Lexiophiles » Language Podcasts Toplist

Top 10 Language Podcasts 2008

Ben — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:00:44 +0000

In light of the positive comments our top 100 blog list has generated, we at Lexiophiles and the bab.la dictionary have decided to publish a ranking of the top ten language learning podcasts.

We have browsed the web to gather an exhaustive list of language podcasts, and highlighted below what we think are the ten best. You can see the complete list here, and read about the ranking process in more detail here.

1.	Fumetti:
		English > Italian (iTunes) Improve your Italian with fun listening and reading with this podcast for intermediate or advanced learners of Italian.
2.	Pukka German:
		English > German (iTunes) The best website to learn German as it's really spoken. Learn authentic spoken German, common idioms, essential colloquial language and slang expressions to help you understand and speak German like a native.
3.	Mission Kraków:
		English > Polish (iTunes) Mission Europe is an online language course based on a totally new learning concept. With the three action-packed adventure stories, users can learn German, French and Polish in a fun and creative way.
4.	Chiaveinglese:
		Italian > English (iTunes) chiaveinglese.com is a fun, intuitive and free way of learning English aimed particularly at Italians.
5.	Business English Pod:
		All > English (iTunes) Business English Pod provides MP3 podcast lessons and e-Book courses for intermediate and advanced business English learners. The podcast lessons cover an ever expanding range of business language skills for meetings, presentations, telephoning, negotiating, socializing, travel, conversation, etc.
6.	Radio Arlecchino:
		English > Italian (iTunes) Arlecchino, Pulcinella and other masks of the Italian Commedia dell'arte will help you learn the subtleties of Italian grammar. Podcasts are built around dialogs that explain the Italian grammar behind communicative language functions.
7.	Deutsch, warum nicht?:
		English/Spanish > German (iTunes) This course is divided into four parts. Each of the four series contains 26 lessons with dialogue, exercises and audios to download to learn German. It is available in English and Spanish (to learn German.)
8.	SpanishPod:
		English > Spanish (iTunes) SpanishPod podcasts offer lessons based on daily dialogs. The hosts explain and expand on these everyday topics in a clear and entertaining way. Besides the Spanish lessons, there are shows focusing on the different accents and cultures in the Spanish-speaking world.
9.	Mandarin Chinese Lessons with Serge Melnyks:
		English > Mandarin (iTunes) Theme based and progressive lessons, allowing you to start from “zero” level and gradually learn Mandarin Chinese.
10.	A Taste of Russian:
		English > Russian (iTunes) Real chat on everyday life topics for improving listening and speaking skills of Russian.

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Top Language Podcasts Button

Ben — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:53:02 +0000

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This is for our Number 1 Language Podcast: Fumetti

This is for our Number 2 Language Podcast: Pukka German

This is for our Number 3 Language Podcast: Mission Kraków

This is for our Number 4 Language Podcast: Chiaveinglese

This is for our Number 5 Language Podcast: Business English Pod

This is for our Number 6 Language Podcast: Radio Arlecchino

This is for our Number 7 Language Podcast: Deutsch, warum nicht?

This is for our Number 8 Language Podcast: Spanish Pod

This is for our Number 9 Language Podcast: Mandarin Chinese Lessons with Serge Melnyks

This is for our Number 10 Language Podcast: Taste of Russian

Vote for your favorite podcast!

Ben — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:59:02 +0000

Vote here for your favorite podcast, and get a chance to let us know what you think are the top ten best!

The List: How and Why

Ben — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:58:55 +0000

As for our top 100 blog list, we want to shed some light as to how we came up with this list. So here is an overview of the criteria that we took into account to build this list and rank these podcasts to come up with what we believe are the best ten.

Where did this idea come from?

There was no such list of podcasts on the web, and, since the top 100 language blogs list generated many positive reviews, we felt that it would be a valuable resource for language learners to have access to a selection of the best podcasts on the web.

How was the list compiled?

We came up with a preliminary list of 85 podcasts, which we then graded according to several criteria, detailed blow, which led to an overall grade, enabling us to rank the podcasts according to this grade.

We divided the “evaluation” into three categories: content, quality, and ease of access. For the contents, we looked at the podcast’s length, graded its overall appeal to the listener, the language quality of the people engaged in the recordings, whether it was up to date, and finally whether there were regular postings.

For the quality, we analyzed the website behind the podcast, and tried to see if it offered good information on the podcast itself, featured supplemental information, and if it was interactive… We also gave a higher grade if the podcast offered study sheets to go with the lessons, and if there was a consistent storyline through the episodes.

When it came to evaluate the ease of access, we assessed the contact features for each website. The possibility to leave comments, to rate episodes, the existence of a Facebook page... all contributed to a better grade. The availability of the episodes through the website, iTunes, and RSS Feed were further rewarded.

Did we get it wrong?

Don’t hesitate to visit our vote page and cast a vote for your favorite one! If you know of a cool podcast not listed here, don’t hesitate to drop us a line to let us know about it.

The whole Podcast list

Ben — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:58:45 +0000

Here is the complete list of 85 language podcasts that we have collected. You can read about the ranking process in more detail here.

