Reviews
Hundreds of resources to help you teach yourself
VocabuLearn Italian
Italian, Audio Lessons, Vocabulary
VocabuLearn’s publisher, Penton Overseas, was a victim of the global economic crash. The company no longer exists under that name, but the CDs it used to make are gradually finding new life on the web in the form of…
The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (Fourth Edition)
Arabic, Books, Dictionaries
The front cover of this Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic reads, “A Compact Version of the Internationally Recognized Fourth Edition,” but I can’t find a non-compact fourth edition. Confusing! I have read effusive things…
SparkNotes French Vocabulary Study Cards
French, Flashcards, Vocabulary
These are great. Blue on one side, white on the other, clear print, sturdy, and a good choice of words. Plus inexpensive. Or at least they used to be. Unfortunately, between the time I began this review and the time…
Modern Language Association
Arabic, Dutch, English, French, General, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Yiddish, Websites, Organizations
This eminent 130-year-old organization “provides opportunities for its members to share their scholarly findings and teaching experiences with colleagues and to discuss trends in the academy.” The Modern Language Association publishes prolifically, academics congregate annually at their annual convention,…
French Institute Alliance Française
French, Museums/Cultural, Organizations, Classes/Conversation, Kids
FIAF, as it is known, is a wonderful New York City institution offering diverse cultural events and resources for Francophile New Yorkers. I have gone to a conversation event there, seen French movies, visited the library, taken a few French…
Strand Bookstore
English, French, General, Bookstores/Libraries
This independent bookstore is a fantastic place to visit for a variety of book needs. The foreign-language section is not huge, but it is there. When I inquired about the source of their non-English books, an employee told me they…
Yorkville, Manhattan
German, Neighborhoods
After the General Slocum disaster of 1904, many Little Germany residents from the Lower East Side moved to Yorkville, on the Upper East Side. Although Yorkville’s precise boundaries may be in dispute (at least according to the quick…
Visual Education Arabic Vocabulary Cards
Arabic, Flashcards, Vocabulary
This product from Visual Education includes 1,000 vocabulary cards, each of which contains an Arabic word, and sometimes additional related words. I used them back in 2009 when I was studying Arabic, and was mystified by some of the choices made in…