By: Ann Marie Megoulas
¿Estudiarás español? Est-ce que tu vas étudier le français? Transparent Language Online can help. What is Transparent Language Online? It is an immersive, interactive language learning database available to all Pennsylvania residents through POWER Library, Pennsylvania’s portal to online library resources.
With Transparent Language Online, you can learn any of the more than 120 languages offered. Included are multiple dialects of commonly taught languages like Spanish and French, English for speakers of more than 30 languages, and American Sign Language.
Transparent Language Online’s language learning experience is fun, engaging, and effective. Each course offers a leaning path consisting of lessons, activities, and practice with listening, speaking, reading, and writing or typing. A strategic review system keeps track of your progress and provides motivation to keep you moving forward. Want to keep a record of that progress? Just sign up for a free account. To do so, you will need to supply a username and password, enter your email address, and agree to Transparent Language Online’s Terms of Use.
Not willing to create a free account? No problem! You can still use Transparent Language Online by selecting the “Continue as a guest” option. As a guest, you’ll have access to all the same lessons and courses. What you won’t have is the ability to keep a record of what you accomplished during your guest session once it ends. Exploring Transparent Language Online as a guest, however, can be a fantastic way to become familiar with what this resource offers. It allows you to explore without the hassle of remembering login details. If, as a guest, you later decide that you want to keep a record of your progress, Transparent Languages Online gives you the opportunity to create an account before you end your guest session.
So, where can you find Transparent Language Online? One place is on The Library’s research webpage: https://www.dcls.org/research/. Just visit this page and scroll down through the alphabetic list of databases until you find it.
Another place to look for the Transparent Language Online database is on POWER Library’s e-resources webpage or on POWER Teens. Start by visiting the POWER Library website. Click on the “List all e-resources” link under “Find,” or on the “POWER Teens” link at the very top of the homepage and browse through their list of e-resources. Below is an example of POWER Library’s Transparent Language Online link:
(Note: For easy access, links to the POWER Library e-resources page and for POWER Teens are available on The Library’s Research webpage.)
Whichever way you find it, within minutes you will have what you need to begin learning a new language anywhere, any time that you choose. Transparent Language Online is available for use on nearly all internet-connected computers, phones, or tablets, and mobile apps that provide offline and hands-free modes are also available.
Transparent Language Online offers lessons to meet the needs of learners of all ages and abilities, even children. For young users, Transparent Language Online offers six KidSpeak courses featuring English, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Spanish (Castilian), Italian, and German. Each of these courses use animations and more than 40 interactive activities, puzzles, and songs to teach kids foreign-language words and phrases. They are perfect for kids age 6 and above. An easy way for kids to find the KidSpeak courses is to use the POWER Kids link on The Library’s Research webpage. The POWER Kids portal displays colorful links for each of the featured KidSpeak courses there.
So, whether you are young or old, a beginner or an experienced language learner, give Transparent Language Online a try. It is free and easy to use. Buon apprendimento.