How I Learn a Language by Reading Foreign Magazines

I find leisure reading a fun way to learn a foreign language and for those I’ve already mastered, it’s a great way to reinforce. An example of leisure reading is reading magazines IN the target language, and this is what this post is about.

I don’t indulge in fashion but I like reading about fashion. I transfer that interest to reading the subject in Italian (my target language) and have gone on to include Spanish and French.

I use to buy physical copies of magazines. While the English ones are steady in supply, the Italian, Spanish and French ones are not so. Buying mags is expensive, not to mention how fast they pile up taking up space.

I realize buying physical copies is not sustainable but I now have an excellent solution that not only is affordable and don’t take up physical storage space, but will satisfy my reading and learning needs. That solution is Zinio.com. I can now read the US, UK, Italy, and France editions of Elle, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Glamour, etc. in a guilt-free way. The magazines arrive in my reader very much in advance (I'm now reading the June issues although it’s only May now).

I do have a strategy that has become a routine for managing my e-magazines. I systematically download, read and remove them after reading. Mags that have been removed from the active list (archived) are still retrievable (just like Kindle), which I get to keep forever!

Do you read online magazines? What platform or app do you use?