Learning a new language at Los Medanos College just got a whole lot sweeter with the implementation of the Mango Languages resource offered through the Library.
The program, which is in its first year of being offered, “is an interactive, self-paced, language learning software covering 71 world languages, 17 [English as a Second Language]/ELL courses, grammar, pronunciation and cultural information,” according to LMC Electronic Resources Librarian Kimberly Wentworth
Mango is free for LMC students, faculty and staff to use, after the cost of $2,187 was funded by a mini-grant from Student Equity Plan funds.
Languages available to learn include: Mandarin Chinese; Spanish, from both Latin America and Spain; Swedish; American Sign Language; and Italian.
And for fun, Pirate and Shakespearean English can be sampled.
“Mango includes useful and entertaining specialty courses such as Medical and Legal Spanish, Soccer Celebration Portuguese, Wine and Cheese French, [and] Text Talk Spanish,” said Wentworth of the variety of available programs the service offers.
To access the software, visit the Library’s website www.losmedanos.edu/library and search for Mango using the A to Z databases link.
Mango is also available to use on a mobile device, as it is compatible with both Apple and Android operating systems. Login is easiest to do on a computer, and then transfer your account to the cellular device.
After working with ESL faculty members, the Library decided to invest in the program on a trial basis.