LiveMocha ! World's Largest Language Learning Community

Launched in 2007, Livemocha describes itself as the “world’s largest online language learning community, offering free and paid online courses in 38 languages.” It has 8.5 million members, and about 125,000 people use the site daily.
Livemocha’s audience is split between the young and middle-aged. About half are ages 18 to 23, and that age bracket wants to learn a new language, improve skills, and become more marketable. The other audience is 40 years and older. Having established their careers, the over-40 set wants to travel more and learn new languages.
Livemocha can also reach high school and college learners because 40,000 teachers have enrolled on Livemocha to enhance their students’ learning. Students practice with native learners and teach beginners as well.

Members can take introductory courses on the site for free. But once serious learning begins, members have several options of how to participate including:

• 1) Members can “trade” their language skills to help another member and not have to pay. Someone fluent in French can help a beginner, earn points and then exchange these points to learn Spanish, Chinese, or another language;
• 2) Members can purchase premium independent study packages in five languages--English, French, Italian, German and Spanish--for $30 to $40 a month, which train beginners to be conversational and say good morning and order dinner;
• 3) Lastly, members can pay a minimum of $20 a month to learn a language, which can rise to $30 monthly for more intensified learning. Most learners spend about a year learning a language on Livemocha.

...the market for second-language acquisition continues to grow due to both increasing globalization and an increasingly diverse U.S. population. According to the 2010 Census, the foreign-born population of the United States is approaching 37 million people. Meanwhile, approximately 280 million Americans age five and older speak only English in their homes. . . . what can help students & adults learn a second language? Enter LiveMocha, located in a Seattle suburb, it is the largest online-based language learning service with 9 million members in nearly 200 countries. It's giving Rosetta Stone some serious competition by utilizing new technologies and offering a product at $150 to compete with the $500 to $1,000 that Rosetta charges for an equivalent service. Read an interview in INC with the CEO of LiveMocha about the continued need for secondary language acquisition in the US, and why he considers the company a mix of social networking and gaming mechanics

The site also pays tutors who teach online. There are about 50 tutors who teach students one-on-one.
Livemocha teaches languages through a combination of course work blended with audio and visual tools to teach vocabulary and grammar. In addition, it uses repetition through flash cards, but stresses learning a language through actual conversation with a fluent speaker. Moreover, it uses third-party software, which operates like Skype, where the teacher and learner can see each other and learn interactively.
CEO Michael Schutzler said its goal is to “make language learning affordable, fun, and accessible for everyone.” Learning a language should entail more than memorizing a flash card, so Livemocha emphasizes conversational learning between a fluent speaker and student.