Language Resources

One thing I will try to do from time to time is post resources for those who are interested in applying or getting ready to leave for the Peace Corps.  This resource comes from Peace Corps Moldova.

This is the link to the UCLA website for language materials for less commonly taught languages (although it also contains commonly taught languages on its list).  http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/Default.aspx

The website offers a variety of materials and material reviews.  It can all be sorted by language, level and type of material as well.   There are books, websites, dictionaries, and much much more.  If you have an idea of what language (or languages) you will be using in country it might help to get a head start so that when you meet your training host family you can use more words than hand gestures to get your point across.

Another great source is http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/  The BBC offers quick guides to 40 different languages, its not exhaustive but you can learn to count and find out where the bathroom is.

A website that I know past volunteers have used is http://livemocha.com/ , it was free but it might have more paying sections then it used to.  The good part about live mocha is it gives you a chance to practice listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  It has a pretty extensive list of languages as well.

Finally this website http://www.openculture.com/freelanguagelessons Open Culture has lists of websites for language learning which include tons of downloadable material, such as videos, textbooks, and audio-files.

And while this post is dedicated to future PCVs, these websites are also great resources for anybody looking to study up before traveling.  It is always a good thing to know how to find the bathroom or the train station :)


Just to give you an example of what you might find if you click on one of the resources for Afrikaans on the UCLA website.

Title Speak Afrikaans within Minutes Authors Olwagen, G. Year 2005 Abstract A website with Afrikaans words, phrases, and sayings. Intended for travellers and visitors to South Africa. Contains three parts. Part 1 is the introduction. Part 2 contains a guide to the pronunciation of Afrikaans words. Part 3 is a tutorial comprising Afrikaans words and phrases with their meanings and pronunciation. Phrases included are those for shopping, emergencies, religion and worship, at the hotel, and dinning. Website http://mieliestronk.com/phrase1.html Languages Afrikaans Subjects Vocabulary