Today, an increasing number of people want to speak a foreign tongue. But there’s one problem. Which path should you choose — online or traditional courses?
In the previous article, I covered the benefits of studying a language online. Now is the time to address the disadvantages of online language learning.
As the world is becoming a global village, most people agree on the undeniable importance of language learning in today’s society.
Let’s face it; we all have different requirements—there’s no one-size-fits-all.
When you decide for studying a foreign language, several choices are available to you.
You can register in any college, university, or private institute for traditional classroom education or learn through self-study using available resources such as books and other multimedia components like CDs, audio, podcasts, and video lessons.
Over the past few decades, the incredible growth of the internet has created a third possibility: online language learning.
These programs take advantage of easily accessible and fast internet.
Now, you can join online classes in the foreign language of your choosing.
To sum up, there’s something for everyone!
Table of Contents
- 10 Downsides of Learning a Language Online
- 1. No Face-To-Face Interaction
- 2. Lack of Self–Discipline, Low Motivation, and Distractions
- 4. Limited Acceptance, Accreditation, and Recognition
- 5. Online Courses are more Time Consuming
- 6. Online classes often lead to boredom
- 7. Speaking and Listening Practice
- 8. Language immersion is missing in E-learning
- 9. It isn’t easy to become fluent
- 10. There is a scarcity of Online degree courses
- The Final Words — Should you not learn a language online?
10 Downsides of Learning a Language Online
Online courses have clear advantages, and that’s why e-learning programs for language are a growing trend.
However, online language education isn’t right for everyone, and there are plentiful shortcomings.
Weighing the pros and cons can help you decide whether online foreign language learning is the right decision.
You can analyze all the factors before you decide if it’s right for you.
Besides having apparent benefits, there are many reasons you shouldn’t rely on the internet to learn a new language.
Wonder what they are?
Let’s find out the ten disadvantages of online language learning, which are:
1. No Face-To-Face Interaction
The interaction between a teacher and a student is an intrinsic part of the educational process.
The face-to-face approach is an efficient language learning method because it combines different segments, including writing, speaking, listening, and reading.
Most students seem more involved in the conventional classroom and receive more immediate feedback than online studies.
The response time is less, but many learners prefer to present issues with the instructor in person rather than typing them out or trying to explain them face-to-screen.
Online courses are asynchronous because of digital illiteracy, netiquette, random connectivity problems, and technology limitations.
It takes more time to absorb new information, understand it, ask questions, know the answers, and achieve the desired result.
Of course, you can also learn a language online since it also includes interaction, but clearly, it is less effective than a face-to-face approach.
Learning in a physical classroom is lively and more appealing because there is more human interaction, not only with the trainer but also with classmates.
Suppose you’re the kind of learner who believes language learning can only happen in a classroom and online learning is troublesome as it completely lacks physical attendance. In that case, you can opt for face-to-face offline classes if feasible.
2. Lack of Self–Discipline, Low Motivation, and Distractions
Human beings tend to have lazy attitudes, especially when they do not have to follow strict rules.
Online study is a great way, but it becomes complicated if you are not self-disciplined.
You will have enough excuses to postpone or miss your sessions.
E-learning allows us to study whenever we desire from any place, but it also has a well-known side effect.
As there is no time deadline and no hard and fast rules for finishing the course, one can easily lack discipline. This is one of the primary drawbacks of online language learning.
In the classical system of pedagogy, one must follow a routine and be consistent when learning a language.
Online tutors follow strict rules, like giving some penalties, for instance, deducting some marks for missing a class or failing to submit an assignment, or even inactive in-class intercommunication, etc., which ultimately compels people to follow the timeline.
If you’re not motivated enough and don’t maintain self-control, you will delay or perhaps stop studying altogether.
If you want to be a successful online learner, you need impulse, motivation, self-direction, discipline, and stringent time management.
The truth is that most language learners lack self-discipline or the urge and motive to stick to online language learning programs.
If you don’t have these characteristics, then this can be one of the major hindrances to studying a language online.
If you are taking online classes from home, work, or anywhere, be sure that there will be disturbances.
Students in e-learning programs often multitask with non-academic matters that waste time.
You cannot entirely exclude the possibility of distractions unless you have cultivated the art of self-control.
3. Less Interactive Sessions and No discussions with other Students
One disadvantage of online language learning is the lack of interactive sessions, which eventually leads to dullness in the learner.
Language demands people around to talk with and learn from it.
The traditional system gives us interactive sessions.
In online training, you must self-study using resources like books, language apps, LMS, software, or an online tutor.
The vast majority of communication is only between students and instructors, and there is an absolute deficiency of student-to-student exchanges.
At schools, universities, and learning centers, students discover how to make friends and learn tremendously from each other.
Competition between colleagues can be stimulating, and you will undoubtedly gain from it.
Online learning cannot offer group interaction the way it occurs in the standard classroom or lecture room.
You will learn the art of productive communication from others’ weaknesses and strengths. This will assist you in acquiring a second tongue quickly and confidently.
4. Limited Acceptance, Accreditation, and Recognition
If you only intend to learn a language, you don’t need a certificate from a recognized and reputed institute.
But what if you need one for various reasons, such as jobs requiring multiple languages, proof of language proficiency, or moving abroad?
First, most of these online courses don’t offer certifications.
Some provide them, but most companies and educational establishments don’t accept and acknowledge them as evidence of language competence.
