As things stand, there’s no Lithuanian on Babbel, and it remains unlikely that there will be in the future. Basically, it all comes down to money; there simply aren’t enough Lithuanian speakers out there. Today we’re going to look at why Babbel won’t start a Lithuanian course, the alternatives to learning Lithuanian, why you should learn Lithuanian, and why you should visit Lithuania.
Lithuanian is one of many baltic languages in the set of Indo-European languages. Lithuanian uses the Latin alphabet but interestingly has elements of ancient languages such as Vedic Sanskrit.
Why Is There No Lithuanian On Babbel?
- Amount of Speakers. As we said in the intro, there aren’t enough speakers. There are only 3 million in the world. Designing a language course takes a lot of time and money, especially if it’s not crowdsourced. More than any other large language learning app, Babbel has focused on a narrow set of languages, 14 in total, and they’re the most commonly spoken languages in the world. Its competitor Duolingo has more languages(not as many as Ling). Still, even it doesn’t provide material where there are not many speakers(unless that language is about to go extinct and they see it as a moral obligation. To a certain extent, the financial aspect makes sense. Creating a Russian course takes the same time as a Lithuanian course. They would rather have 300 million potential customers than 3 million.
- Investing In Other Areas. In 2021 Babbel signalled its intention to move away from being solely a language learning app. They launched a teaching platform where students could talk to a native speaker of their chosen language. Doing something like this costs a lot of resources.
Reasons To Visit (And Learn Lithuanian)
It goes without saying that the number 1 reason to learn Lithuanian is that it will bring you closer to native speakers. There could be numerous reasons you want to do this, perhaps for travel, business or fun. We’re going to assume that you want to learn Lithuanian because you plan to travel there at least for a period and give you reasons why Lithuania should be on your bucket list.
Lithuania is on the up. From 2010 to 2017, the number of tourists increased from 1.5million to 2.7million. Why?
- Location. Lithuania is in a perfect location in Central Europe. It can be a great place to base yourself while travelling to other countries.
- Cost. Lithuania is ridiculously cheap. In fact, only a few countries in Europe are comparable. As a Brit, we often measure the cost of living by how much a pint is! In Lithuania, you can get a pint for about £2.50, which is a third the price of London.
- World Heritage Sites. Lithuania has a whole host of world heritage sites. The most famous is the Curonian sand dunes. Other famous sites include the centre of Vilnius, the Kernavė Archaeological Site, and the Struve Geodetic Arc.
- Internet. This is something we also mentioned in our review for Latvia. This region has a tremendously fast internet speed which is great for digital nomads and any business thinking of establishing there. As of 2022, the download speed is 132mbps which is faster than the U.K
- Vilnius. The capital city of Lithuania almost deserves an entire article solely for itself. There is a little here for everyone, including great walking trails. Vilnius is famous for two hills; the first is upon which the Gediminas Tower stands, which provides excellent views of the old city, the second is the hill of the Three Crosses which boasts a long and complex history. Vilnius also has a great food and drink scene. Strangely, the city is well known for pasties called kibinai; they look a little similar to Cornish pasties and can be sweet and savoury. Other famous foods include dumplings and deep-fried bread with garlic.
Alternatives To Learning Lithuanian Online
- Youtube is a great way to learn a new language and get a firm footing in a country’s culture. It is also a great way to meet people from that place and become part of a community. The best channel I was able to find was LithuaniaForYou which has been running now almost for ten years.
- SimplyLearn is the sister app of Ling and Ling Live. It is a comprehensive phrasebook designed to build basic phrases for Lithuanian learners, so you don’t get caught out of your depth when you visit the country.
- Preply. Preply is a must if you really want to practice your speaking skills. Apps and Youtube are tremendous, but speaking fluency is best practised and refined with a native speaker. The good thing about learning Lithuanian(and any baltic language) is that the price the tutors charge is often much lower than the likes of Spanish and English
- Learn Lithuanian With Ling
Learn The Lithuanian Language With Ling Lithuanian Courses
Put Simply. There is no better, more comprehensive alternative than learning Lithuanian with Ling. The developers of Ling understand that just because it isn’t spoken by many people doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve its day in the sun.
It is a well-rounded app that allows you to practice reading, writing, speaking, listening, Lithuanian grammar, and vocabulary. A leaderboard also fosters a sense of community and allows you to compare yourself to other learners. We have everything from beginning Lithuanian to advanced Lithuanian. We do modern languages better than any other app.
Unfortunately, at the moment, we don’t have a dedicated Lithuanian blog but think about following our language tips blog that provides a useful guide on language trends as well as app reviews.
This is a fascinating Indo-European language to learn. Come over and check it out.