Learning a new language can be challenging and time consuming, but the New Westminster Public Library can help you learn to speak, read, and write more than 10 languages with Rocket Languages, a learning software program available through our online resources.
With your library card, you can access Rocket Languages anytime from the comfort of your home, or come to the library to use one of our computers. Just ask to borrow a set of headphones from the reference desk.
From Hindi to Portuguese to sign language, each language course contains interactive audio lessons, language and culture lessons, writing lessons, games, and a survival kit that highlights the "must know" words and phrases necessary for survival. For example, the Arabic course survival kit features tips on pronunciation and vocabulary for different foods.
The interactive audio lessons feature audio clips of an Arabic conversation as well as transcripts of the conversation written in English, the Arabic alphabet and Arabic using the English alphabet.
You can listen to the audio tracks directly from the webpage or download them as an MP3. You can also easily save or print the conversation transcripts by downloading them as PDF files. These lessons are interactive because you can listen to the audio, practise speaking and repeating, and even record your own voice to compare pronunciation using Rocket Record.
The language and culture lessons allow you to learn about a language's culture through lessons based on common conversation topics like asking what time it is or catching a taxi ride.
In addition to the languages mentioned, you can also learn Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and English for Spanish speakers.
So whether you are planning a trip to a foreign country or want to be able to communicate with your non-English speaking mother-in-law, give Rocket Languages a try and take advantage of this and the many other free resources at the library, at www.nwpl.ca/your_library/ electronic_resources.