There are so many online courses that it can be challenging to identify the tutor’s credibility or the organization conducting the programs.
Many businesses question the effectiveness of distance language education when hiring foreign language professionals and believe it has not lived up to its potential.
Also, there is no point in earning a document stating language ability from non-accredited centers or providing low-quality services.
One has to be vigilant before enrolling in the course, as doing so can lead to wasting money and time.
5. Online Courses are more Time Consuming
Online learning is both time-saving and time-consuming.
It saves time, as you can attend classes from the convenience of your home or wherever you are without needing to travel to another location.
It takes more time since people lack self-discipline and cannot properly implement time management.
In the absence of a fixed schedule, too many distractions, multitasking, and lack of a designated study area can lead to poor scheduling.
It is a disadvantage because it creates a carefree, lazy, and distractive learning environment.
Educators also need more time to create digital study material, prepare the lessons, teach, and clarify doubts.
There are also many interruptions and stoppages due to problems with PC, laptop, or smartphone internet connectivity and speed.
When you learn online, you must put in more effort to get command if you pursue one of the hardest languages like Russian, Arabic, Farsi, Japanese, Mandarin, or Korean.
Compared to standard classes, people who study online need to do a lot of exercises and tasks.
Most often, online courses are not time-bound. In such cases, people drop their tutoring as and when they want, hoping to take them anytime later.
If you do this frequently, it will make the whole procedure lengthy and time-consuming.
6. Online classes often lead to boredom
People who like traditional systems may find learning online dull.
You will have nobody else except the teacher sitting in some other part of the globe, with whom you can interact only virtually.
Plus, there are no other students to communicate or chat with. All these produce tediousness in people.
Unlike e-learning, instructors can make offline classes more entertaining by organizing diverse in-class amusing activities, events, games, contests, competitions, projects, and groups to work collectively and have fun.
All can share ideas and profit from each other.
The class debates allow more engagement and a better dialogue flow, making the entire process more enjoyable.
Foreign language tutors can choose the most effective methods of teaching a specific section of the language. These methods encourage students to actively participate in the learning process and enjoy it, too.
7. Speaking and Listening Practice
Constant speaking and listening practice are the keys to mastering any language.
You can memorize vocabulary, mug up all the grammar rules, and spend time reading.
For all these, the internet can be a fantastic source.
For speaking and listening, there ought to be one-on-one interaction, which builds confidence and supports learning.
Sometimes, it becomes tough for students to clear their ambiguities about correct intonation, accents, and pronunciation.
It’s more challenging to interact meaningfully in the language you are studying.
Many students feel more content writing the answers than talking.
The classroom activities help you eliminate hesitation and enhance your speaking and listening skills.
Active cooperation in class enables you to improve your speaking, writing and even thinking skills in the target language since everything happens spontaneously and naturally.
8. Language immersion is missing in E-learning
Language immersion is a smart way to benefit students in different educational settings.
Most remote guidance does not show the immersive mode.
Learning through smartphone applications or desktop software is impersonal compared to face-to-face online courses or attending regular classes in any institute.
Most apps do a fabulous job solidifying vocabulary, but they aren’t useful in teaching you how to use the words and grammar in a real-life scenario.
They don’t impart to you the most natural way to make sentences.
You need to interact, talk, socialize, assimilate, and discuss with people who already know the language.
The insight about culture is essential to learning a language.
To dive further, you must also appreciate the culture and customs surrounding it.
History, slang, idioms, gestures, festivals, and how people speak colloquially are all part of this.
Unless you have found a specific valuable resource on the internet, it’s unlikely to study these vital aspects of a foreign tongue online.
9. It isn’t easy to become fluent
If you are a total beginner, learning a new language via a Mobile App or occasional online tutoring can help.
But what if you aim to pass the C1/C2 French DALF exam to become a language specialist, such as a translator or interpreter?
It is tricky to achieve advanced knowledge, especially if your target isn’t one of the simplest languages.
But you can make a good start, and it can be beneficial in gaining at least a basic grasp of a language.
Once you cover the elementary or even lower intermediate level, you can decide if you want to take it further by enrolling in any language school or university.
10. There is a scarcity of Online degree courses
Are you contemplating pursuing a Bachelor in French, an Advanced Diploma in Japanese, or a Master’s degree in Spanish?
Unfortunately, you are out of luck.
While some options are available in other countries, most Indian universities don’t offer degree programs via distance learning. IGNOU, through SOFL, offers some ODL programs, but that doesn’t include BA and MA degree programs.
You can surely learn a language by enrolling in different online classes.
If your aim is degree courses, there aren’t enough online options to award a UG or PG degree in foreign languages.
The Final Words — Should you not learn a language online?
These days, too many online classes and language learning apps are flocking and often claim the world at a cheap price and quick success—but don’t expect fluency from them.
It is better to have a reasonable expectation!
I have shared the advantages and disadvantages of learning a foreign language online.
This post and the previous one have all the advice you need before enrolling in online language classes.
This way, you can decide whether it is worthwhile to undertake an online language course or not.
You also must do enough research online before you enroll in a program.
Go to the websites/blogs/social media of people teaching languages, compare the methods, read reviews, check the references, and get feedback from other people.
If you are comfortable with the services an online teacher provides, you are set to proceed. Happy learning!
Hello. I am Sneha. I want to learn the Korean language because I like Kpop star.
Good luck!