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Sunday, June 26th
Udemy, developed in 2010, is the largest online learning platform of its kind. There are more than 1,000 courses and more than 35 million students have been enrolled. The goal of the founder was to bring reasonably-priced courses to those who might not have access to traditional education, whether due to location issues, time constraints, or financial hardship. Although the majority of Udemy's courses are in business and informational technology, there are some courses in language, and Latin is one of them.
Thousands of courses
Udemy has an open framework to allow teachers to create and sell their courses. Your course choices may seem random, as they are created by individuals rather than Udemy taking complete control, so you'll have to look carefully at the course title and objectives to see if it's what you want to learn. Be aware that some Latin lessons are based on specific textbooks, and it may be assumed you will have access to that text for reference. In total, there are thousands of Udemy courses, though there are more than 25 in Latin.
What's in a course?
Each course has a description, objectives, syllabus, and reviews to get a feel for it. The course modules can offer video, audio, and written lectures and seem to follow a similar layout and format so you can get used to it quickly. The videos are the core of the course, usually no longer than ten minutes in length. With this shorter video requirement, teachers must break down the material into digestible chunks. You have the option to repeat and review material you didn't quite catch. Oftentimes there are subtitles to the audio and/or video, and there can be quizzes for you as well. Although the courses can't be downloaded for viewing offline, the app will let you watch offline. You can also access the classes through Google Chromecast and Apple TV. Usually you can post and read questions and post reviews. Before you choose the course, you can get a quick taste for it by clicking on "preview this course." Note that when you purchase a course, you'll have lifetime access to it, so the course doesn't magically disappear after a certain date.
Trial period
Because it's best to actually be in a course to know if it's right for you, Udemy offers a test drive, if you will, before you register for the class. As long as you haven't experienced or downloaded a majority of the course, you'll have 30 days to return it.
Certificates
Most courses offer certificates upon completion. These certificates aren't university accredited, but may be helpful for your professional development or just nice to frame and hang on your wall.
Costs
You don't have to be on your own
You can learn the course on your own, or you can take advantage of an interactive platform. You can show your assignments to others and receive feedback, and many of the courses offer a discussion board for questions and comments about the material taught. The teacher and students can see the comments and all can respond. Some teachers offer resources like social media pages as additional ways to communicate and continue your professional development and academic improvement.
Communication might be scarce
Just as some of the instructors do respond to your questions, others just don't. And some have complained that Udemy's admin isn't good at responding to messages either.
It's a good option
Udemy offers more than 25 Latin courses, from beginning to advanced levels. You can peruse the course description, see the student reviews, and decide if the course is right for you within 30 days of purchase. With the video instruction plus the discussion board, it is a good method for learning Latin. Udemy has had over 35 million students since 2010, demonstrating that they are good courses at reasonable prices. If you like a more traditional approach, try Udemy; if you're looking for excitement, such as game-like instruction and assessment, speaking and recording options for when you speak Latin, and prizes when you reach a new level, you can try a different Latin lesson program from our list of recommendations.
While technically Latin may not be the native language of any people living today, it's still ever present in the world. Latin especially comes alive in English. Our alphabet is the Latin alphabet. Many of our prefixes, suffixes, and quite a few of our common phrases are, or come from, Latin. It's an official language of Vatican City, and it is used as the language of reference for translating important religious documents into modern languages.
Many scholars believe learning Latin is good brain exercise and can help you increase your vocabulary as half the English language is based on Latin words and roots. Ergo, studying Latin can help you learn more English vocabulary and master other languages.
Originally, Latin was spoken in Rome, and morphed over the years, from Old Latin to New Latin and even Contemporary Latin, which is used in the Catholic church. Pope Francis often tweets in Latin to his over 900,000 followers. With the spread of the Roman empire, Latin was transformed into the many Romance languages we know today: Spanish, Catalan, French, Romanian, Portuguese, and Italian. So, some people would say that Latin lives on.
Latin certainly isn't dead in science. Latin terminologies are widespread in medicine, names of body parts, and names of diseases. The system used for naming plants and animals is founded in both Latin and Greek, and Latin terms form the roots of philosophical study.
Latin is quite alive in legal terms. Habeas corpus, ex post facto, and pro bono are familiar terms in real court cases as well as popular TV and online legal dramas.
Do you still need more reasons to learn Latin? It will surely help you in the fields of science, philosophy, law, and some theology. It can also help you with the study of other languages, especially the Romance languages mentioned above. Latin's not conversational? Julius Caesar would disagree.
Which Latin lessons are right for you? You've got a lot of options! Here are a few things to keep in mind that can help you narrow them down:
TopConsumerReviews.com has tested and reviewed the top options for Latin lessons available today. We're confident that with this information, you'll find no reason not to carpe diem -seize the day-and take your first Latin lesson!
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