Foreign Language

Foreign Language CurriculumForeign Language Resources

When God confused the languages at Babel, He effectively ended the world's first great building project. Some have doubtless deduced from this that dialects are a God-ordained partition between people and cultures, but that would directly contradict Christ's later command to "go into all the world and preach the Gospel."

This is of course the most obvious reason for learning a foreign language: to share the truth of Christ's redemption with every tribe and nation. Whether you intend to actually go overseas, translate Scripture, or simply to witness to a local community, the first step toward communication is to learn the language of the group you intend to impact.

Obviously, acquiring skills in the local speech is necessary just to talk to people and be understood, but it's also important for learning about the community. The ideas and attitudes of a culture are embedded in its dominant tongue, and to effectively communicate the Gospel (or any message) with a foreign society one needs to "get" where its members are coming from.

This is as true of past cultures as present ones. While you certainly don't need to be proficient in biblical languages to study the Bible, a knowledge of Hebrew and Koine Greek will deepen your understanding of God's Word and the cultural and religious contexts in which it was written. To properly and accurately translate the Bible, knowing the original languages thoroughly is crucial.

It's easy to think of all these uses for language in Anglo-centric terms. English is the most widely spoken language in the world today, and the universal language for business; we tend to think of translation purely in terms of our own language, communication in terms of our Western understanding.

Such a truncated view is harmful both to our work as Christians and to our personal outlook. English may be dominant now, but it wasn't always so, and won't maintain that position forever. The language of Heaven isn't English, and God never set the English-speaking world apart for special treatment or honor.

Ironically, English isn't even the official language of the United States. It's the de facto (most prevalent) language, but there is no "official language" in our nation. There are several reasons for this, but in the end such an omission on the part of the Federal government underscores a very American idea: all people are created equal.

Which, in a way, is also a very biblical concept. All mankind is born in sin, unable to communicate directly with God until Christ's redeeming grace and love bring us to reconciliation with Him. This is the message that ought to motivate all our attempts at communication, and the sharing of which should drive us to study foreign languages of every kind.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.

 

