Hoboken Library Staff Picks

As an enthusiastic language learner, my favorite language software that the library provides is Mango Languages. First of all, the interface is aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. Second, it offers a vast array of languages to learn. Mango Languages not only offers the most commonly studied languages (English, Spanish, French), but it also offers more uncommon ones like Punjabi and Haitian Creole. And if you want to have some fun, you even have the option of Shakespearean English or Pirate! Furthermore, it offers different variations of languages, so you are able to take your pick of Egyptian Arabic or Iraqi Arabic, Castilian Spanish or Latin American Spanish, etc. Overall, Mango Languages offers over 70 language courses, so you’ll be sure to find something you are interested in.

The first thing you need to do is go to hobokenlibrary.org and click on Learn It in the horizontal menu you’ll see at the top of the page. Under “Learn It”, click “Learn a Language”. There, you will see a link to Mango Languages (among other resources). Click the link to be taken to Mango Languages through the Hoboken Library. This way you’ll be able to access the website for free! Sign up with your email and you are good to go (if you prefer you can also use Mango anonymously by choosing “Use Mango as a Guest”)!  Hoboken Resident Library Cardholders can sign in from home with their library card.

As previously mentioned, there are plenty of languages to choose from, and one great thing about Mango is that you can take different languages courses at the same time!

When you select a language, you’re right away led to a page with a list of units to study.
If you’re a beginner, click on the first one. If you’ve studied a bit before and don’t want to go through all the basics, you can take a placement test, as you can see in the screenshot below at the bottom of the left-hand menu.

You can also skip around lessons, there is no need to do the lessons in order. If you’re the kind who likes to skip around and customize their own experience, then you’re in luck!

Each lesson begins with objectives, in this case the Conversational Goals and the Grammar goals. It’s always good to know what your lesson entails before you begin it so you have a clear focus.

Next, the program shows you a conversation you will be able to have by the time you complete the lesson. Here’s what that looks like in the French course:

After listening to the conversation, you begin the learning process! A word or sentence is presented:

Although words don’t always correspond perfectly, words and phrases are color-coded in order to help give the learner a sense of what they are saying. This is great for visual learners. Another great feature is that little green light bulb. Clicking on it allows you to see the literal translation of the word, phrase or sentence. It helps give the learner some insight on how differently languages can work.

The orange button on the bottom left is another cool feature. The learner can click on it and record themselves repeating the word, phrase or sentence. They can then compare it to the recorded speech and see how close it sounds.

As you go through the lesson, they repeat the words, phrases and sentences you have learned in English and give you time to respond corresponding phrase in your target language. Remember that repetition is key when learning!

Something I really like about Mango Languages is that it comes with cultural notes. It is of the utmost importance to learn culture along with languages, as the two are intertwined. Here’s one that came up in a French unit:

Grammar notes are also included:

At the end of each lesson, there are listening and reading activities which reinforce what you have learned.

Another really cool feature in Mango is that some languages have specialty units, usually featuring culturally relevant vocabulary. French offers a course in Wine & Cheese, Japanese offers Mimetic Words and my personal favorite, Brazilian Portuguese offers…
In addition to these cool features, some language courses also offer movies and Little Pim courses for children. The movies can be watched normally or with short lessons and interactive content. It’s a really cool addition to learning. However, this feature is currently only available in a few languages.

Different languages offered by Mango have different amounts of content.  Their more popular languages tend to have multiple units, but you can check back in the future since they are always adding new content.

One thing to be aware of with Mango is that it does not teach different scripts comprehensively. If you plan to study a language like Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Russian, etc. you’re going to want to study the scripts beforehand or just figure it out as you go. I was able to find some resources provided by Mango Languages, such as worksheets and videos; I was able to access them by visiting the main page while logged out and clicking on the language in question. Hopefully there will be more added in the future. If you’re learning a language with a different writing system, I think it’s best to look for books and other resources before starting with Mango whose primary focus is spoken languages.

Hoboken Residents also have access to Pronunciator.

Written by:
Samantha Evaristo
Hoboken Library Outreach Assistant

Tags: ESL, Languages, Mango