Don’t hesitate to visit our vote page and cast a vote for your favorite one! If you know of a cool podcast not listed here, drop us a line to let us know about it.

1.	Fumetti:
		English > Italian (iTunes) Improve your Italian with fun listening and reading with this podcast for intermediate or advanced learners of Italian.
2.	Pukka German:
		English > German (iTunes) The best website to learn German as it's really spoken. Learn authentic spoken German, common idioms, essential colloquial language and slang expressions to help you understand and speak German like a native.
3.	Mission Kraków:
		English > Polish (iTunes) Mission Europe is an online language course based on a totally new learning concept. With the three action-packed adventure stories, users can learn German, French and Polish in a fun and creative way.
4.	Chiaveinglese:
		Italian > English (iTunes) chiaveinglese.com is a fun, intuitive and free way of learning English aimed particularly at Italians.
5.	Business English Pod:
		All > English (iTunes) Business English Pod provides MP3 podcast lessons and e-Book courses for intermediate and advanced business English learners. The podcast lessons cover an ever expanding range of business language skills for meetings, presentations, telephoning, negotiating, socializing, travel, conversation, etc.
6.	Radio Arlecchino:
		English > Italian (iTunes) Arlecchino, Pulcinella and other masks of the Italian Commedia dell'arte will help you learn the subtleties of Italian grammar. Podcasts are built around dialogs that explain the Italian grammar behind communicative language functions.
7.	Deutsch, warum nicht?:
		English/Spanish > German (iTunes) This course is divided into four parts. Each of the four series contains 26 lessons with dialogue, exercises and audios to download to learn German. It is available in English and Spanish (to learn German.)
8.	SpanishPod:
		English > Spanish (iTunes) SpanishPod podcasts offer lessons based on daily dialogs. The hosts explain and expand on these everyday topics in a clear and entertaining way. Besides the Spanish lessons, there are shows focusing on the different accents and cultures in the Spanish-speaking world.
9.	Mandarin Chinese Lessons with Serge Melnyks:
		English > Mandarin (iTunes) Theme based and progressive lessons, allowing you to start from “zero” level and gradually learn Mandarin Chinese.
10.	A Taste of Russian:
		English > Russian (iTunes) Real chat on everyday life topics for improving listening and speaking skills of Russian.
11.	Learn Mandarin Chinese with CLO:	Step by step course for mandarin chinese learning.
12.	German-Podcast.de:	Learn to speak German, to read German and to understand German with this free Podcast from Germany and Switzerland.
13.	ItalianLingQ:	LingQ is an online language learning community where you will find revolutionary learning tools, native speaker tutors and other learners just like you from around the world.
14.	Japanese LingQ:	Learn Japanese from the Japanese LingQ Podcast.
15.	Better at English:	Real English for Real people!
16.	Italian Pod:	ItalianPod is a language training service designed around your needs, rather than the traditional constraints of language schools and publishers. Technology solves these problems, and can make the learning of a new language easier.
17.	RussianPod101:	Daily audio lessons for learning Russian basics
18.	Podcaffé:	A Podcast for Germans to learn Italian. Complete with examples and vocabulary.
19.	Lingua Gum:	Linguagum is the way for you to practise your language skills and learn new language without having to set aside time for studying.
20.	Podcastfrancaisfacile:	Improve your writing with dictationsin French.
21.	Better Speaking:	How to work on you speaking skills to improve your Polish.
22.	A Spoonful of Russian:	The Basics of the conversational Russian with a native speaker, including audio & video podcasts.
23.	Learn French by Podcast:	Podcast lessons to learn french, for beginners and experts alike.
24.	FrenchPod101:	FrenchPod101 is an innovative, fun, and easy to use language learning system that is designed to get you speaking French from the very first lesson.
25.	Slow German:	German podcaster Annik Rubens from Munich tells stories about Germany and reads them slowly to her listeners.
26.	Splendid Speaking:	Speaking Skills for Advanced Learners of English
27.	Italian Podcasting:	A podcast series in various languages for the intermediate to advanced language student to help improve language skills and knowledge of Australian culture. Each conversation is complimented with a full transcript and a page of language exercises.
28.	GermanLingQ:	GermanLingQ provides a world of real German content, revolutionary learning tools and a community of fellow German learners.
29.	ChinesePod:	Helps you learn Chinese.
30.	SWR2:	A podcast for beginners in Chinese.
31.	Coffee Break Spanish:	An easy way to learn the spanish grammar and better your speaking skills.
32.	English Banana:	A fun site for learners of English! Podcasts and many other acctivities to improve your english.
33.	French Pod:	Learn French with FrenchPod. Get professional podcasts and advanced online tools to help you learn French, and connect with thousands of other French learners worldwide.
34.	LearnItalianPod:	Learn Italian with free podcasts. Use LearnItalianPod.com to learn Italian when and where is more convenient for you. See how 5 minutes a day can make the difference.
