Learning languages used to be a matter of stamping words into our heads and hoping for the best. Now, there is a whole range of tools that can actually turn language learning visual. That has helped language learns a great deal, seeing as this creates an entire new way for them to remember the words and their relationships, as well as how grammar has been constructed and much more.

One of the best tools devised towards this end has been mind mapping tools. These were previously only possible on paper, which made them hard work to edit, correct and expand. Of course, now we can use these kinds of tools online. There, they can become an integral part your learning process. If used correctly, they can actually physically map the learning process as you go through it. 
But you don’t want to use any old mind mapping app. Instead, you want to know what the best options out there are. That’s what we’ll discuss today.  

Bubbl.us

The great thing about Bubbl.us is that it doesn’t try to pretend to be more than it is. Where many mindmapping packages try to add a whole lot of bells and whistle, with Bubbl.us all that stuff is done away with. Instead, they focus on giving you very high quality mindmapping software that is easy to learn and quick to use.

There are two different tiers that you can use the software at – a free version and a paid version. The paid version puts you back 6 USD per month. The extra features you get by moving from one tier to the next is such things as history tracking (Which admittedly is awesome as you expand your understanding) and collaboration. 

WiseMapping

This free online product runs straight in your browser, which makes it possible to access it from any device without any problems. 
What’s also nice is that because it’s online and you don’t need any software for it, you can also install it into blogs. This is very useful if you’re working together with other people and want to map out things as a group. Similarly, it works well if you want to put things online to help other students. 

LucidChart

Do you find mindmapping restrictive? Would you like to expand it by adding the opportunity to diagram as well? Then LucidChart is for you. It will allow you to create if-then streams, make flowcharts and really visualize the learning process in a wider range than the other mindmapping tools we’ve mentioned so far.
There is a free level, which gives you limited possibilities (though initially you might well find these to be enough). If you want to unlock the full package, this comes with a price tag of 4.95/month. 
 
Ideaflip

Ideaflip one is specifically designed for group work. Which might be exactly what you’re looking for with your class. The great thing is that everything insta-updates across devices, which allows you all to work together and make changes. 
That’s a great way for you to work with other people and have them correct your mistakes as you go (Which happens to be the fastest way to learn). That makes it far more likely that you’ll get the language correct as you craft, say, dissertation proposal assistance at OkDissertations.com.
It is a bit more expensive than the other choices that I’ve mentioned. It goes for 9 USD per month for the individual package. 

Mindomo

The top rated mindmapping app according to PCmag is Midomo. And there is a good reason for that. Mindomo is just a great tool. It’s got lots of features specifically focused on educations, such as the possibility for teachers and students to collaborate, create groups easily, make it easy for teachers to access student’s maps, as well as a fantastic presentation mode to show off what you’ve done to the rest of the class.
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You get three maps for free. If you want to create more, then as an individual you’ll pay 36 USD per six months. This includes playback (like mentioned before), the ability to backup to dropbox and synching between the different platforms so your work carries across. 

Choose your poision 

As you can see, there are many different packages out there for you to choose from. All have their advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the best thing you can do is create an outline of what is important to you. What are your needs? What can you do without? Of course, I’m going to advocate that you use a mindmap tool to do so. They all have extensive enough software that you can certainly do that without having to pay anything. Then, from there, you can select what works best. Or keep working with whatever software you picked to do the initial mindmap with. It’s your call.

Study abroad programs are an exciting chance for students to gain exposure to different cultures while simultaneously earning college credit. You have likely completed your research and are ready to embark on this adventure, but did you know that your host campus provides services that are accessible to you while you’re studying abroad? These services, such as the diversity and inclusion office and the campus library, provide you with support for the duration of your visit. Here are five campus services to take advantage of when studying abroad:
 
1. Student housing 
When studying in an unfamiliar country, it’s important to feel both comfortable and secure. The student housing office may provide you with a variety of housing options, such as apartments or residence halls. Examine each housing option, and decide which best suits your needs. 
 
2. The diversity and inclusion office
When studying abroad, you are exposed to many different cultural norms. While it’s wonderful to be open to the local culture, you may also find yourself in uncomfortable situations. Your campus diversity and inclusion office can help you find resources and determine a strategy for addressing any concerns that may arise during your stay. 
 
3. Student health and counseling services
No one wants to feel unwell while away from home. Student health and counseling services can assist you with any minor medical problems you may face, as well as provide support if you’re feeling homesick or experiencing other concerns. In addition, health services may be able to provide resources if you have mobility or visual impairments. Research this department to determine all available areas of assistance. 
 
4. The financial aid office
The financial aid office can be a great resource if you encounter financial concerns while studying abroad. You can speak with an advisor about any questions you may have regarding visas, tax concerns if you will be earning money while abroad, student fees you may have to pay, international health insurance costs, budgeting, and banking or access to your money. 
 
