Language learning community Babbel now offers certificates to those users who complete a course on the service. After a learner completed a course, an icon will show up next to it on the dashboard. With a click on that icon, the certificate can be downloaded and printed out.
According to the post on the Babbel blog, the certificate will showcase exactly what you have learned in the course to demonstrate specific knowledge. The Beginner’s courses will also mention the according level in the CEF, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
The European competitor busuu is offering similar certificates for 25 or 50 completed lessons since November 2008, already.
Certifications are on the one hand a good motivation to really finish the course you have started and on the other hand they can be useful for job applications etc.
However, the question remains if at all and how they are valued by employers or academic institutions, especially when no test is needed to receive them.