35.	Italian Pod 101:	ItalianPod101.com is an innovative and fun way of learning the Italian language and culture at your own convenience and place.
36.	DailyFrenchPod:	DailyFrenchPod is a complete solution to learning how to communicate in French.
37.	ESL Pod:	ESLPod.com is run by a team of experienced English as a Second Language professors with over 30 years of high school, adult, and university ESL teaching experience.
38.	German Words Explained:	A joint podcast from AllThingsGerman.net and Pension Sprachschule.
39.	Türkçe Ögreniyorum:	Learn standard Turkish
40.	French For Beginners:	A podcast from dailyfrenchpod.com, tailored specifically to beginners in French
41.	German SurvivalPhrases:	Learn German travel phrases with SurvivalPhrases.com! A little German can go such a long way! Whether you’re traveling, visiting, or sightseeing, survivalphrases.com has all the essential travel phrases just for you!
42.	JapanesePod101:	The fastest, easiest and most fun way to learn Japanese!
43.	French Ohlala:	FrenchOhlala releases a new French lesson everyday. 10 minutes of French, brought to you by French teachers. Listen to free daily MP3 podcast lessons and download Lesson PDFs
44.	GermanPod101:	"GermanPod101.com is the easiest, fastest, and most fun way to learn German at your own convenient pace."
45.	Speak Easy:	Speak Easy is a daily program that helps Italians learning English in a funny way: within a couple of minutes every day you can learn a new word, idiom or slang espression and finally understand what lyrics of most famous songs are about!
46.	BBC Russian News:	World business and economy stories on air daily.
47.	Spanish A+:	Finally learn Spanish with this bilingual poscast
48.	A Flavour of German:	A Flavour of German will help you to 'spice up your German' by teaching you idiomatic German phrases and helping to increase your range of expression.
49.	My German Class:	Presented in video, these “vodcasts” get high marks for being not only educational but also very entertaining.
50.	ADESSO Podcast:	The weekly podcast of the ADESSO magazine. Learn Italian and discover Italy.
51.	Let's Speak Italian!:	Your daily Italian language podcast where you will learn to speak Italian in just a few minutes a day.
52.	Bloggy Polish:	Polish for beginners.
53.	Turkish language guide :	Short lesson in Turkish with the most common travel phrases
54.	Nihongo-Juku:	A resource for students of Japanese.
55.	ParisByPod:	Lear Frenchwith resources such as videos, podcasts, and exercises.
56.	RussianLingQ:	conversations on topics of general interest
57.	Coffee Break French:	Coffee Break French is aimed at anyone who wants to learn to communicate in French.
58.	Learn Japanese with Beb and Alex:	This blog was inspired by the latest thread on my Learn Japanese pod forum. The original thread was about fluency but I want to talk about more general language skills here.
59.	Romanian Language Lessons:	Learn to speak, read and understand Romanian.
60.	One Minute Polish:	Learn the basics of Polish with Ania.
61.	LingQ French:	Learn French with the LingQ podcast!
62.	My daily phrase Italian:	Teacher Mark will guide you through the basis of the Italian language by introducing you to basic Italian in daily podcasts.
63.	Italopod.de:	A podcast to learn Italian. Vocabulary tips and pronounciation exercises to achieve fluency.
64.	German GrammarPod:	"German GrammarPod explain the world of German grammar, aiming to be accessible to all levels and to give useful tips to achieve maximum effect for minimum effort."
65.	Learn Spanish Survival Guide:	Learn Spanish Expressions
66.	Jedutainment:	Learn Japanese over beats podcast + Life in Japan
67.	Japancast:	Learn Japanese with free Japanese lessons in podcast format.
68.	French Today:	French Today's mission is to provide you with the right learning method and a large variety of audio tools to develop essential mental reflexes, so you can understand better, speak faster, and improve your self-confidence when speaking French.
69.	FrenchPodClass:	The FrenchPodClass is a podcast to help French language learners and Francophiles brush up on their French.
70.	GerGermanGrammarPodcast:	Supplementary Grammar Explanations for Chagrin Falls High School German Students
71.	Japanese Listening:	Listen to natural Japanese conversation, at natural speed, with many slang expressions.
72.	Itsy Bitsy:	English for Kids - a Polish-English story
73.	Turkish podcasts:	Learn Turkish with this podcast.
74.	Italia Radio Accademia:	A podcast of Italian language for people who speak Japanese.
75.	German World Daily:	Learn a new german word everyday using a video slideshow.
76.	German Word of the Day:	Learn German words day by day! These words are everyday ones that are actually used in Germany!
77.	Audio Lezioni di Inglese:	Video and Audio Podcasts to learn English.
78.	English in the Real World:	Improve your english in a quick and interesting way!
79.	Japanese Class:	A Japanese language educational video podcast.
80.	Insta Spanish Lessons:	Typical Spanish Expressions in many countries.
81.	Discover Spanish:	A podcast focusing on basic Spanish for beginners.
82.	Study Japanese Podcast:	ANDY and MARS broadcast a podcast for those who want to study Japanese.
83.	Planet Japan:	Learn Japanese with humor, sound effects, broadcast-quality voices, varied and interesting content and much more.
84.	One Minute Russian:	"Learn the basics of Russian with Ania."
85.	Josh in Japan:	Podcast for English speakers in Japan.