It is undeniable how today technology has become a useful tool for teaching. This comforting fact emerges even more when analyzing the study and teaching of foreign languages
Over the years, new realities have emerged such as Preply, founded in 2013 and capable of involving a virtual global community with thousands of students and over forty thousand tutors, who carry out the role of remote foreign language teaching. Not only English, French, German and Spanish, since through this specific platform it is possible to learn over 40 foreign languages currently.
The learning methods are considered to be at the forefront, given that in addition to grammar and everything that is usually taught in school, new tools are being adopted which are proving to be quite useful and performing for the knowledge and improvement of the level of foreign languages. This digital method in fact involves the use of audiovisual materials dubbed, subtitled, with voiceover and with a mix of these two learning systems, which are giving excellent results for the knowledge of foreign languages. The reason is quite simple to understand. In fact through a updated search those who study foreign languages can learn more easily in a passive way the fundamental components such as phonemes, sound, the right accent and everything that will make it possible for us to advance in primary linguistic terms.
Digital training: technology at the service of distance learning
Today there are more and more jobs where it is necessary to know at least a second language, to better carry out our occupational duties, not to mention all the professions where it is essential to have these skills and requirements, to think of those who deal with translations, dubbing , to cultural mediators, to tourist guides, to those who manage a bad and breakfast, to receptionists and so on. Up to now, Italy has been the laggard when it comes to learning and knowing a foreign language. It currently occupies the 27th place in the standings, behind countries such as France, Germany, Spain, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Until very recently, Italy was the second worst European country for teaching a foreign language. Today, however, thanks to distance learning and digital technology, things are slightly improving, since it is possible to access online courses and platforms where learning a foreign language is less difficult. There is a need to change the study method, as standard education has not yielded the desired results over the years.
It is certainly no coincidence that the most prepared students are those with foreign experiences, able to strike up a conversation and understand foreign languages, viewing films, documentaries and any other audiovisual material available. The world of the web offers and therefore provides the appropriate tools to learn a foreign language, but teaching systems must change to have a further upgrade at a standardized level. It is undeniable how the new technology has opened the doors to new systems for the study of foreign languages. This method is naturally applied in every field of distance learning, which has been amply demonstrated, really works. At the base there is communication between people from other nations, which therefore makes the exchange of languages, knowledge and learning methods faster and more effective. A change of course which in a relatively short time should give Italy the right impetus to recover this cultural and linguistic gap.
As has already been done in countries such as Spain and Portugal, which have recovered positions, starting from new educational systems since compulsory school. For now it is a question of recovering positions and increasing the current level of knowledge of foreign languages.