UNTERM (United Nations Terminology Database)

The UNTERM (United Nations Terminology Database) is the official multilingual terminology database of the United Nations. It provides access to thousands of terms, expressions, acronyms, and official vocabulary used in United Nations documents and communications. The database covers the six official UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish) and includes terminology related to a wide range of fields such as human rights, sustainable development, international law, climate change, diplomacy, education, health, and peacekeeping.

The main purpose of UNTERM is to ensure consistency and accuracy in translation and communication across different languages. Users can search for specific terms and find their equivalents in multiple languages, along with definitions, usage notes, and contextual information. As a result, it is an invaluable tool for translators, interpreters, researchers, and anyone working in multilingual environments.

From an educational perspective, UNTERM offers many opportunities for English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching and for language learning in general. Because it contains authentic and specialised vocabulary used in international organisations, it allows students to explore real-world language rather than simplified textbook examples. Teachers can use the database to introduce topics such as global citizenship, human rights, environmental sustainability, or international cooperation while simultaneously developing students’ vocabulary skills.

In the ESL classroom, students can search for key terms related to a topic being studied and compare how these concepts are expressed in English and in their own language. This helps learners become more aware of linguistic nuances and translation challenges. The database is also useful for developing academic vocabulary, improving reading comprehension, and understanding the precise meaning of specialised terminology.

For language classes more broadly, UNTERM can support multilingual projects in which students investigate how international concepts are represented across different languages and cultures. Activities might include creating bilingual glossaries, analysing international documents, comparing terminology across languages, or exploring how certain concepts—such as equality, democracy, migration, or sustainability—are defined in global institutions.

The resource is particularly valuable for promoting intercultural awareness and language accuracy. By working with terminology used by the United Nations, students gain exposure not only to advanced vocabulary but also to the language of international cooperation and global challenges. This makes UNTERM an excellent tool for combining language learning with education for global citizenship, critical thinking, and intercultural communication.

https://unterm.un.org/unterm2/en/

Omniglot. An encyclopedia of writing systems and languages

Omniglot is a comprehensive online reference site by Simon Ager dedicated to the world’s writing systems and languages. It’s often described as “the linguist’s encyclopedia” because it collects and displays information on hundreds of alphabets, syllabaries, scripts, and sign languages from around the globe — from ancient and historical systems to modern and minority languages.

On Omniglot you can find:

• Descriptions of writing systems — including letters, symbols and how they are used.
• Samples of scripts — showing what a writing system looks like in practice.
• Pronunciation guides and language phrases — for many languages, often with audio.
• Language learning resources — useful phrases, transliteration tips and script insights.
• Historical and cultural context — notes on where the script originated and how it developed.

The site is especially valuable for language enthusiasts, linguists, students and educators, because it lets you explore the incredible diversity of human writing and communication.

Find it on:

https://www.omniglot.com/

Sexism and the English language

The Economist's language expert Lane Greene explores the gender stereotypes used in everyday speech.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uaBwAe2BhY

Collection of Canadian language resources

The Resources of the Language Portal of Canada is a freely accessible online hub created by the Government of Canada to support language learning, communication and writing in the country’s two official languages, English and French, as well as to provide links to a wide range of related tools and materials. 

The “Language learning” section of this resource includes curated links to courses, programs, and learning materials designed to help people study English and French. Within this section you can find options for both formal language programs and self-study resources, including study tools and teaching aids that support learners at different levels. This makes it useful for students, teachers, and anyone who wants to improve their skills in one of Canada’s official languages. 

The website links to other helpful materials such as writing guides, glossaries, dictionaries, inclusive language resources and Indigenous language resources, so users interested in broadening their linguistic knowledge can explore beyond basic learning.

https://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/en/ressources-resources/index-eng#learning

The Conversation UK

The UK edition of The Conversation is an independent online news platform where articles are written by academics and researchers in collaboration with professional editors.

The goal is to provide fact-based, accessible, and reliable journalism, free from paywalls and not driven by advertising. Articles often explain complex issues (politics, science, health, technology, environment, arts, education, etc.) in clear, plain language, making research and expertise understandable to a wide audience.

