Many of my friends speak two or more languages, and enjoy teaching me how to say various words and phrases in other languages. Sometimes, these lead to me learning something useful, while other times my friends seem to have fun teaching me random slang words or sentences that don’t make sense, such as “my shoes are filled with potatoes” or “the giraffe smells like strawberries.” Over the years, I’ve discovered several language learning tips and resources for learning a foreign language with low vision or other visual impairments which have helped me to learn core vocabulary and phrases in different languages; phrases that are much more useful than talking about potatoes inside of shoes or the scent of a giraffe. Here are helpful language learning tips and resources for low vision learners of all ages that can be applied to various languages and foreign language classes. I’ve included options for both low vision access as well as nonvisual access for audio-based learning.
Free with a library card: Mango Languages for Libraries
Mango Languages for Libraries is a free service available through public libraries and colleges worldwide that allows library card holders to learn a new language through interactive lessons, though users can also purchase access to the service for $19.99 a month. Mango Languages lessons focus on developing practical conversational skills and using repetition to reinforce different concepts of each language. Mango Languages is designed for beginning and intermediate language learners, and I used it to practice French by reading large print text and listening to audio recordings within the app.
Mango Languages for Libraries supports over 70 different languages, as well as large print and screen readers for iOS and Android devices, as well as their web application.
Related links
- Find Mango – Mango Languages
- Mango Languages: Learning on the App Store (apple.com)
- Mango Languages Learning – Apps on Google Play
- My Favorite Digital Library Resources For Low Vision
Voice control: Enabling multi-language support for Smart Speakers
When I lived with bilingual roommates, our smart speaker had multi-language support enabled so we could complete tasks in either English or their native language. If I asked a question in Language A, the smart speaker would respond in Language A, and this was a great opportunity to practice listening to core vocabulary words and answers to questions about the weather, time, news, and other everyday information.
To add another language to Google Home/Google Assistant
- Open the Google Home app
- Tap Settings, Google Assistant, and then Manage all Assistant settings
- Tap Languages, Choose languages for speaking to your Assistant, and then Add a language
- Choose from the list of supported languages.
Google Assistant can support a total of two languages, and cannot recognize more than one language in the same phrase- an example from the Google Support website of a multi-language phrase would be “Hey Google, set a timer for drei Minuten.”
To add another language to Amazon Echo/Amazon Alexa
The easiest way to enable bilingual support for Amazon Alexa is to say “Alexa, speak English and French”, or English and another supported language. Another option is to manually configure languages in the Alexa app by doing the following:
- Open the Alexa app
- Tap Settings, followed by Device Settings
- Under the General section, select Language
- Choose the desired language pair from the drop-down menu, taking note of dialects
Unlike Google Assistant, Alexa can understand more than one language in the same request, and would respond to the request “Alexa, set a timer for drei Minuten” by setting a timer for three minutes.
Related links
Learning to read: Finding children’s books in accessible formats
Reading and listening to children’s books is a popular strategy for learning languages, and there are several ways to find non-English titles and translations in accessible formats. A few options for finding titles include:
- Searching for titles on the WorldCat website, which I talk about more in my post on finding research sources. WorldCat offers language tags that make it easier to filter results
- Using the Louis database from American Printinghouse for the Blind for searching accessible educational materials, including fiction titles
- Listening to TumbleBooks, Sora Audiobooks, or similar content available from public libraries
- Watching people read popular books as storytimes on YouTube. For example, I listened to a popular children’s book in French by searching for the translated title online
- Downloading titles from Bookshare, an expansive accessible library for people with print disabilities
Related links
- How I Find Research Sources In Accessible Formats
- How To Find Accessible Picture Books For Low Vision
- Find accessible educational materials | APH Louis
- TumbleBooks: Audio Narrated Picture Books For Low Vision
- Sora Free Audiobook Summer Reading Programs
- Fast Facts About Bookshare
Listening to core vocabulary: AAC Board
Want to use assistive technology to learn a new language? When I was working on a case study for one of my graduate classes, I met a student who would use a high-tech AAC board app to listen to core vocabulary and practice identifying words/phrases in their target language. There are several AAC apps available that incorporate symbols and custom phrases, and I personally used the Voice Assistant AAC app with them to practice constructing and listening to phrases and other core vocabulary. Voice Assistant AAC is available for a one-time purchase of $23 USD on the iOS App Store or $11 USD on the Google Play Store.