5. The campus library 
The campus library can offer you a place to study, research, and improve necessary skills. If you find yourself struggling with projects, or simply want to learn more about the country or culture you are visiting, the campus library will have your answers. Before leaving for your trip, see if the school’s library has a presence online and if so, what types of resources they offer international students. Also remember that your home campus’ library may have an online database that you can reference while abroad as well. 
 
Learning in another country has unique benefits and challenges. The services available to you courtesy of your host campus can give you the tools to meet those challenges and position yourself for a successful study abroad experience.   
 

​Niki Bridges is a contributing writer for UniversityTutor.com, the world’s largest global marketplace for finding independent tutors.

​Damn this language! Why does every grammar rule have so many exceptions and special cases? And which idiot decided the way words are written and how they are pronounced should have so little in common?
English – as so many people have said before me – is easy to learn but hard to master. The thing is, if you’re working or learning in this language and it is not your own, that’s really annoying. Your texts will often be left sprinkled with problems and mistakes. What to do?
Well, there is one big advantage to the English language. Since it is the language of both science and business, a lot of people who speak it regularly didn’t grow up with it. This has left a really big market for companies to offer products to help these people write better. 

Here are some of the tools we personally like to use

Grammarly 

Yup. Right at the top. That’s generally where you’ll find Grammarly on most lists. And with reason. It is possibly one of the best tools out there. It easily rivals the spelling and grammar checker that comes built into Microsoft Office. 
But where you have to pay a huge gob of money to use Microsoft Office, the basic version of Grammarly is absolutely free. Do note, the upgrade is worth it as it will point out a lot of little things that aren’t exactly grammatical mistakes, but will still make your writing better.
One downside of Grammarly: It does not load onto Google Docs. You’ll have to manually move documents into Grammarly to see what you’ll need to edit.

Hemingway App 

It isn’t just spelling and grammar mistakes that sink a non-native English speaker. What also happens a lot is that they write sentences to long and so obtuse that even if the grammar is correct, readers don’t know what to make of it.
To help simplify your language and make it more accessible, use the Hemingway App. Copy and paste your documents into the tool and it will point out long sentences, passive voice, overcomplicated constructions and the overuse of adverbs. 

SupremeDissertations

Apps like those outlined above are great. The only problem is that they’re both fully automated. No human is involved. As a result, they will struggle with difficult constructions that they don’t come across that often.  In nearly every document, I’ll disagree with one of these two programs about something they’ve told me I should fix. 

To solve that, you need a human touch. There are a lot of options out there, but one of my favorites is SupremeDissertations. They’re affordable and yet deliver high-quality texts that you can actually use for classes as well as business. 

Thesaurus.com 

Tired of using the same word over and over again? Then, the tool you need is a thesaurus. Probably the best known online is Thesaurus.com. It offers huge lists of similar words, categorizing them according to how similar they are.

What I really like about the software is that they’re tied up with the equally useful dictionary.com. In this way, after you’ve found a word you like the sound of, you can immediately check what it actually means. That’s important because though many words say almost the same thing, it is rare in English that two words mean exactly the same.

And so, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got the meaning down before you confuse your reader by using something that doesn’t mean what you think it does.

Google Translate 

Google Translate is the best machine translating tool out there. And it’s free! It’s great because it doesn’t just translate individual words but sentences, paragraphs, and entire pages. That matters, because often translating the word alone will give you different results than translating the whole sentence. In this way, you’re more likely to actually get close to what the words mean. 
Do note, this is still machine translation. That means that it will give you the right answer most of the time, but it will get it wrong occasionally. That means this isn’t a substitute for a human translator. You can’t just throw your original language text in there and then copy and paste the result into your website. That is almost certain to embarrass you.

At the same time, it will most definitely give you a good idea of what is being said and how things should be translated. In this way, you’re going to spare yourself a lot of work (and leafing through dictionaries). 

Practice, practice, practice
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Ultimately, the only way that you can actually stop making mistakes is to practice. These tools will certainly help with that. At the same time, you do need to pay attention so that you internalize their lessons. 
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Don’t stop there. If a text is important then get people to give you feedback. Often native English speakers will gladly take a look for you. Do note, if they’re not professionals then there is a big chance they’ll still make the occasional mistakes. There are famous lists of mistakes that native speakers still often make. So don’t take what they’re saying as gospel truth. That will just lead to embarrassment (for them and for you).  



Author's Bio: Charles Ebert is a career mentor, motivational speaker & human resources consultant with over 10 years of experience in HR sector. Apart from career mentoring, he loves photography and football. Find him on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook & Google+.

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