Reviews

Hundreds of resources to help you teach yourself

Visit Their Website for More Information

General, Kids

STARTALK is part of the 2006 National Security Language Initiative, whose goal was to further skills in strategically important world languages that were not being widely taught in the U.S.  According to the program website, STARTALK’s mission is…

For the Kids: Polish Memory Cards

5 English, General, Polish, Bookstores/Libraries, Kids

This lovely independent bookstore in Greenpoint has all kinds of books in English, but what caught my eye when I stopped by in 2011 is that it also had Polish books for children. Not huge numbers of them, but between those…

Learn Chinese Young!

Mandarin, Kids

These online materials, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, include e-learning reading lessons designed for American high school students who are studying Chinese at a beginning or intermediate level. Lessons are available in both the simplified characters…

See Their Website for Information on Exhibits and Events

Spanish, Museums/Cultural, Kids

The mission of El Museo del Barrio is to “present and preserve the art and culture of Puerto Ricans and all Latin Americans in the United States.” In addition to its exhibitions, the museum offers festivals, special events, and bilingual…

Approaching FIAF

5 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…

You Can Learn Languages Here

5 French, Italian, Spanish, Bookstores/Libraries, Kids

This Chelsea bookstore, which opened in 2008, radiates bibliophilia. You can buy books in French, Spanish, or Italian here, and also take classes at the store in any of those three languages. The owner, David Del Vecchio, previously worked at the…

Where the German Classes Take Place

4 German, Organizations, Classes/Conversation, Social, Kids

Yorkville historian Kathy Jolowicz founded this club in 1990, which, according to the website, is “keeping Yorkville/Kleindeutschland’s Heritage Alive.” Yorkville refers to a swathe of the Upper East Side once heavily populated with Germans, and Kleindeutschland…

Inside the Bookstore

4 Mandarin, Bookstores/Libraries, Kids

I visited this bookstore in Flushing’s Chinatown soon after I began my Mandarin studies, and boy, did I feel helpless! I could not read a word. A friendly Chung Hwa employee helped me out, giving me advice on which…

FlashcardExchange.com: Find Flashcards for Your Target Language

4 Arabic, Dutch, English, French, General, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Yiddish, Apps, Flashcards, Vocabulary, Websites, Kids

FlashcardExchange.com claims to be the “world’s largest flashcard library.” It was founded in 2001 by a guy named Culley Harrelson, who was studying for an exam using a giant stack of paper flashcards. Apparently he didn’t find…

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