Why Babbel Makes A Great Gift

Whether you’re figuring out what to give someone for the first time or you’ve run out of thoughtful gift ideas for your dad, the well of inspiration does run dry from time to time. It’s at this moment that you kind of have to decide: will it be another set of cocktail glasses you know they don’t really need, or will you branch out and take a risk? Then again, do you even have any gift ideas that are inspiring enough to count as “breaking the mold”? That’s where Babbel as a gift makes a great alternative.

While trivial knickknack gifts feel like an empty gesture, giving the gift of language lands on a whole other level, and it’s not just for the super accomplished polyglot in your life. If you know someone who’s ever expressed interest in learning a language but never got around to it — or even if you know someone who’s merely fond of traveling — a Babbel subscription makes for a memorable and sensible gift. Here are a few reasons why.

Giving Babbel As A Gift Is Thoughtful Because…

Many People Value Experiences Over Things

You’ve probably heard by now that Millennials tend to prioritize experiences over things — as in “it’s better to spend your disposable income on travel than a mortgage in this uncertain economy.” Whether it’s increasingly choosing to rent and not buy or knowing that a memorable experience will make you happier than another product or possession, this generational shift is a complex response to a lot of factors. And it’s one that’s uniquely suited for the late capitalist era.

Truthfully, this is probably not unique to Millennials, even if they take most of the credit for the creation of the experience economy. Even science backs up the notion that we humans are happier when we spend money on experiences and personal development rather than material items. So give a gift of learning and adventure. The recipient will probably get a lot more out of it than a momentary sense of “Well, I guess I did technically need more socks.”

Language Learning Is Aspirational

For a lot people (especially in the United States), multilingualism is a “maybe, someday” version of themselves they’d like to bring to fruition. But unless they’re moving to a new country or are multilingual by virtue of having grown up that way, language learning isn’t something they’re generally under a lot of pressure to do. Hence, people aspire to learn languages, but a lot of them realistically put it off. Whether they procrastinate due to a lack of time or a lack of confidence is another matter entirely. But often, it’s a combination of both.

Gifting a language learning subscription is a nice way of saying, “Hey, I believe in the ‘maybe someday’ version of you, and I want to help you prioritize your dreams.”

Babbel Is Proven To Work

Sometimes, it really is the thought that counts, but if you’re going to give the gift of language, it’s important to vet your source.

Babbel is the best choice for actually preparing yourself to speak your new language out in the wild. It was created by a team of more than 150 language experts, and its efficacy as a learning tool has been independently verified by multiple studies that found, among other things, that you can cover the requirements for one college semester of Spanish in an average of 15 hours of study with the app. Plus, across multiple studies, at least 92 percent of participants were able to improve their language proficiency with Babbel, and almost all of them reported that they were satisfied with the app.

You’re Giving So Much More Than Language

This kind of goes hand-in-hand with “language learning as an experiential gift,” but there’s so much more you can gain from the study of another language than linguistic skills. You also gain the ability to make meaningful connections with people from other cultures (or perhaps even your own family members, if you hail from an immigrant background or have family across the world). You also profit from numerous unexpected perks, like cognitive benefits for your brain, a boost in self-esteem and an increased sense of compassion and intercultural competency. If the choice is between “a nice bottle of wine” and “the gift of actually becoming a better, more mentally fit person,” doesn’t the answer seem like a bit of a no-brainer?