There are several other text-based and symbol-based AAC apps available that can be found online at various price points. For an English learner, I had recommended the Spoken AAC app, which has a free option and simple, minimalist symbols that encourage the user to practice spelling and typing. However, Spoken only supports English as of publishing time.
Related links
- Speech Assistant AAC – Apps on Google Play
- Speech Assistant AAC on the App Store (apple.com)
- Spoken · Text to Speech AAC App for Aphasia, Autism and Other Language Disorders (spokenaac.com)
In-person or Virtual: Conversations with native speakers
Several libraries as well as community centers, colleges, and universities offer language practice sessions where participants can practice conversation with native speakers of their target language. These are a great option for blind and low vision language learners, as the primary focus is on speaking and listening rather than reading or writing text. These events may be offered in-person or virtually, and language offerings may vary depending on location. One of my readers found out about conversation practices and other language-related events by searching the name of their target language along with their city/state.
When I lived on campus, my college would host several language learning sessions for students to practice with native speakers, even if they weren’t enrolled in a language class that semester. The nearby community college also offered similar events for community members, covering a variety of languages from Spanish to Japanese to Hindi.
Related links
- Awesome On-Campus College Library Resources
- How To Get Disability Accommodations In Community College
For printed materials: Modifying font size/reading speed
When I was learning Spanish and French, I had trouble picking up on accents and diacritical marks due to double vision. Something that helped a lot was enlarging text to a larger font size than I would typically read in English, which made it easier for me to visually identify words and phrases. One option for displaying very large text is to use a teleprompter app, which can enlarge text at a high resolution.
Another adaptation that helped me with reading printed materials was to decrease the speed of text-to-speech/screen readers when reading text in another language, as I was used to reading much faster in English compared to other languages.
Related links
- Low Vision Accommodations For Print Materials
- Ways To Use Teleprompter Apps As Assistive Technology
- Simplified Reading Displays and Low Vision
- How To Use Text-To-Speech With Low Vision
Listening to language: Audiobooks and podcasts
There are hundreds of audiobooks and language learning podcasts available online, many of which are language-specific. Several of my friends who took language classes in college would listen to podcasts so they could get used to listening and speaking in their target language, listening to them on smart speakers or through streaming applications. Babbel Podcasts is one platform that offers multiple languages, though I recommend searching online for additional resources.
Related links
- Learn a new language with Babbel podcasts
- Audio and Nonvisual Entertainment Ideas For Blind and Low Vision
Creating and reading flashcards: Quizlet
Quizlet is a free website that provides users with access to digital flashcards, textbook solutions, and other study tools that is frequently used by college students, though anyone 13 years of age or older can create their own flashcards and study guides. Users have the option to create their own flashcards or browse sets created by other members and review flashcards, complete practice tests, or play other learning-based games. Quizlet supports multiple languages as well as creating custom audio recordings for flashcards with a premium subscription.
Related links
Reading environmental text: Visual assistance applications
Visual assistance apps, sometimes called visual interpreting apps, are tools that connect users who are blind or visually impaired with people or technology that can help them to get information about something that they would not be able to see otherwise. Visual assistance apps for blind and low vision users are a category of high-tech assistive technology applications that can be installed on a smartphone or tablet. By streaming video from the device’s back camera or uploading a file, visual assistance apps recognize text and other objects, providing a transcript of text or visual description of items such as objects, colors, people, and more. Many visual assistance apps offer support for multiple languages and can recognize text in various languages automatically- I share an overview of several apps in the post linked below.
Related links
- All About Visual Assistance Apps For Visually Impaired
- How I Use Google Lens With Low Vision
- Google Lookout App For Low Vision
- Using The Envision App With Low Vision
Other language learning tips and resources for low vision
- Want to learn more about arts and culture related to your target language? I love exploring virtual museums, and wrote more about the topic in How To Make Virtual Museums Accessible For Visual Impairments
- Watching movies in another language is a popular tip for language learning, but the majority of non-English titles do not offer audio description for visually impaired audiences. Some of my friends will watch movies with audio description and enable captions in their target language, or watch movies without audio description
- Simplified reading displays can make text easier to focus on, and some applications offer additional features for reading as well- learn more in Simplified Reading Displays and Low Vision
- Braille is a code, not a language, so each written language has a different way of encoding braille and using contractions. Here is a post from Paths to Literacy that shares more about this topic- Transcribing Braille for Foreign Language Learners – Paths to Literacy
Published January 10, 2024. Updated January 2024