Interested In Mastering A New Language, Gilroy? At Home, Online and For Free?

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA – The Santa Clara County Library District’s has a new addition to its Virtual Library -- Rosetta Stone.

Increasing one’s knowledge of foreign languages just became less daunting and much more obtainable, as the Rosetta Stone Online Library Solution, a language learning service with 30 courses, is free to anyone with a SCCLD library card and can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week!

Available online on the library’s main website, the award-winning, interactive Rosetta Stone utilizes an immersion method within its coursework, according to library staff.

Courses are available in different proficiency levels and structured around core lessons that help build reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Online lessons focus on refining grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation skills through the use of quizzes, challenges and illustrative images with lessons progressing from basic to complex.

Included in each course is an interactive voice comparison component that allows the learner to record his or her voice and compare it to the voice of a native speaker using the same spoken phrase. By using this method, language students learn proper word articulation, cadence, pronunciation and more, staff said.

“Living in such a diverse area as Santa Clara County, California, we have a chance to hear multiple languages spoken by residents and visitors to our area on any given day. It’s no surprise that Santa Clara County has one of the highest percentages of residents born in a foreign country, with more than 50 percent of the population over age 5 speaking a language other than exclusively English at home," said Mike Wasserman, Joint Powers Authority Vice Chair and Santa Clara County Supervisor.

“Most people already know some basic words in a foreign language, such as bonjour, ciao or hola. With this free new resource, everyone will have a chance to go one, two or even three steps further in their language development!”

All SCCLD cardholders can easily access the Rosetta Stone program and begin language courses by going to the main SCCLD website: www.sccl.org and clicking on “Research.”

Library cards are free and can be obtained at any SCCLD Library with a photo ID and proof of address. For more information, visit SCCLD’s Get A Library Card at: https://www.sccl.org/About/Joining/Get-a-Library-Card .

The Santa Clara County Library District includes two bookmobiles, an online library, seven community libraries and one branch library serving Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Saratoga and the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County.

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--Image via Santa Clara County Library on Facebook