Reviews
Hundreds of resources to help you teach yourself
Central Park
Arabic, Dutch, English, French, General, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Yiddish, Parks, Kids
Central Park draws international visitors year round, but if you really want to hear other languages, walk around here during the three non-freezing seasons: spring, summer, and fall. Summer especially is crazy with tourists. You can hear dozens of languages.…
Ellis Island Immigration Museum
General, Museums/Cultural, Kids
The Ellis Island Immigration Museum is a must-visit place for anyone interested in American history. Almost 12 million immigrants came to the United States through Ellis Island, and I have read that nearly half of modern-day Americans are descended from them.…
Älskling
Arabic, Dutch, English, French, General, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Shopping, Kids
Älskling, which means “darling” in Swedish, sells baby clothes online in dozens of languages. When I first encountered this product in an Upper West Side shop some years ago, I was fortunate enough to be given a tour by…
The World in a City: Traveling the Globe Through the Neighborhoods of the New New York
General, Books, Neighborhoods
This 2007 book weaves together poignant and sometimes surprising immigrant tales from neighborhoods all over New York City. What happens globally changes the shape of the city, by bringing new waves of people from around the world to reinvent New York…
Open Letter
General, Websites, Bookstores/Libraries
This non-profit publisher at the University of Rochester is dedicated to fixing a persistent imbalance: writing in English gets translated and shipped all over the world, but only three percent of the books published in the U.S. are works…
The International Phonetic Association
General, Websites, Organizations
Established in 1886 in Paris, the International Phonetic Association (IPA) seeks “to promote the scientific study of phonetics and the various practical applications of that science.” Compulsive language learners will inevitably come across the organization’s International Phonetic Alphabet,…
Center for Applied Linguistics
General, Organizations
The Washington, D.C.-based Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) is a nonprofit organization “working to improve communication through better understanding of language and culture.” It was established in 1959. Its many activities include work on ESL and foreign-language education, language…
Word Bookstore
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…
NYC & Company Official Information Center
General, Websites, Organizations
NYC & Company’s mission is to “maximize travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, build economic prosperity and spread the dynamic image of New York City around the world.” They have various Official Information Centers around town,…