The UK edition focuses on issues particularly relevant to Britain but also covers global topics. It’s widely used by teachers, students, journalists, and policymakers because it combines academic rigor with approachable writing.

Teachers can use articles as up-to-date, reliable resources for classroom discussions. Students can read expert explanations of current affairs and research in accessible language. It can also support critical thinking and media literacy by showing how experts communicate knowledge.

https://theconversation.com/uk

Lyrikline.org

Lyrikline.org is an international online platform dedicated to poetry. It was created in 1999 by the Haus für Poesie in Berlin, Germany.

The website offers poems from around the world in their original language and often translated into other languages (including English), audio recordings of poets reading their own poems, biographical information about the poets, and access to thousands of poems from different cultures and time periods.

Lyrikline.org can be very useful for language learning as you can listen to poems in their original language and improve your listening skills.

https://www.lyrikline.org/en/home/

A selection of poems in English:

https://www.lyrikline.org/en/poems?nav=1&filter_fired=1&lang%5B%5D=en

TV.garden

Tv.garden allows you to watch TV stations from around the world. It can help you improve your English in a creative and fun way by listening to native speakers and improve your language skills and vocabulary. 

Explore a wide range of channels, including international news, live sports, movies, entertainment, and cultural shows. 

Fast, user-friendly, and completely free.

https://tv.garden/

EasyLang AI

EasyLang AI is an application developed by MyLens that leverages artificial intelligence to facilitate language learning in an engaging and personalized manner. It transforms your preferred topics or content into concise visual lessons tailored to your native language, allowing your interests to guide your language acquisition process. 

The platform supports various input formats, including CSV/Excel files, PDFs, images, YouTube links, web addresses, and extended text. This flexibility enables users to learn from content that genuinely interests them, enhancing the learning experience.

By converting complex information into easily digestible visuals, EasyLang AI aims to make language learning both enjoyable and effective. The application's approach ensures that learners remain engaged and can grasp new concepts with greater ease.

https://mylens.ai/apps/easylang

A Way with Words. Radio show and podcast

A Way with Words is a radio show and podcast that focuses on language, linguistics, and communication. Hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, the program explores a wide range of topics related to words, grammar, slang, idioms, and the origins of phrases. It features listener questions about language usage, as well as discussions on how language evolves, its quirks, and its role in culture.

Listeners can call in or write with questions, making the show interactive and engaging for language enthusiasts. The podcast appeals to anyone curious about the intricacies of words and language in everyday life.

You can find the show on popular podcast platforms like: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts...

Some episodes are available on their YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@waywordradio

Episodes are available for streaming or download at:

https://waywordradio.org/

2024 European Day of Languages: Europeans and their languages

The European Day of Languages is an opportunity to promote language learning and linguistic diversity. This year, the European Commission is hosting an event to discuss the 2024 Eurobarometer results on Europeans and their languages, comparing them with the 2012 results. Countries with positive outcomes, such as Finland, Portugal, and the Czech Republic, will be featured.

Speakers include Iliana Ivanova, EU Commissioner for Innovation, and various Directors General from the European Commission. The event will take place on 26 September from 12:00 to 13:00 CET and will be livestreamed with subtitles in all EU languages on this page:

https://education.ec.europa.eu/event/2024-european-day-of-languages-europeans-and-their-languages

We Teach MFL

We Teach MFL is a website offering a variety of resources aimed at supporting Modern Foreign Language (MFL) teachers. The platform provides lesson materials, worksheets, grammar guides, and exam-specific tools for Key Stage 3, GCSE, and A-Level curriculums.

These resources are designed by educators to help make teaching more engaging and efficient. Additionally, the site includes professional development (CPD) opportunities, such as webinars and blog posts, focused on enhancing teaching strategies.

Teachers can access these resources through a membership model, which offers materials for languages like Spanish and French.

Find it on:

https://www.weteachmfl.co.uk/

Free resources on:

https://www.weteachmfl.co.uk/free-resources

Songtell

Songtell is an AI-powered platform that helps users understand the meaning behind song lyrics. With a database of over 800,000 song explanations and curated playlists around various themes, Songtell uses advanced artificial intelligence to analyze lyrics and extract key details, themes, and concepts from songs. It offers insightful interpretations that reveal the narrative, metaphor, social commentary, or personal story behind the words. 

