn't been covered here which is included in their Tools section. This includes dictionary toolbars and plugins for common browsers, dictionary widgets for websites and mobile dictionary apps (the apps are not free).
From bab.la
About Us
bab.la is a language project by Andreas Schroeter and Patrick Uecker. The idea has been on Andreas' mind for quite some time. During his high school and university years he lived in Canada, France, Sweden and the USA. He noticed that just knowing the exact translation often doesn't really help. You really need to "live" the language to come up with the right word. Andreas has been collecting dictionaries from different languages for a long time. Putting the things together was just a natural step: Starting a portal where language lovers can meet and exchange their ideas and learn languages from each other. Who is a better teacher than a native speaker who likes to share his knowledge? And Patrick is our language expert regarding Pascal, C++, Java, Prolog, LISP, SQL, PHP, JSP and ASP. Thanks to him and his language skills this portal is alive today :-)
Dictionary
We offer translations in many different languages, ranging from colloquial and regional expressions to more technical or field-specific vocabulary. Special features include search filters, synonyms, pronunciation, sample sentences and much more. Simply choose your preferred dictionary from the list below. Help us to improve our dictionaries by suggesting new translations in the entry box at the end of the page.
Vocabulary
Language learning made easy: The online language learning flash card vocabulary lessons are designed to help you learn a second language as efficiently as possible. Whether you are learning English as second language or want to build your Spanish vocabulary the flash card vocabulary lessons are the perfect tool. There are also vocabulary lesson plans for German vocabulary and French vocabulary, apart from the many other languages we also offer. You can find all these lessons by clicking 'Select lesson' from the menu. Choose between thousands of flash card lessons; from basic English vocabulary to business English vocabulary or brush up on the Spanish words you need to learn before your vacation. You can also create your own flash cards and add your English vocabulary lessons. Have fun learning!
Verb Conjugator
Conjugate verbs and find the right conjugation with the bab.la verb conjugator. Includes conjugation for irregular verbs.
Phrases
The bab.la Phrase Dictionary includes thousands of translations of common phrases and expressions. Our phrasebook features four categories with hundreds of different phrases. Each phrase has a situation description to help you with when to use a particular phrase.