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1, 2, 3, Go!
by Huy Voun Lee
from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in China (Location: HISMC-CHI)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
38 Latin Stories
by Anne H. Groton & James M. May
5th edition from Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers
for 9th-12th grade
in Wheelock's Latin (Location: FL-LATWHE)
$19.00
501 Arabic Verbs
by Raymond P. Scheindlin, Ph.D.
from Barron's
for 9th-Adult
in Foreign Language (Location: FL-GEN)
$18.99
501 German Verbs
by Henry Strutz
4th edition from Barron's
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in German (Location: FL-GEN)
$18.99
501 Latin Verbs
by Joseph Wohlberg, Richard E. Prior
from Barron's
for 7th-Adult
in Latin Resources & Reference (Location: FL-LATREF)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
A Veces Las Cosas Cambian
Mis Primeros Libros
by Patricia Eastman
for Preschool-1st grade
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Adivina, adivinanza . . .
by Elva Macias, illustrated by Blanca Dorantes
from Ediciones Corunda
for Preschool-1st grade
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
American Sign Language Dictionary
by Martin L. Sternberg
from HarperCollins
for 7th-Adult
in Deafness & Sign Language (Location: FL-SIGN)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
American Sign Language for Kids
by Rochelle Barlow
from Rockridge Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Deafness & Sign Language (Location: FL-SIGN)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Amo, Amas, Amat and More
by Eugene Ehrlich
from HarperCollins
for 9th-12th grade
in Latin Resources & Reference (Location: FL-LATREF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient Civilization Wall Maps (Small)
from Memoria Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Memoria Press Classical Studies (Location: HISCUR-MP)
$21.00 $14.00 (1 in stock)
Avion My Uncle Flew
by Cyrus Fisher, illustrated by Richard Floethe
from Purple House Press
for 5th-7th grade
1947 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$13.95
Baby word book - Chinese and English
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Chinese (Location: FL-GEN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Basics of Biblical Greek - Grammar
by William D. Mounce
3rd edition from Zondervan
for 9th-Adult
in Basics of Biblical Greek (Location: FL-GREBA)
$30.00 $16.00 (1 in stock)
Basics of Biblical Greek - Workbook (old)
by William D. Mounce
3rd edition from Zondervan
for 10th-Adult
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$16.00 (2 in stock)
Beatrix Potter 3 Volume Set in Latin
by Beatrix Potter
from Canon Press
in Latin Resources & Reference (Location: FL-LATREF)
$26.88
Biblical Greek: A Compact Guide
Bilingual from Zondervan
in Greek Resources (Location: FL-GRE)
$19.99
Biblical Hebrew - Set
by Kim McKay
from Alef Press
for 4th-12th grade
in Biblical Hebrew (Location: FL-HEB)
$101.50
Biblical Hebrew 2 - DVD
from Alef Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Biblical Hebrew (Location: FL-HEB)
$21.95
Biblical Hebrew 2 - Set
by Kim McKay
from Alef Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Biblical Hebrew (Location: FL-HEB)
$94.61
Biblical Hebrew 2 - Workbook Answer Key
by Kim McKay
from Alef Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Biblical Hebrew (Location: FL-HEB)
$14.00
Bilingual Family
by Edith Harding-Esch, Philip Riley
2nd edition from Cambridge University
for Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Languages
by Mick Webb
from Owlkids Books
in Foreign Language (Location: FL-GEN)
$14.95
Book of Roots
by Paul O'Brien
from Memoria Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Memoria Press Latina Christiana (Location: FL-LATCHR)
$26.20
Book of Roots - Answer Key
by Paul O'Brien
from Memoria Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Memoria Press Latina Christiana (Location: FL-LATCHR)
$6.00 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Caring for Young Children
Beginning Sign Language Series
by S. Harold Collins
from Garlic Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Deafness & Sign Language (Location: FL-SIGN)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Cassell's Latin Dictionary
by D. P. Simpson
Indexed from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for 7th-12th grade
in Latin Resources & Reference (Location: FL-LATREF)
$29.99
Cat in the Hat Beginner Book Dictionary in Spanish
by P.D. Eastman
from Random House
for 1st-4th grade
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Chinese Made Easy for Kids 1 - Text and Workbook
by Yamin Ma
2nd edition from Joint Publishing (H. K.) Co.
for 1st-5th grade
in Chinese (Location: FL-GEN)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes
by Selected and Edited by Robert Wyndham, Illustrated by Ed Young
from Philomel Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Chinese through Tone & Color w/2 CDs
from Hippocrene Books
for 6th-Adult
in Chinese (Location: FL-GEN)
$12.50 (1 in stock)
Climbing Parnassus
by Tracy Lee Simmons
from Intercollegiate Studies Institute
in Classical Education (Location: HSR-METCE)
$19.99
Collins Spanish Dictionary
by HarperCollins Publishers
Bilingual from HarperTrophy
for 10th-Adult
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$6.99
Cuckoo / Cucu
by Lois Ehlert
from Harcourt, Brace & Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms
by Donald Borror
1st edition from Mayfield Publishing Co.
for 4th-Adult
in Vocabulary Resources (Location: REF-VOC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Donde viven los monstruos (Where the Wild Things Are)
by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1964 Caldecott Medal winner
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Easy English Step-By-Step for ESL Learners
by Danielle Pelletier
2nd edition from McGraw-Hill
for 9th-Adult
in Foreign Language (Location: FL-GEN)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
El Deafo
by Cece Bell
1st edition from Amulet Books
for 3rd-7th grade
2015 Newbery Honor Book
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$14.99
El dia que el perro dijo, "Quiquiriqui!"
Hola, lector! Level 2
by David McPhail
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
El Osito Puff
by Walt Disney Productions, translated by Maria Yolanda Serrano
from Disney Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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by Christine Gatchell
from Memoria Press
for 4th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$9.50 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Elementary Greek Year One - Bundle
by Christine Gatchell
from Memoria Press
for 4th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
Elementary Greek Year One - Flashcards
by Christine Gatchell
from Memoria Press
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in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$14.20
Elementary Greek Year One - Teacher Key
by Christine Gatchell
2nd edition from Memoria Press
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in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$17.35
Elementary Greek Year One - Tests
by Christine Gatchell
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 4th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$6.00
Elementary Greek Year One - Textbook
by Christine Gatchell
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 4th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$15.75
Elementary Greek Year One - Workbook
by Christine Gatchell
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 4th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$17.35
Elementary Greek Year Three - Audio Companion CD
by Christine Gatchell
from Memoria Press
for 6th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$10.00 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Elementary Greek Year Three - Bundle
