World Language Learning: Online Resources
Featured eBooks, Audiobooks & Media @BPL
The Bilingual Edge: Why, When, and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language by
Presents a practical guide to teaching children a second language, with tips on choosing the right language and effective teaching methods.
Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780061462481Publication Date: 2007
Eine Fräu in Berlin = A Woman in Berlin by
Directed by Max Farberbock (Aimee & Jaguar). Set in 1945 during the Red Army invasion of Berlin. Women are victims of rape and devastation; one of them is Anonyma (NINA HOSS), who had been a journalist and photographer. In her desperation, she decides to look for an officer who can protect her. She meets a Russian officer Andrej (EVGENY SIDIKHIN) - an encounter which develops into a complex symbiotic relationship that forces them to remain enemies until the bitter end.
Call Number: eVideo hooplaPublication Date: 2009
Rapid Arabic, Vol 1
Earworms MBT Rapid Arabic Vol 1 - This is your personal audio language trainer with 200+ essential words and phrases anchored into your long-term memory with great music! This 1st of 3 volumes, is your survival kit for use when travelling abroad on a business trip or going on vacation.
Call Number: eAudiobook hooplaISBN: 9781910465004Publication Date: 2014
Spanish for Dummies® by
Learn Latin American Spanish quickly and painlessly The job market for those who are bilingual is expanding rapidly.Businesses and government agencies are hiring translators; retailers and advertisers are concentrating more energy in targeting the Spanish-speaking; and hospitals and agencies are seeking to overcome language barriers. Whether you're a student studying Spanish, a traveler gearing up for a trip to a Spanish-speaking country and need to learn the basics, or a upwardly mobile looking to get ahead of the pack in your career by learning a second language, Spanish For Dummies, 2nd edition is your hands-on guide to quickly and painlessly learn Latin American Spanish that includes: Expanded coverage of grammar, verb conjugations, and pronunciations A refreshed and expanded mini-dictionary complete with even more essential vocabulary, exercises, and more A revamped and expanded bonus CD-ROM that includes real-life dialogue to aid in your learning Whether you're looking to learn Spanish for use in the home, class, at the office, or on the go, "Spanish For Dummies, 2nd edition" has you covered "
Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781118007969Publication Date: 2011-01-04
Starting Out in ChineseCall Number: Downloadable AudiobookISBN: 9781400009473Publication Date: 2008-01-01
Pronunciation Tools
- Forvo.comAccording to their website, Forvo has a database of over 3 millions words pronounced in 325 languages. Improve your listening and speaking skills by listening to words pronounced by native speakers.
- Voice of America Pronounciation GuideA guide to correctly pronouncing challenging names and places from around the world that are in the news.
Translation & Conjugation Tools
- Dictionary.comA dictionary and translation tool that allows you to type in blocks of text up to 300 words for translation.
- Digital Dictionaries of South Asia (DDSA)The DDSA program makes dictionaries for twenty-six modern languages of South Asia freely available on the Internet.
- Google TranslateGoogle's machine-translation system allows you to translate text, speech, and images. Get the Google Translate app, available for Android and iOS devices, for mobile access.
- LexicoolA directory of over 8,000 free bilingual and multilingual dictionaries and glossaries on the Internet.
- ReversoReverso's linguistic tools include a translation service, dictionary, verb conjugator, and more. Languages covered are French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew, and Japanese.
- WordReference DictionariesDictionaries in 17 of the most commonly-spoken languages.
- Typeit.orgTypeit.org allows you to type "accent marks, diacritics, and foreign letters" online.
- Yourdictionary.comYourdictionary.com's foreign language resources section.
- VerbixVerbix is an on-line verb conjugation tool.
The Basics & Beyond
Access online books, audiobooks, films, and music through Boston Public Library's Overdrive, Hoopla, Contemporary World Music, and Popular Music Library databases.
- OverDrive eBooks and Audiobooks This link opens in a new windowChoose from hundreds of digital titles available in OverDrive eBook, Audio Book, Overdrive Music, and now, OverDrive Video format. Materials include books about learning different languages, and books in different languages. Download these titles directly to your PC or mobile device.
Note: Additional software may be required to borrow OverDrive titles. Please visit OverDrive Helop to learn the basics and get any software that you may need. - Hoopla Streaming Media This link opens in a new windowWith Hoopla, you can borrow free digital video, music, eBooks, and audiobooks. Gain access to thousands of titles available for instant streaming or temporary download, and watch/read/listen on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. A Boston Public Library card and pin are required.
- Contemporary World Music This link opens in a new windowContemporary World Music delivers the sounds of all regions from every continent. The database will contain important genres such as reggae, worldbeat, neo-traditional, world fusion, Balkanic jazz, African film, Bollywood, Arab swing and jazz, and other genres such as traditional music - Indian classical, fado, flamenco, klezmer, zydeco, gospel, gagaku, and more.
