LinguaShop

LinguaShop, downloadable language courses for more than 100 languages

LinguaShop is a company dedicated to selling language courses in digital format. Its catalogue covers more than one hundred languages and is organised around downloadable materials that users study on their own, without in-person classes. The company states that it has been active in language teaching for more than fifteen years and keeps its site available in sixteen different languages.

Materials that make up each course

The offering is structured into several complementary products that can be purchased separately:

• MP3 audio files: designed to be listened to while jogging, exercising, commuting, cooking or sleeping. The files can be copied to your smartphone or iPad via iTunes.
• PDF workbook: more than 50 pages of exercises to help you learn the key vocabulary and phrases. The company suggests printing it out and completing it by hand, with a pen or pencil.
• PDF grammar: each page explains a specific grammar point with examples of use, suitable for consulting on a phone or iPad with the free iBooks app.
• Audiobook: a collection of stories together with hundreds of essential phrases and vocabulary, also in MP3.
• Learner's dictionary: a concise version aimed at beginner and intermediate levels, with the most commonly used words, in PDF.
• “Speak!” course: offers learning simple grammar and vocabulary while advancing at your own pace, through the practice of seeing, listening and responding.

Learning method

The approach combines listening with written practice. The company advocates the printed workbook as a time-proven method that contrasts with purely digital dynamics. For structured study, it proposes a nine-step guide that takes learners from beginner level to fluency, with short lessons on greetings, nouns, adjectives and verbs. An example of this progression is the treatment of the plural in French, with forms such as maisons, livres and chaises, presented with examples in French and English. The company maintains that it is possible to learn a language in two to four weeks, or in one month in the case of the “Speak!” course.

Languages and sample content

The catalogue covers more than one hundred languages. In the case of French, the company describes its international presence in countries such as France, Canada, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Switzerland and part of Belgium, and offers materials on everyday vocabulary and grammar. The site allows you to download PDF samples and, it states, save $5.00 on your order. Course prices start at $16.60, with equivalents shown in euros, pounds and Canadian dollars.

Customer care and quality control

The company places customer care at the heart of its business and offers a channel for contact and error correction. It maintains a system for users to report errors on the site in any of its sixteen language versions; whoever reports an error receives a free gift. The site also collects user ratings, with an average rated as excellent from around 1,900 reviews.

Corporate information

LinguaShop is headquartered at Graf-Moy-Str. 5a, 85356 Freising, Germany. The company publishes sections on its website for terms and conditions, privacy policy, legal notice, careers, corporate information and blog.

Location and contact

Graf-Moy-Str. 5a, 85356 Freising