Modern Foreign Languages

CHINESE 背影 (朱自清) – available here as 情境式学习动画, any Chinese Library resources from BLCUP.

FRENCH Le petit prince (Saint Exupery), La petite fille de Monsieur Linh (Phillipe Claudel). Des bandes dessinées: Astérix le Gaulois (René Goscinny) – free magazines available here and a sample comic here.

GERMAN Der Vorleser (Bernhard Schlink), Draußen vor der Tür (Wolfgang Borchert), Am kürzeren Ende der Sonnenallee (Thomas Brussig).

ITALIAN Il giorno della civetta (Leonardo Sciascia), Le città invisibili (Italo Calvino), Io non ho paura (Niccolò Ammaniti). Graphic novels: Il mio migliore amico è fascista (Takoua Ben Mohamed) - preview here and available for purchase here.

JAPANESE 企業の秘密 (part of the Shinichi Hoshi anthologyどこかの事件), キッチン (Yoshimoto Banana).

SPANISH La casa de Bernarda Alba (Frederico Garcia Lorca), Crónica de una muerte anunciada (Gabriel García Márquez), Mafalda (Quino) – free sample comics available here and here.

CHINESE 我的少女時代 "Our Times" (film), 西遊記 "Journey to the West: Legends of the Monkey King" (cartoon).

FRENCH Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain (film, 15), À bout de Souffle (film, 15), Man on Wire (film, 12), Astérix le Gaulois (cartoon, U), Demain nous appartient (TV, 12 ), La Marche de l’Empereur (TV, 12), Mbappé  (TV,  12).

GERMAN Grand Designs S4 E6 Customised German Kit House (TV, U), Das Leben Der Anderen (film, 15), Die Biene Maja (cartoon, U), Lola Rennt (film, 15), Tagesschau (TV, U), Beltracchi: The Art of Forgery (TV, PG).

ITALIAN Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (TV, PG), La vita e' bella (film, 12).

JAPANESE Studio Ghibli (film, U).

RUSSIAN Russian Ark (film, U), Leviathan (film, 15), Masha and the Bear (cartoon, U), Reggie Yates' Extreme, Russia (TV, 15) Piter FM (film, 12).

SPANISH Coco (film, PG), Pan's Labyrinth (film, 15), Diarios de motocicleta (film, 15), Volver (film, 15), Todo sobre mi madre (film, 15), Simon Reeves South America (TV), Unreported World: Mexico’s deadly Coca-Cola addiction (TV, PG).

CHINESE 慢速中文 Slow Chinese (cultural podcast on a range of topics),  听故事说中文 (stories and discussions of the grammar in them).

FRENCH FRENCHPOD101 (lots of language learning podcasts and videos), Easy French (episodes on a range of different topics), Duolingo (episodes on cultural elements, with integrated learning).

GERMAN Coffee Break German (podcast discussing how to use German in context), GERMANPOD101 (lots of language learning podcasts and videos), Easy German (episodes on a range of different topics).  

ITALIAN ITALIANPOD101 (lots of language learning podcasts and videos), RAI Radio Podcasts (episodes on a range of different topics).

JAPANESE JAPANESEPOD101 (lots of language learning podcasts and videos).

RUSSIAN Understanding spoken Russian (improve your Russian listening skills), Slow Russian (short Russian texts and discussion of vocabulary, idioms and grammar).

SPANISH SPANISHPOD101 (lots of language learning podcasts and videos), Easy Spanish (episodes on a range of different topics),  Duolingo (episodes on cultural elements, with integrated learning).

CHINESE Check Red Scarf for events.  

FRENCH Check Institut Français for events and films - some are available online.  

GERMAN Check Goethe-Institut for events and films - some are available online.   

ITALIAN Check Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Londra for events and films - some are available online.   

JAPANESE Check The Japan Foundation or Japan Society for events and films - some are available online.   

RUSSIAN Check Pushkin House for events and films - some are available online.   

SPANISH Check Instituto Cervantes for events and films happening - some are available online.   

CHINESE Mandarin Bean (practise grammar, reading and listening).

FRENCH LanguagesOnline (basic grammar explanations and exercises), 1jour1actu/Headlang (news websites aimed at teenagers), TV 5 Monde 7 jours sur la planète (listening exercises based on current events).

GERMAN LanguagesOnline (basic grammar explanations and exercises).

ITALIAN LanguagesOnline (basic grammar explanations and exercises), LearnAmo (listening practice), Online Italian Club (listening and grammar), Rai Portale Lingua Italiana (a website promoting Italian in the world).

JAPANESE Digital EHON Site (picture books to improve reading), MARUGOTO Plus (various resources to learn Japanese and its culture), NHK News Web Easy (accessible Japanese news - even more accessible here).

RUSSIAN Russian for Free (free lessons from basic to advanced, texts with audio, grammar, and activities).

SPANISH LanguagesOnline (basic grammar explanations and exercises), Conjuguemos (verbs, grammar and listening exercises all in one place), Headlang (news website aimed at teenagers).

Look out for exhibitions featuring:

CHINESE Gu Kaizhi; the British Musuem often has exhibits on Chinese cultural and history.

FRENCH Orlan, Danielle Voirin.

GERMAN Gustav Klimt, Franz Marc.

ITALIAN Marco Burresi (Zed1), Domingo Milella, Dante Alighieri.

JAPANESE Yayoi Kusama

RUSSIAN Wassilly Kandinsky, Marc Chagall, Ilya Kabakov.

SPANISH Salvador Dalí (Discover Dalí's mind and works from a completely new perspective in this immersive experience coming to London), Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró.