In my role as the librarian for Foreign Languages and Literatures, I get questions all the time from people who are looking for materials to help them learn a foreign language. So I’m always on the lookout for free online resources to which I can direct people.
One that has just come to my attention is the BBC’s Languages site. This site offers a wealth of free language lessons and tools, for a variety of languages. You can watch videos, see vocabulary lists, subscribe to phrase-a-day RSS feeds, sign up for email tips, and more. It seems to have the most content for French, German, Italian, and Spanish, but there are 40 languages for which they at least offer lists of useful phrases.
So, if you want to do some language prep for your study abroad trip or your international co-op (or spring break!), you may want to see what the BBC has to offer you. You can also check out my subject guide for Foreign Languages & Literatures for other helpful language links. And buena suerte / bonne chance / viel Glück / good luck with your language study!