Transparent Language Online is a fun, effective, and engaging language learning experience for anyone looking to build their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in a foreign language.
No rigid courses. Focus on what you care about most, whether you're just starting out with the alphabet and travel basics or you're advancing into conversational skills.
Click on the links above to access Transparent Language Online. If this is your first time using Transparent Language Online, you will need to sign up using your library card and completing the following steps:
- Click on the Transparent Language link.
- Click the Sign Up tab and enter your library card number in the space provided. Click Submit.
- Provide the necessary information, agree to the terms of use and privacy policy, then click Create Account.
- Begin your language-learning adventure!
American Sign Language (ASL)
New to the Transparent Language collection: American Sign Language. The course contains 77 lessons covering fingerspelling, over 800 sign videos, and a series of Deaf culture facts. By the end of this 30-hour course, learners will build a good foundation in American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf culture.
Fingerspelling
The first unit focuses on the manual alphabet: the corresponding hand signs for the 26 letters of the English alphabet.
Learners will master all of the letters, then practice using them in pangrams (sentences that use all 26 characters). It all comes together in context in a lesson about fingerspelling your name.
Common Signs
The remaining units focus on the most common, useful signs for beginners, ranging from greetings and conversation basics to numbers and food.
All signs are taught via short video clips so learners can see the language in action. The learning activities encourage both this video input and output, giving learners the opportunity to practice signing on their own.
Created with the input of ESL professionals and public librarians, our American Citizenship Test prep course is designed with the goal of preparing test takers to comfortably answer all 100 civics questions. More than that, the course is intended to truly teach learners about the American government, history, and culture, including key vocabulary words.
Each unit is further broken down into short, easily digestible lessons, supported by a suite of vocabulary and comprehension activities. The course leverages repetition to aid in memorization—throughout each lesson, learners encounter the same vocabulary and test questions in various written and spoken formats.
- Afrikaans
- Albanian
- Altai
- American Sign Language (ASL)
- Amharic
- Arabic, Egyptian
- Arabic, Iraqi
- Arabic, Levantine
- Arabic, Modern Standard
- Armenian
- Azerbaijani
- Balinese
- Baluchi
- Bambara
- Bashkir
- Belarusian
- Bengali
- Bosnian
- Breton
- Bulgarian
- Buriat
- Cambodian (Khmer)
- Chechen
- Chinese, Cantonese
- Chinese, Mandarin
- Cree
- Croatian
- Czech
- Dakota
- Dakota, Sisseton
- Danish
- Dari
- Denaakk'e (Koyukon)
- Denesuline
- Dutch
- English
- Esperanto
- Estonian
- Farsi
- Finnish
- French
- French, Canadian
- French, Moroccan
- Georgian
- German
- Greek
- Gwich'in (Dinjii Zhuh K'yaa)
- Haitian Creole
- Hausa
- Hawaiian
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hmong
- Holikachuk
- Hungarian
- Hän
- Icelandic
- Indonesian
- Irish
- Italian
- Japanese
- Kalmyk
- Kaqchikel
- Kazakh
- Kituba
- Koasati
- Korean
- Kurdish
- Latin
- Latvian
- Lithuanian
- Luxembourgish
- Macedonian
- Malagasy
- Malay
- Maori
- Mirandese
- Mongolian
- Nahuatl
- Nepali
- Nogai
- Norwegian
- Oji-Cree
- Ojibwe
- Ojibwe, Central
- Ojibwe, Northwestern
- Pashto
- Polish
- Portuguese, Brazilian
- Portuguese, European
- Punjabi
- Quechua
- Romanian
- Russian
- Scottish Gaelic
- Serbian
- Slovak
- Somali
- Spanish, Castilian
- Spanish, Latin American
- Swahili
- Swedish
- Tagalog
- Tajiki
- Tamil
- Tanana, Lower
- Thai
- Turkish
- Turkmen
- Tuvan
- Ukrainian
- Urdu
- Uzbek
- Vietnamese
- Welsh
- Wolof
- Yoruba
- Zulu
- English for Amharic Speakers
- English for Arabic, Modern Standard Speakers
- English for Chinese, Mandarin - Simplified Speakers
- English for Czech Speakers
- English for Farsi Speakers
- English for French Speakers
- English for German Speakers
- English for Greek Speakers
- English for Haitian Creole Speakers
- English for Hebrew Speakers
- English for Hindi Speakers
- English for Hmong Speakers
- English for Indonesian Speakers
- English for Italian Speakers
- English for Japanese Speakers
- English for Korean Speakers
- English for Malay Speakers
- English for Norwegian Speakers
- English for Polish Speakers
- English for Portuguese, Brazilian Speakers
- English for Romanian Speakers
- English for Russian Speakers
- English for Somali Speakers
- English for Spanish, Castilian Speakers
- English for Spanish, Latin American Speakers
- English for Swahili Speakers
- English for Tagalog Speakers
- English for Tamil Speakers
- English for Thai Speakers
- English for Turkish Speakers
- English for Urdu Speakers
- English for Vietnamese Speakers
110+ languages (and growing!):
From Afrikaans to Zulu, the number of languages available to learners is constantly growing.
Alphabet lessons:
You can't learn to read or write if you don't know the alphabet. Get learners started on the right foot with our Alphabet course.
Flexible learning path:
Learners can follow our plan or explore their own. The choice is theirs.
Extensive English collection:
With paired English materials for speakers of 30+ languages, intermediate- and advanced-level courses, an American Citizenship Test Prep course, and more, we have the tools for every English learner.
25+ learning activities:
Interactive learning activities encourage
learners to practice all four modalities:
listening, speaking, reading, and typing.
Focus on a specific skill:
Listening, speaking, reading, and writing are
all part of the language puzzle. Learners can
pick any skills-based learning activity, select
their desired vocabulary, and instantly
launch a custom lesson.
Learn on the go:
At the library, at home, and everywhere in
between, access to lessons is possible on
almost any device, including full-feature
mobile apps for iOS and Android'" tablets
and phones.