Foreign language education has evolved dramatically over the past several decades. First, it was television, music and movie industry that woke up interest of many people around the world in foreign languages, particularly in English. Then, the growth of global trade and tourism contributed to increased interest in other major languages such as Spanish, French but also German. And lastly, Internet and advanced communication technologies made language education available to the masses at very little cost. Today, it does not matter where you live, you can learn almost any foreign language fluently as long as you have an access to the Internet.

All of the tools you need to learn a foreign language are available on the Internet and most of them are available for free. These include free video courses, interactive online lessons, exercises and assessment tests, online mock exams, mobile apps for learning languages on the go, downloadable textbooks and eBooks in various user friendly formats, online versions of newspapers and magazines, online streams of TV and radio channels, language exchanges with native-speaking conversation partners and online tutors. These tools allow language learners around the world to train all aspects of language development, just like traditional class courses or private one-on-one lessons.

Global migration is yet another strong motive for many people to study foreign languages. Take German as an example. German economy is growing at a steady pace while German population is ageing. This creates enormous opportunities for skilled professionals from other countries to find well paid jobs in Germany. German government recognizes the need to attract young skilled professionals from abroad and launched several programs to enable immigration of certain groups of people. There is an enormous interest in these programs but most applicants lack German language skills. So, why not study German online if all the tools you need to acquire German fluency are available on the Internet for free.

However, distance learning is not just for those who live in countries thousands of kilometres away from the nation whose native language they are trying to learn. Online education is a worldwide trend and all large and traditional educational institutions already have distance learning programs. When learning a foreign language online, the student can redo exercises, watch videos and practice pronunciation as many times as they wish. Also, if a person needs to learn a foreign language but have difficulty adapting to the fixed schedule of face-to-face teaching because they travel a lot or have irregular lifestyle, an online course can be a great alternative.