Reviews
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Schoenhof’s Foreign Books
Arabic, Dutch, English, French, General, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Yiddish, Websites, Bookstores/Libraries, Kids
Founded in 1856, Schoenhof’s claims to have the “largest collection of foreign books in North America.” As a student at Harvard, I used to shop at their main store in Harvard Square for my language and literature course materials. I…
Oxford Learner’s Spanish Dictionary
Spanish, Books, Dictionaries, Kids
What makes this a learner’s dictionary as opposed to a regular dictionary is that this one has word tips and examples for the language newcomer. I am sort of a hard-core traditionalist about dictionaries, so I didn’t take…
Rizzoli Bookstore
English, French, General, Italian, Spanish, Bookstores/Libraries, Kids
This is a truly gorgeous bookstore with a wonderful selection of books—in English, Italian, Spanish, and French. There are not many stores in New York with a meaningful supply of foreign-language books. This is one, and it seems to…
Queen Sofía Spanish Institute
Spanish, Museums/Cultural, Classes/Conversation, Kids
Founded in 1954, this organization “promotes the understanding of Spanish culture, past and present, and its influence in the Americas through a variety of programs.” These include exhibitions, lectures (including medical ones!), book presentations, symposia, classes, and more. It is housed…
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.…
Global Language Project
Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish, Classes/Conversation, Kids
This project was founded by Angela Jackson, a business executive whose experiences living and working abroad highlighted for her the advantages multilingualism conferred on children overseas, in terms of both educational and professional opportunities. Bringing together language instructors, researchers, school…
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…
Little Pim
Arabic, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Kids
I know little about Little Pim, other than that it offers language-learning products for kids, that it was founded by Julia Pimsleur Levine, and that the company’s instructional DVDs span multiple language families. Also that Ms. Levine happens…
El Museo del Barrio
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…