I hadn't heard of Babbel, sounds like a great app to learn a new language!

Wouldn't want to sound like this when I take a stab at a new language:

I am less impressed with Google Translate: I am Dutch (lots of similarities with Afrikaans btw!) and it's often hit or miss. Although I understand Google has recently rolled out an update to improve its Dutch translations. So hopefully it'll be more spot on now!

Have you ever tried DuoLingo? I love that app to learn the basics of a new language.