- Popular Music Library This link opens in a new windowPopular Music Library contains a wide range of popular music from around the world, including hundreds of thousands of tracks from major genres in pop music, including alternative, country, Christian, electronic, hip-hop, metal, punk, new age, R&B, reggae, rock, soundtracks and many more.
Whether your preference is to study online, download an app and learn on the go, or listen to podcasts, there are many free language learning lessons available on the Internet. Check out our featured resources, and take a look at the additional links to find the service that works best for you.
Duolingo
Duolingo is a popular, and free, language learning platform. You can use Duolingo on your computer, or download the iPhone or Android app to learn on the go. Duolingo's bite-sized lessons are designed like games, and include a "variety of listening, speaking, translation and multiple-choice challenges." Watch Paul Jorgensen's review video of Duolingo on his Langfocus YouTube channel below.
BBC Languages
The BBC Language site's main concentration is on resources for Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, with basic information on 33 additional languages provided.
Foreign Service Institute Courses
Created by the U.S. Department of State for use by their diplomats, the Foreign Services Institute language courses provide language-learning materials for over 40 languages. The PDF files and audios are all in the public domain and free to download. They are available on the Live Lingua and fsi-language-courses.org websites. The Peace Corps Language Archive and the Defense Language Institutes's language courses are also located on both sites.
iTunes Language-Learning Podcasts
Podcasts are digital media files that are produced as a series and are subscribed to by RSS feed. They can be downloaded to your computer or mobile device. Podcasts are a flexible language-learning tool ideal for using on your commute. Browse the iTunes collection of free language-learning podcasts in your target language. When you've chosen your podcast, open iTunes to download and subscribe.
Memrise
Memrise uses scientifically-based, memory-enhancing techniques to help build vocabulary in over 100 different languages. The basic service is free but, for a fee, you can access their premium service which provides additional features. Apps are available for iOS and Android devices.
Open Culture
This comprehensive gateway site to free cultural and educational media on the Web includes links to what they consider to be the best language-learning resources for 48 languages. Resources include Foreign Service Institute classes, university courses, iTunes podcasts, and more.
Additional Sites:
About.com - Free Online Language Courses
A list of free online language courses by About.com.
Digital Dialects
Free, vocabulary-buidling games for over 80 languages.
LangMedia Resources for World Languages
Language-learning material for over 30 languages developed by The Five College Center for the Study of World Languages.
Learn a Language
Free lessons and activities for learning Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, German, Chinese, Russian, and English with basic information on others.
Pimsleur Language Learning Resources
The Boston Public Library carries the Pimsleur Language Programs. Pimsleur offers additional resources for free online for students who want to supplement their language studies. Resources include vocabulary lists, articles, links to online resources, and more. The languages covered are Arabic, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Radio Lingua
Radio Lingua offers the Coffee Break language learning series for French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Their audio lessons are free, and can be accessed on their website and also through iTunes. Their fee-based premium service provides additional support materials.
When learning a language, it is important to start using it as soon as possible. For most people, it is not realistic to spend extended periods of time in a country where the language is spoken, so the next best thing is to connect with native speakers in your area, or online. The resources below will help you do that.
- Busuu.comA language learning social network with an "international community of over 50 million native speakers." The site offers free, and premium for-a-fee courses through online and apps.
- Conversation ExchangeConversation Exchange offers you the opportunity to practice your target language through meeting native speakers in your area, finding a penpal, or using chat software to connect with a language-learning partner.
- italki.comA language-learning marketplace and social network site where you can hire an online teacher and find language exchange partners.
- LiveMocha: Free Online Language LearningLivemocha is an online language learning community that provides instructional materials and the opportunity to connect with native speakers in many languages.
- MeetupPractice your target language by joining a local Language and Ethnic Identity Meetup group.
- MyLanguageExchange.comConnect online with someone who speaks your target language and wants to learn yours.
- WordReference Language ForumsIn addition to free online dictionaries, WordReference offers forums where users can have their grammar and vocabulary questions answered.
Some universities have made selected courses available for free online. They are designed to appeal to high school and college students, teachers, and adults who wish to continue their education informally. Check out some of the language courses available at the links below.
- Carnegie Mellon - Open Learning InitiativeCarnegie Mellon University offers open and free courses in a variety different subjects. Foreign-language classes offered include: Arabic for Global Exchange, Elementary Chinese I, Elementary French I & II, Elementary Spanish I. Course materials are free, and you can learn at your own pace.
- CourseraCoursera partners with universities and organizations to offer online courses. There are two foreign language-learning courses available: Chinese for Beginners from Peking University, and Auf Deutsch: Communicating in German Across Cultures from the University of Pennsylvania.
- edXEdX offers online classes from universities and institutions around the world. Take free classes in French, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish.
- MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW)MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) makes MIT course content available online. Course materials for the following foreign languages are available: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Building Fluency: Practice Resources, Tools & Tips
Stay up-to-date with current events, and improve your reading skills, by connecting with newspapers, magazines, and news services in your target language.
