The growth of online communications has led to a shrinking world where it’s easier than ever to learn about different countries.

However, picking up a new language is still the best way to truly appreciate a foreign culture.

Yesterday at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S9, its newest flagship smartphone.

Here's something I learnt recently: There are more than 300 sign languages in the world. This discovery has made me feel somewhat ignorant, because, just like the languages of the world, of course there is more than one sign language!

iOS/Android: Duolingo recently added a great Japanese curriculum to their app, and now they're following it up with another great course on Korean. It's a good time to be interested in East Asian languages!

News flash: You don't need to sink thousands of dollars into learning new skills or foreign languages. With Cudoo's Online Language & Professional Development Library, you can access thousands of videos covering a wide range of languages and professional skills, and two-year subscriptions are on sale for a limited time.

The idea of teaching a child a second language can sound intimidating. If you, yourself, are rusty in that language (say, you haven't conjugated a Spanish verb since Year 11), it can seem impossible.

Learning a second language is something most of us aspire to, but never get around to. This is unfortunate, as it's one of the most enriching skills you can acquire without spending heaps of money. This infographic breaks down eight ways becoming multilingual will benefit your life - from increased employment opportunities to a better understanding of your native tongue.

Android: Duolingo is introducing Duolingo Plus, a $US10 ($13)/month subscription that will cut ads and let you download lessons for offline use on Android.

Tinycards is an app from Duolingo that gives you flashcards for hundreds of topics. We really liked Tinycards when it launched on iPhone last year, and now the tool is available on the web.

Mac: If you swap between a Western and a non-Latin keyboard layout on your Mac, like Hebrew, Chinese or Kannada, you'd usually need to do so by clicking an option in the menu bar. MacWorld points out you can set the Caps Lock key to easily swap between keyboards.

If you're planning on tinkering around with electronics, whether it's on a Raspberry Pi, Arduino, or anything else, you'll need to know at least a little bit of programming. Hackster.io sent out a survey to figure out which three languages people thought were the best to learn.

iOS/Android: Pronunciation can be tough when trying to learn a new language. ELSA is an interactive language app that helps non-native English speakers learn the language based on their pronunciation.

One of the best things about travelling is immersing yourself in the culture by eating and drinking like a local, and knowing how to toast correctly is a big part of that.

Smartphones, search engines and translators can break language barriers easily enough, but what if you wanted to know how to do things yourself? This guide will show you all the tips and tricks you need to identify almost any language in a matter of seconds.

Tinder may have a reputation as a tool for finding hookups, but the service can be used for other interesting things as well. With Tinder Plus, you can turn the app into a way to meet language learning partners.

Windows: Skype's relatively new translator app allows users who speak different languages to video chat together. Now, it's becoming a feature of the regular Skype app.

Android/iOS: Learning to read, write, and speak languages with their own character sets can be challenging to those of us used to Roman lettering, but Word Fireworks turns it into a game that's not just easy to get into, but compelling enough to stick with.

Android: Language translation apps are nothing new (which is one of the coolest sentences I've written), but Microsoft's new Translator app offers some neat features. In addition to translating between 48 languages via text or voice, you can even use an Android Wear watch to translate from your wrist.

Korean writing might look very complex and hard to learn, but the comic below by Ryan Estrada proves you can learn to read Korean in practically no time.