Language
Locate language dictionaries, interpreter and translation assistance, and English proficiency tests.
Resources
American Translators Association (ATA)
Visit ATA's online directory of language services companies. Locate a company that offers translation services to work with written material. Narrow your selection by choosing a subject area of specialization. Search businesses for interpreting services to render spoken communication. Narrow your selection by choosing a zip code, state, or country.
Language Dictionaries (www.yourDictionary.com)
New languages and dictionaries are constantly being added to yourDictionary.com. They offer one of the widest and deepest set of dictionaries, grammars, and other language resources on the web.
Limited English Proficiency (LEP)
The Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Program at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) helps provide spoken (interpreter) and written (translation) language assistance services to individuals whose limited English skills prevent them from accessing health and human services.
Minnesota Literacy Council
Locate Adult Basic Education and various ESL classes including "Functional Work English". This site will also help you find computer training, childcare, transportation and various services by geographic area or organization name.
Minnesota Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (MinneTESOL)
MinneTESOL is a professional association of teachers of English as a Second Language in Minnesota and neighboring states dedicated to the education and support of students acquiring English at all levels of public and private education.
Welcome to the United States
Welcome to the United States resources for new immigrants is available online in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog, Portuguese, French, and Haitian Creole.
Translation Lab
The Translation Lab has helped set a national standard for excellence in the fields of translation, training and evaluation. It produces highly accurate, culturally appropriate translations in a variety of fields, including medicine, law, social services, business, and industry. They adapt and translate a range of materials from graphics-intense technical reports to number-crunching investment portfolios. Businesses also benefit from cultural training provided to personnel who conduct business overseas. Educational institutions contract to translate report cards, parent communications, transcripts, and many other documents into and out of English.
Proficiency tests
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Measures the ability of non-native speakers of English to use and understand North American English as it is spoken, written, and heard in college and university settings.
Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC)
TOEIC has been used to measure the ability of nonnative English-speaking people to use English in everyday work activities. It features rapid test scoring and reporting, and provides a quantifiable standard of performance recognized around the world. For millions of people, those who take it and those who rely upon its scores, the TOEIC test is considered a critical benchmark of English language skills. The site links to "Sample Questions" which provide examples of listening and reading questions from the examinee handbook.
Page last updated in June 2008.
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