Language Learning

Language is everywhere! Montgomery County is such a diverse area, and I was curious to know just how many languages were spoken here. So I had a quick look at the Montgomery County Public Schools site to see how many languages were spoken by their students. Did you know they have enrolled students from more than 157 countries speaking 138 languages? Wow! Learning a language is such a fun way to make new connections to people and cultures as well as a great way to get ahead in your career. MCPL is here to help!

For online learning have a look at the over 70 languages available through Mango Languages. It also includes English courses for speakers of about 20 languages. It emphasizes conversational skills. If you want to keep track of your progress you should set up a username and password in Mango. Mango Languages offers free apps for Apple and Android devices. To use the app, first log in to the Mango website with your library card number and create your Mango account. Then download the app to your device. On the whimsical side, be sure to try their Pirate language lessons!

Muzzy Online
Muzzy Online
Looking for online language learning for kids? Try Muzzy Online for its fun, interactive language learning games and vocabulary lessons. Don't forget to watch some Muzzy movies that help kids learn as well.

We also offer audiobooks and e-books to learn on the go. The Maryland's Digital eLibrary Consortium (Overdrive) has both e-books and audiobooks to help you learn many languages. OneClickDigital has a variety of the popular Pimsleur Language Learning audiobooks. A good place to find French and Spanish e-books for kids is TumbleBooks.

If you are interested in learning sign language MCPL has many great offerings. We have Beginner Sign Language classes that adults and teens can register for at Germantown. For adults we also have engaging book discussions in American Sign Language. For babies some sign language is included as part of our Born to Read storytimes at Bethesda. All ages can enjoy the event Flying Fingers of Fall that will teaching seasonal sign language words at Little Falls.  If you are looking for individual study we have many books and DVDs that teach or are about sign language. You can find more resources about sign language on our Deaf and Hard of Hearing webpage.

Looking for print books? Since 1986, MCPL has purchased adult and children's books and periodicals in certain world languages to serve the county's diverse population. Today we have books in our World Languages collection in eight languages: Amharic, Chinese, Farsi, French, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

English Conversation Club at Olney
English Conversation Club at Olney
Speaking a new language is a great way to learn and you can do that at our Conversation Clubs. They are a friendly, comfortable place in which to practice speaking. We offer Conversation Clubs in English, French, and Spanish. Want to practice speaking by reading and discussing books? Come and enjoy our book discussions in Chinese, French, and Spanish.

Amharic storytime at Silver Spring
Amharic Storytime at Silver Spring
We also have some other engaging and educational resources that kids will enjoy. Looking for events? Try our fun and educational bilingual storytimes. We offer bilingual storytimes in Amharic, French, and Spanish. Language learning DVDs can be checked out to learn Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, and Spanish. Kids' dictionaries in several languages such as Chinese, French, and Spanish can be checked out as well.

There's something for everyone at MCPL! Enjoy learning a new language today!

 Susan

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