Foreign Language & ESL Resources

The library is a great place to learn about foreign languages, especially for those who want to discover the basics of a language on their own.  Spokane Public Library also has many resources for people learning English as their second language.

Foreign Languages

Library Resources

Whether you want to learn a language for travel, business, or personal enrichment, our PowerSpeak Languages database contains highly engaging courses using progressive language learning methods. Languages include Spanish, French, Mandarin, German, and ESL for Spanish speakers.  From outside the library, you will need a city resident library card.

The library also has books, sound recordings, and video recordings that will help you learn a foreign language.  Books and sound recordings are both found in the 400s section of nonfiction.

When searching our catalog, try a Starts With...Subject search for the name of the language (i.e. French language) and then try some of the following subheadings:

• dictionaries
• conversation and phrase books
• grammar
• self instruction
• sound recordings for English speakers
• study and teaching
• textbooks for foreign speakers
• usage
• verb
• vocabulary

Once you become more advanced, you can check out some of our books written in a foreign language, especially our larger collections of Spanish, Russian, and Vietnamese books.  Another source is to look at books on the poetry of a particular foreign language, which often have side by side versions in English and the original language.  We have many foreign movies, as well, where you can listen to the language spoken naturally.

Internet Resources

The internet is a good source for free multimedia and interactive resources for learning a foreign language.  The following are some recommended sites:

• About.com's Education section has extensive essays and resources for several major languages, including French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, and Spanish
• BBC Languages - free multimedia courses on major languages; some videos are not available outside of the UK
• Foreign Service Institute Language Courses - originally developed by the government, the lessons are now posted online for a wide variety of
  
• Livemocha is an online language learning community with many free lessons and the ability to subscribe to more advanced lessons 
• Living Language, a well-known publisher, allows free access to its online practice modules
  
• Omniglot - a guide to writing systems and alphabets of the world
  
• Word2Word Course List - fairly comprehensive list of free online language resources arranged by name of language 

Local Resources

If you want to learn a foreign language locally, the Community Colleges of Spokane's continuing education courses offer inexpensive short-term courses.  Of course, all the local colleges will offer regular language classes as well.  Look in the phone book (paper or online) under Education, Languages or Translation for more commercial options.

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English as a Second Language (ESL)

Learning English can be a challenge, but Spokane Public Library has many resources to help.

Library Resources

Our PowerSpeak Languages database contains an "ESL for Spanish Speakers" module.  From outside the library, you will need a city resident library card.

The library also has books, sound recordings, and video recordings that will help you learn English.  Books and sound recordings are both found in the 400s section of nonfiction.

When searching our catalog, try a Starts With...Subject search for English Language with the following subheadings:

• English language - conversation and phrase books
• English language - dictionaries
• English language - pronunciation by foreign speakers
• English language - self instruction
• English language - sound recordings for foreign speakers
• English language - study and teaching
• English language - study and teaching - foreign speakers
• English language - textbooks for foreign speakers
  

You can also find study guides for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and other general grammar, reading, and writing books.

For suggestions on easy books to read, take a look at the book, Easy Information Resources for ESL, Adult Learners, & New Readers, which lists children's books that are interesting to adults.

Internet Resources

The internet is a good source for free multimedia and interactive resources for learning English.  The following are some recommended sites: 

• About.com's ESL section lists many good resources for beginner and more advanced English Learners, including online courses, pronunciation practice, and vocabulary building
  
• Adult Learning Activities from the California Distance Learning Project  has easy-to-read stories about life skills such as working, money, and housing.  You can listen to the stories as well as read them
• ESL Gold is a free commercial site that has audio and text-based lessons on speaking, reading, writing, pronunciation, and other English learning topics
  
• Real English features free video lessons and real conversations with English speakers and exercises to test what you learn
• USA Learns, from the U.S. Department of Education, includes free multimedia lessons for adults learning English
• The Literacy List ESOL/ESL/ELL Websites is a long list of other English language learning websites

Local Resources

Spokane Community Colleges' Institute for Extended Learning has local classes in English for foreign language speakers.

The Fig Tree Community Resources Directory has a section for Immigration, Refugee, and Language programs in Spokane.

Eastern Washington University has an English Learning Institute that prepares students before they enter an American university.

More local resources can be found through America's Literacy Directory.

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