Boston Public Library Databases
- PressReader This link opens in a new windowPressDisplay is the most convenient and complete way to read all your favorite newspapers and magazines in one site. With PressDisplay you have access to over "4000 newspapers and magazines from more than 100 countries in 60 languages."
Internet Resources
- BBC World ServiceThe BBC World Service provides news in 27 languages.
- Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC)An extensive resource guide by the University of Texas to online resources on Latin America, including news and media.
- MIT - Foreign Language News and Newspapers"The foreign-language newspaper sites listed here are a sample of material available on the Web free of charge"
- News & Periodical ResourcesA guide to newspaper websites, news services, and periodicals on the Web created by the Library of Congress.
- Newspaperindex.com"List of the most important online newspapers and other news sources in all countries in the world."
- Onlinenewspapers.comAn online newspaper directory that lists thousands of newspapers by country and region.
- Worldpress.org - World Newpapers & MagazinesA comprehensive directory of World newspapers and magazines organized by region, country, and political affiliation.
Improve your listening comprehension and speaking skills by connecting with radio and TV programs in your target language.
- Radio-Locator.comRadio Locator provides "links to over 15,000 radio stations' websites and over 9,700 stations' audio streams for radio stations in the U.S. and around the world."
- World Wide Web Internet TV (wwiTV)World Wide Web Internet TV lists 1273 online TV channels. Channels are listed by country, from Afghanistan to Yemen,
- Tunein.comTunein provides access to over 100,000 radio stations and more than five million podcasts streaming from every continent for free. Additional services are available for a fee.
Consider visiting a country where your target language is spoken. This will not only improve your language skills, but also give you the opportunity to experience the customs and culture of the people.
- BBC News - Country ProfilesProvides background information on countries, territories, and organizations around the world.
- BBC Quick Fix - Essential Phrases in 40 LanguagesThe BBC Quick Fix site supplies you with "essential phrases in 40 languages." When traveling, take this convenient resource with you on your mp3 player, or as a print-out, for the languages you are most likely to encounter.
- CIA World FactbookThe World Factbook is produced for US policymakers and provides detailed information on the people, government, economy, and more for 267 world entities.
- Couchsurfing.comThrough couchsurfing.com you can improve your language skills and broaden your horizons by connecting with locals abroad, attending couchsurfing.com events in your city, and becoming a host yourself.
- Kwintessential Country ProfilesKwintessential provides free etiquette, culture, and protocol guides to over 80 countries.
- U.S. Department of State - Countries & RegionsUse the State Department's A-Z List of Country and Other Areas Pages to connect to detailed information on over 200 countries and areas.
- U.S. Department of State - Student TravelInformation and resources for students traveling abroad.
- U.S. Department of State - Travel InformationThe U.S. State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs website provides information for U.S. citizens traveling or living abroad including how to apply for a passport, travel alerts & warnings, links to information on your destination country or area, and more. There is a special section on students traveling abroad.
- USEmbassy.govU.S. embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions abroad.
- Hathi Trust Digital Library This link opens in a new windowAs a digital repository for the U.S. research libraries, HathiTrust brings together the immense collections of partner institutions.
HathiTrust was conceived as a collaboration of the thirteen universities of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation and the University of California system to establish a repository for these universities to archive and share their digitized collections.
Learn more about HathiTrust. - Open Library This link opens in a new windowRegister for an Open Library account and borrow an eBook from the growing collection of mainly 20th Century titles available now. Each title can be borrowed by one patron at once, and you can read it in a web browser or in Adobe Digital Editions as a PDF or in ePub format.
10,000 titles are available to any Open Library visitor, but users of participating libraries (such as the Boston Public Library) have an additional 100,000 titles from which to choose.
- International Children's Digital Library (ICDL)The ICDL Foundation is working to build a digital library of children's books from around the world. According to figures on ICDL's website, they currently have a total of 4619 books in 59 languages.
- Internet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a nonprofit digital library that provides free access to its collections of books, films, music, and more. The Archive has over 6 millions texts, and includes materials in many different languages.
- LibriVoxLibriVox converts public domain books into audio files and make them available for free on the Internet. According to their website statistics, they have over 9,000 books cataloged, 1,241 of which are non-English language works. They currently have audiobooks in 35 languages.
- Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg offers free access to over 49,000 ebooks and audiobooks including titles in French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.
YouTube
You can use YouTube to learn, or enhance your knowledge of a language. Search for language-learning videos by keying in "learn [name of language]," or search by topic and [name of language] to retrieve videos in that language about a subject your are interested in.
YouTube also has many foreign-language music videos which you can use to increase your vocabulary, improve your pronunciation, and learn the rhythm of the language. Search YouTube by artist, song title, or subject. Search Google for the lyrics in both the original language and in translation.