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SCOLA Review
By Ben Redmond

A customer service representative contacted me not long after I had submitted an email request for information about SCOLA’s website, granting two weeks of full access in order to explore their content. Language teachers and learners alike may be familiar with SCOLA’s cable and satellite TV channels, which re-transmit native language news broadcasts from around the globe 24 hours a day. With online access, you can watch streaming newscasts from each of their six region-specific channels and you have the freedom to select from any programs broadcast over the course of the past week.

While World TV Online may be the definitive feature, SCOLA’s website offers a number of distinct sections, each contributing to foreign language learning and an understanding of world cultures. Every week SCOLA uploads one "Insta-Class lesson" in each of 30 different languages, accompanying a selected newscast with its transcription, detailed translation, and questions to test comprehension. Unfiltered newscasts, while rich in vocabulary and particular examples of vernacular, can be tricky for even the most experienced language learners to tap into. Each "Insta-Class Lesson" increases the accessibility and value of a newscast as an effective resource for the student.

I previewed both the Italian and French "Insta-Class lessons" and found that the transcriptions were almost exact and the translation followed closely, clarifying instances where my own comprehension lacked. SCOLA also provides Insta-Class lessons following the same format for a number of non-European languages including Korean, Arabic, Farsi, Tajik, and Chinese.

The "Specialized Word Video Search" is another great tool for students. The lexicon search feature was especially helpful, allowing users to browse, in English, by the first letter of a foreign language word that may need clarifying. Once an instance of the word is found in the video archives the student can hear it used in a news broadcast, which eases difficulties in pronunciation or confusion regarding appropriate word usage. The Foreign Text section should also be noted, as it provides access to foreign language newspapers from a number of different countries, which may not be widely distributed.

I appreciated the fact that in addition to the download option for audio and video file, they are embedded on the site, which means that you do not have to launch an external application to play them. I found the customer service department to be extremely accommodating, offering to help me navigate the site by phone if I had any questions. Overall, the website expands on SCOLA’s TV services, effectively providing users with a number of helpful features to aid their study of language of culture.