Go Beyond Berlitz

If you're trying to brush up on your language skills, there are a few new cool web apps that can help you stay focused and motivated. My favorite so far is LiveMocha, which is free because it relies on the language skills of users who are native speakers of other languages to help; you tutor them in English and they tutor you in French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, or Hindi. Surprisingly, my limited experience with the site shows that it actually works. I got quick feedback on my writing and speaking exercises in Spanish (I still need some work!) and there were plenty of built-in tutoring exercises to play around with when I wasn't interacting with other users. (And while you're not required to help out ESLers, it's really kind of fun.)