You faked it until you made it, and now you’re the new foreign language correspondent at Media Company X. You only have a couple of weeks to bring your French up to snuff, and your foggy memories of grade-school language exercises aren’t gonna cut it. Merde!
You seem a little stressed out, so here’s a little trade secret: it’s actually possible to start speaking a new language in three weeks. An independent study we commissioned last November confirmed it: using Babbel is one of the most efficient ways to learn a language. Researchers at the City University of New York and the University of South Carolina found that users with zero Spanish knowledge only needed about 15 hours of study to cover the same amount of material as one beginner’s college semester.
We also asked 15 of our own staff members to use the app for three weeks. Long story short: if they can do it in their limited spare time, you can pack in a couple cram sessions before your new gig to lend some legitimacy to that extra padding on your resume.
Then again, maybe it was kind of rude of us to assume you wouldn’t keep everything completely above-board. Here are a few other scenarios that are driving job seekers to Babbel for its speed and efficacy.
You see a job posting, and you’ve never wanted something so badly (except for maybe a cronut you don’t need to wait in line for). Knowledge of German is strongly preferred, and you don’t know a lick of Deutsch.
Most job openings have a lifespan of a few weeks, which is significantly less time than it takes to learn a new language the traditional way, but perfect for getting yourself to a basic conversational level with Babbel.
Our lessons are crafted by language experts and voiced by native speakers, which means you’ll be prepared for real-life situations you’ll encounter at your potential new gig. And our curated review sessions bring up the same information in new contexts, which means they’re designed to ensure you actually retain what you learn.
You’ve been at the same job for going on seven years now, and you’re basically prepared to return to your hometown Chili’s if it means it’ll grant you a change of scenery.
Don’t do anything drastic yet. It really does get better, and there’s no better way to open up your range of professional possibility than by learning a new language.
If it’s a change of scenery you’re after, having foreign language skills will significantly increase your chances of landing jobs that involve travel (think: flight attendant, corporate bigwig, tour guide, diplomat, journalist, English teacher abroad — you get the idea). If you feel like getting weirder, there are a range of jobs that require unusual language skills (like mountain shepherd). And if you’re feeling especially impatient for change, a three-week primer in the language of your choice will get the ball rolling for you.
You’ve decided to drop your name in the hat for a highly coveted position. Only problem is: a few hundred other people had the same idea.
The job market is competitive, which means people are grasping onto anything and everything they can if they think it’ll grant them a competitive edge.
Assuming you’re not trying to work for Google and you can’t format your resume to look like a Google search results page, there are other routes you can take to distinguish yourself. Consider, for example, that 82 percent of the U.S. population speaks only English, according to a 2000 sample survey by the U.S. Census Bureau.
By adding a new language to your skill set — and adding it fast — you’ve effectively placed yourself among that other 18 percent.
You’re looking for a proven way to increase your earning potential without adding to your already sizable student debt.
Or maybe you have a family, and there’s just no time to go back for a Master’s degree now.
You can probably skip the expensive degree and try learning a new language instead. Bilingual people tend to earn between 5 percent and 20 percent more per hour than monolingual workers, according to Salary.com.
Besides being fast, effective and affordable, Babbel is also designed for people with busy schedules. Our bite-sized lessons allow you to learn on the go, even if it means squeezing your lessons in between subway stops.