Yabla

A PCMag reader wrote to me a few weeks ago, asking for advice on how to help his kids not fail a language exam while applying to a German-language school. We exchanged a few emails about the best language-learning software, when he finally asked me, "But have you tried Yabla?"

"No, I haven't," I replied, "but I will now."

Forever hoping that all the Spanish I learned in high school and college will one day come flooding back to me, I never pass up a chance to try out a new language-learning app, website, or software package. Some are very well suited to helping you learn a language from scratch, while others are best for practicing a tongue you already know at least a little. Yabla ($9.95 per month; $54.95 for six months; $99.95 per year) falls squarely into the latter category. It's a website where you practice your aural skills by watching videos with subtitles in both English (or your native language, more on that below) and the new language, and then re-watching the same videos with words missing from the subtitles to see whether you can fill in the blanks.

Languages Offered and Price
Yabla has programs for Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, as well as English content for Spanish speakers. Six languages isn't an extensive catalog. And even among those options, not all languages are treated equally. German has twice as many videos (664, totaling almost 34 hours) as Chinese (300 videos totaling nearly 18 hours). French and Spanish have a section for "Lessons," but the other languages do not. Italian gets the short end of the stick all around. It's a mixed bag to say the least.

For some of the languages, you can set another native tongue other than English. For example, you can be a native speaker of Italian, French, or Spanish while learning German. To learn Italian, you'll need to speak either English or German. You can learn French in English, Spanish, or German. The number of permutations makes this list too long to write in full here, but know that if you're a student of Chinese, you need to speak English, as no other native languages are supported for that language.You'll need a paid Yabla account to explore the content, and subscriptions are limited to one language. A subscription costs $9.95 per month; $54.95 for six months; or $99.95 per year.

How Yabla Works
Yabla looks like a site that's relatively homegrown. It lacks the design polish (and I would guess usability testing) of not only high-end software, like Fluenz, but also Web-based programs, such as Duolingo, PCMag's Editors' Choice among free language apps.

Yabla puts featured video content in the center. Each listing has a preview thumbnail image for the video, text description, difficulty rating on a scale of one to five, and a note about the speaker's accent or country of origin. In watching Spanish videos, I relied heavily on the accent notes because I have a difficult time understanding European Spanish and Argentine accents. Similarly, some learners may not be able to understand Canadian or Senegalese French, although the majority of French content is from Europe.

To the left of the page are content filters, letting you find videos that might actually be of interest. These vary by language, but cover topics such as History, Music, News, Food, Sports, and Travel.

Additional content filters at the top let you sort the videos by title, most recent, most difficult, and least difficult.

Watching Yabla Videos
When you click a video you want to watch, it opens in a new window. Of the whole site, the media player has the best design. Each video is divided into segments of a few clauses, or a few short sentences. These segments appear along the bottom of the media player, where you might ordinarily see a backward/forward scrubber. This tool makes it easy to go back and listen to the last few phrases, anytime want to listen a second time.

Every segment has a set of subtitles: English and the language you're practicing. You can pause on any segment or play it in a loop to hear it a few times in a row. (See the slideshow for visuals.) It's all very simple and straightforward.

At the end of each video, you can play a game, in which you listen to selected parts of the video a second time with a word missing. When you listen to the dialogue, you can fill in the missing word.

You can also look up words via the subtitles as you watch the videos. Every word you look up is saved to another section of your account called Flashcards, so you can study the words later.

All these pieces work well enough, but I'd expect to see them in a free website, not locked behind the pay wall of an expensive subscription-based service. Yabla doesn't look fully formed for a paid service. The disparity in the amount of content between languages is a clear indicator.

Another section of the site for "Lessons" (only in the Spanish and French programs) looks equally unrefined, lacking any structure other than what you might find on a rudimentary blog. Again, for a paid service?and especially a language-learning program?I'd expect to see more hierarchical order. I want units comprised of lessons comprised of exercises. I want a progress marker to show me what I've completed and what I have yet to do. Yabla's Lessons contain nothing more than a text entry on some haphazardly selected topic.

Maybe Later for Yabla
When picking a program for learning a language, much of the decision comes down to personal learning style, past experience with the language, and learning goals.

Yabla's approach to practicing a language could prove useful after a lot more work goes into building out the site and giving it more structure. But it's a far cry from that stage now, and I wouldn't pay for a subscription as-is when I can nearly get the same experience with YouTube and a little moxie.

For learning a brand new language, PCMag has three Editors' Choices. We think travelers and those who are interested in learning culture might like Rocket Languages Premium ($99.95 for lifetime access) , while those who are looking to sit down for several months and work through a dedicated program may prefer the rather comprehensive Rosetta Stone Version 4 TOTALe ($249 for Level 1). Either of those options will help you develop a solid foundation. Duolingo can, too, and it's our choice among free programs.

To revisit a language you've learned in the past, or further your progress, Tell Me More ($199 for a three-month Web pass) is a great choice, if a little pricey.

More Education and Reference Software Reviews:
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