by Christine Gatchell
from Memoria Press
for 6th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
Elementary Greek Year Three - Flashcards
by Christine Gatchell
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 4th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$14.20
Elementary Greek Year Three - Flashcards (old)
by Christine Gatchell
from Memoria Press
for 6th-Adult
in Old Edition Foreign Language (Location: OFL-MIX)
$11.00 $7.00 (1 in stock)
Elementary Greek Year Three - Tests
by Christine Gatchell
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 6th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$6.00
Elementary Greek Year Three - Textbook
by Christine Gatchell
from Memoria Press
for 6th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$19.90
Elementary Greek Year Three - Workbook
by Christine Gatchell
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 6th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$17.35
Elementary Greek Year Two - Audio Companion CD
by Christine Gatchell
from Memoria Press
for 5th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$12.95 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Elementary Greek Year Two - Bundle
by Christine Gatchell
from Memoria Press
for 5th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
Elementary Greek Year Two - Flashcards
by Christine Gatchell
from Memoria Press
for 5th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$14.20
Elementary Greek Year Two - Teacher Key
by Christine Gatchell
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 5th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$17.35
Elementary Greek Year Two - Tests
by Christine Gatchell
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 5th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$6.00
Elementary Greek Year Two - Textbook
by Christine Gatchell
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 5th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$15.75
Elementary Greek Year Two - Workbook
by Christine Gatchell
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 5th-Adult
in Elementary Greek (Location: FL-GREELE)
$17.35
Eres tu mi mama
by P.D. Eastman, translated by Teresa Mlawer
from Random House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Essential Arabic
Com/Pap Bl from Living Language
for 10th grade-adult
in Arabic (Location: FL-GEN)
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by Ray Summers
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for 10th-Adult
in Greek Resources (Location: FL-GRE)
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Everything Learning Latin Book
by Richard E. Prior Ph.D.
from Adams Media Corp.
for 8th-12th grade
in Latin Resources & Reference (Location: FL-LATREF)
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Excelerate Spanish Text, Workbook & Answer Key
for 3rd-8th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$28.00 (1 in stock)
Feathers
by Jacqueline Woodson
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 4th-7th grade
2008 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Ferdinandus Taurus
by Elizabeth Hadas, Munro Leaf
from David R. Godine
for 7th-12th grade
in Latin Resources & Reference (Location: FL-LATREF)
$17.95
First and Second Form Latin Desk Charts
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for 5th-10th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$14.65
First Form Latin - Bundle
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
First Form Latin - DVDs
by Cheryl Lowe
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$55.00 $38.50 (2 in stock)
First Form Latin - DVDs (old)
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Old Edition Foreign Language (Location: OFL-MIX)
$35.00
First Form Latin - Flashcards
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$16.75
First Form Latin - Grammar Wall Charts
from Memoria Press
for 5th-12th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$22.00
First Form Latin - Grammar Wall Charts (old)
from Memoria Press
for 5th-12th grade
in Old Edition Foreign Language (Location: OFL-MIX)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
First Form Latin - Pronunciation CD & Streaming
by Cheryl Lowe
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 5th-12th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$10.00
First Form Latin - Pronunciation CD (Classical)
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for 5th-12th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$10.00
First Form Latin - Pronunciation CD (old)
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for 5th-12th grade
in Old Edition Foreign Language (Location: OFL-MIX)
$8.95 $5.00 (3 in stock)
First Form Latin - Quizzes & Tests
by Cheryl Lowe
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$6.00
First Form Latin - Quizzes & Tests (old)
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Old Edition Foreign Language (Location: OFL-MIX)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
First Form Latin - Review Book
from Memoria Press
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$14.65
First Form Latin - Student Text
by Cheryl Lowe
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$15.75
First Form Latin - Teacher Key (old)
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Old Edition Foreign Language (Location: OFL-MIX)
$10.00 $5.00 (3 in stock)
First Form Latin - Teacher Manual
by Cheryl Lowe
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$13.60
First Form Latin - Teacher Manual (old)
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Old Edition Foreign Language (Location: OFL-MIX)
$4.00 (4 in stock)
First Form Latin - Text Set
from Memoria Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
First Form Latin - Workbook
by Cheryl Lowe
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$17.35
First Form Latin Transition Course - Student Guide
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$10.50 (2 in stock)
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by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$14.00 (2 in stock)
First Start French Level I - Kit
by Danielle L. Schultz
from Memoria Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in French (Location: FL-FRE)
First Start French Level I - Pronunciation CD
by Danielle L. Schultz
from Memoria Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in French (Location: FL-FRE)
$10.00 $6.00 (1 in stock)
First Start French Level I - Student Edition
by Danielle L. Schultz
from Memoria Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in French (Location: FL-FRE)
$20.50
First Start French Level I - Teacher Edition
by Danielle L. Schultz
from Memoria Press
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in French (Location: FL-FRE)
$20.50 $12.00 (1 in stock)
First Start French Level II - Kit
by Danielle L. Schultz
from Memoria Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in French (Location: FL-FRE)
First Start French Level II - Pronunciation CDs
by Danielle L. Schultz
from Memoria Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in French (Location: FL-FRE)
$10.00
First Start French Level II - Student Edition
by Danielle L. Schultz
from Memoria Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in French (Location: FL-FRE)
$20.50
First Start French Level II - Teacher Edition
by Danielle L. Schultz
from Memoria Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in French (Location: FL-FRE)
$20.50
First Thousand Words in Chinese
by Heather Amery & Stephen Cartwright
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Chinese (Location: FL-GEN)
$11.69
Fourth Form Latin - Bundle
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$114.29
Fourth Form Latin - Flashcards
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Memoria Press Form Latin Series (Location: FL-LATFORM)
$16.75
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