Periodic: a Monthly Blog Feature

Aprender un nuevo lenguaje… Eine neue Sprache lernen…Imparare una nuova lingua…

As technology expands into all aspects of our lives, it isn’t surprising that libraries are offering more electronic and online resources. Among these are language services, where your Library card serves as your passport!

Mango Languages (Available in and out of the library)

Who needs phrasebooks or dry textbooks to learn a language? You can access fun and engaging lessons in 71 languages, from Wine and Cheese in French to Legal Terminology in Latin American Spanish and Oktoberfest in German. Lessons are in the form of conversations. You can pick a topic or simply start with lesson one, with subjects like “greetings” and “shopping”.

Create an account and use your Library card to access this resource. You can even track your progress! Mango is ideal for exploring a language you might want to study in depth or to kick off that overseas trip. You won’t have to pack an extra item: you can access Mango from the road via your smart devices. Just be sure you remembered your Library card number!

Scola (Available in the library only)

Many of us studied a language in high school or college and would like to get back that fluency we once had. SCOLA presents stories and full-length radio and TV broadcasts from around the world; it also provides access to foreign-language newspapers. Listening to broadcast media mimics immersion language study, and you are exposed to idiomatic expressions and useful modern speech construction. The format enables you to repeat the segment until you are comfortable with all the wording.