While not always perfectly accurate, Songtell serves as a valuable resource for educators, students, music enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the meaning behind song lyrics.

Find it on: https://www.songtell.com/

Blog: https://blog.songtell.com/

Collection of short videos that can be used in the language classroom by @NikPeachey

160 video shorts for use in the language classroom. 

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/nikpeachey/video-shorts/ 

Gender-ing English language classes across the globe: Practical lessons for teachers

Gender-ing English language classes across the globe: Practical lessons for teachers is an excellent resource for English language teachers who want to integrate gender topics into their teaching. The book is divided into two parts: the first part provides an overview of gender and language, and the second part presents 40 practical lessons that teachers can use in their classrooms.

The lessons in the book cover a wide range of topics, including gender and the workplace, gender and education, gender stereotypes, and gender (in)equality. The lessons are designed to be engaging and interactive, and they encourage students to think critically about gender issues.

A valuable tool for helping teachers to raise awareness of gender issues and to create more inclusive learning environments.

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/2023-09/Gender-ing_EL_classes_v2_FINAL_web.pdf

The Language Nerds

The Language Nerds is a platform dedicated to providing maximum comfort and engagement for language enthusiasts. Their goal is to entertain and inform individuals with a passion for language. They aim to connect people from diverse backgrounds worldwide, encouraging them to share their language expertise within the community.

At The Language Nerds, also known as the Nerds, they are enthusiasts deeply passionate about linguistics and language teaching. They are committed to:

Creating original and intriguing content that piques curiosity about languages.

Sharing useful language learning hacks and tips based on educational research, particularly beneficial for those undertaking the challenge of learning a new language.

Visit:

https://thelanguagenerds.com/

Government of Canada. Language Navigator

Language Navigator is a search engine that allows you to search by keyword or by theme to quickly find answers to questions about language or writing in English and French: articles on language difficulties, linguistic recommendations, conjugation tables, translation suggestions and much more.

Find it on:

https://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/en/navigateur-navigator

Academic Phrasebank

The Academic Phrasebank is a general resource for academic writers. It aims to provide you with examples of some of the phraseological ‘nuts and bolts’ of writing organised according to the main sections of a research paper or dissertation. The resource should be particularly useful for writers who need to report their research work.

The phrases in this resource have been taken from authentic academic sources. The original corpus from which the phrases were ‘harvested’ consisted of 100 postgraduate dissertations completed at the University of Manchester. The Academic Phrasebank largely draws on an approach to analysing academic texts originally pioneered by John Swales in the 1980s. 

https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/

Language World Map

Language World Map is a website that allows you to check the places around the world where a specific language is spoken. 

On the homepage, there is a text box where you should enter the language you want to search for. Once entered, a world map will appear, with countries and territories where that language is spoken highlighted in green. By clicking on each country, relevant information such as the country's population, cost of living, other official languages, etc., will be displayed. 

https://languageworldmap.com/ 

Corpus resources for A-level English Language and English Language Teaching

This webpage provides ideas and activities aimed at teaching spoken British English to A-level or GCSE-level English Language students. It includes fully-developed lesson plans as well as suggestions for additional activities that can complement the existing class materials. These materials make use of the BNClab, an online platform created by Lancaster University.

The BNClab employs 10 million words from two extensive corpora, namely the British National Corpus and the British National Corpus 2014, to aid students in exploring topics aligned with the national curriculum. These topics include the impact of gender, age, and region on spoken communication, as well as the language changes that have occurred in English over the past three decades. 

https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/corpusforschools/

Key data on teaching languages at school in Europe

The 2023 edition of Key data on teaching languages at school in Europe is the fifth edition of the report. As the past editions, this new one intends to contribute to the monitoring of the policy developments in the field of (foreign) language teaching in schools in Europe.

This report includes 51 indicators covering a wide range of topics relevant to (foreign) language policy at the EU and national levels. Data from the Eurydice Network is complemented by Eurostat data and data from two international surveys carried out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). (Source:  Eurydice)

https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/media/3041/download