Chinese (and Spanish, French and Italian) takeout

Last month, when Barack Obama called on Americans to learn a second language, it went over like a veggie tray at a carb addicts meeting. But Praxis Language Corporation’s LanguagePods may make people warm up to Obama’s idea. These 10-to-12-minute lessons (currently available for Chinese, Spanish, French and Italian) download to your iPod or iPhone and are cleverly disguised as provocative minidramas (like strictly audio telenovelas). Simply download the session you want (each language comes in five different skill levels) and tune in. When you’re ready to practice, sign up for guided discussions or one-on-one lessons via podcasts, where you’ll converse in real time with native speakers from around the world. $9–$30 per service; visit praxislanguage.com