Google is just beginning “Google Voice” which, as Mashable puts it, is like “Gmail for Voicemail.” It allows users to make phone calls (free in the U.S.), leave voice messages and also generate an automatic written transcript of the message.

Since the service isn’t public yet, it’s unclear how accessible how it will be for English Language Learners to use, but the speaking, listening and reading advantages are obvious.

Check out the Mashable post (and also one at TechCrunch). You can request an invitation from Google to use the service here.