The cost of fluency? See how much it'll cost to become fluent

[verdensrommet]

I found these 2 articles interesting.

Easier to read chart (prices in pounds): https://www.expatica.com/education/lang ... rn-728953/

Same language list (prices in USD): https://www.dynamiclanguage.com/cheapes ... -to-learn/

Both sites take the number of hours needed to become fluent and the average cost of tutoring (per hour). Although you can become fluent without a tutor, the prices do give a good estimate of how much you would need to spend on other methods (textbooks, apps/websites, immersion, online classes, books, audiobooks, etc.).

[verdensrommet]

Here's another interesting article that explains how much learning using a variety of resources (websites, immersion, etc.) will cost you.

Link (prices in USD): https://takelessons.com/blog/how-much-d ... nguage-z14

[Corinnebelle]

I looked at transparent languages mentioned in the second link and they have free proficiency tests in Chinese, Dutch, English, ESL-English, French, German, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish.

[Stasia]

Paying for tutors is one thing - but to achieve true fluency, you need to immerse yourself in your target language and culture.

So the ultimate cost of fluency will depend on whether the countries/regions where your target language is spoken are cheap or expensive to live in.

[verdensrommet]

to achieve true fluency, you need to immerse yourself in your target language and culture.

So the ultimate cost of fluency will depend on whether the countries/regions where your target language is spoken are cheap or expensive to live in.

I personally disagree, you can become fluent in a language without moving there. Setting up immersion in your house is one way to do this, it speaking with any natives in your area (or online). You don’t have to move someplace to become fluent in the language.

[LICA98]

tutors are just a waste of money most of the time lol

[Stasia]

I personally disagree, you can become fluent in a language without moving there. Setting up immersion in your house is one way to do this, it speaking with any natives in your area (or online). You don’t have to move someplace to become fluent in the language.

I guess it depends how you define fluency.

To me, fluency is not limited to reading, writing, listening, and speaking, but also includes an understanding of the culture. I think it would be rather difficult to understand all the nuances of your target culture without being "there." I don't want to go full Sapir-Whorf on you, but I think there are certain cultural-linguistic nuances which we begin to understand only after years of immersion.

But yes, immersion at home works, too. Spending most if not all of your time among native speakers (especially not bilingual ones, so you don't have the possibility of switching from their language to yours) - also. Online interactions - less so, I would argue that a lot of subtle cultural meanings get lost in online communication.

[Cifi]

I guess it depends how you define fluency.

To me, fluency is not limited to reading, writing, listening, and speaking, but also includes an understanding of the culture.

That's actually beyond my personal interpretation of fluency.

What about languages spoken in a many different countries, e.g. Spanish or English? Isn't an Australian fluent in his native language unless he knows the US, British and whatsoever culture as good as his own? Or would you say he's fluent in Australian English, but not in English in general?

[Stasia]

That's actually beyond my personal interpretation of fluency.

What about languages spoken in a many different countries, i.e. Spanish or English? Isn't an Australian fluent in his native language unless he knows the US, British and whatsoever culture as good as his own? Or would you say he's fluent in Australian English, but not in English in general?

That's a very good question. I consider myself fluent in American English and in Andean Spanish. At an academic level, I am aware of the differences between these two and the other varieties of English and Spanish. Some of these other varieties I understand well - say, the British Received Pronunciation, or Spanish from Spain. Some of them, not so much - e.g. English from New Zealand, or from some African countries, or Spanish from some areas in the Caribbean - spoken by native speakers, but quite different varieties from what I'm accustomed to, which make these varieties more difficult to understand.

[ASTN]

I'd say that considering the most common understanding of 'fluency' there is a surprisingly large number of people who got fluent without leaving their country. And of course there are some language maniacs who even got to the native level somehow...
As for paying for your education, I think it depends. Some people can learn languages by themselves, some can't. And it's not just about being gifted or having determination, there are a lot of reasons behind that.

[pawndemic]

… but also includes an understanding of the culture.

That's actually beyond my personal interpretation of fluency.

In general I agree with [mention]Cifi[/mention] , however you need a certain amount knowledge about the culture of your target language to speak it properly, you don't have to know every holiday, not every detail, but a certain amount of knowledge is necessary, whatever that means. Try to explain without culture references why Germans say "Mahlzeit" when they arrive on a lunch table and how akward that might sound when you say it in Spain or in England in the same situation.

Having said this., the good thing is, everone has his/her own definition of fluency. That's why many "polyglots" on YT consider themself as fluent. For me fluency is when you can talk to the people in a understandable and fluent way. When you need 30 seconds for every sentence you are not fluent. I also don't think fluency means talking without mistakes. Fluency doesn't start only at a native level. I am considering me as fluent in Spanish and English and I make tons of mistakes, in both languages. As a rule of thumb I guess somewhere around B2 starts fluency.

[SweNedGuy]

Both articles at the thread start use the same approach and are targeting a very similar audience: future expats who need to have a working proficiency before being sent on assignment. That setting (moreover in an English speaking environment) puts you up for a high profile and high cost approach. If Dutch comes out as the most expensive language on a per hour basis, that is probably a good indication that the Dutch made the most accurate marketing study and set their prices accordingly.

The article added in the second contribution "Budget Breakdown: How Much Does it Really Cost to Learn a Foreign Language?" adds a wider perspective, though dating from 2016 and sponsored (among others) by Rosetta Stone (still the leading app 6 years ago). Geographically it remains a narrow focus: the title could be rewritten as. "How much did it really cost in the US to learn a foreign language?"

Because of the target audience and the approach taken, the price tag of learning English is never considered in any comparison. That too varies wildly on where you live, what you need English for and what your desired proficiency level is.