7,000+ miles. That’s how far some Tigrinya people have fled to avoid humanitarian conflict in Ethiopia and Eriteria.

Many have ended up in North Carolina. That includes nearly 5,000 Ethiopians and 2,500 Eritreans in communities across the state, from Charlotte to Greensboro to the Raleigh-Durham area.

Community organizations have stepped up to help them make the transition, including the local library system. Staff at NC Live, North Carolina’s statewide library cooperative, reached out to us about creating an English course for Tigrinya speakers.

So our team got to work creating the English for Newcomers course for Tigrinya speakers.

This 25-unit course covers 1,782 useful words and phrases for common newcomer scenarios like:

• Shopping for groceries & essentials
• Looking for work & interviewing
• Securing housing & utilities
• Getting medical & dental care
• Using technology
• Navigating public transportation

Unlike a beginner English textbook or course, “English for Newcomers” prioritizes rapidly memorizing the vocabulary learners need most, as our Director of Content Orsi Gall explains:

“The goal is function over form. Learning English as a newcomer in the thick of it isn’t about perfecting grammar or speaking eloquently. It’s about understanding and being understood. That’s especially important for meeting immediate needs like finding housing or getting medical care. The right word or phrase might be all you need. The course content and the spaced repetition activities are designed to help learners pick up what they need, when they need it.”

Karen Puckett, a retired ESL teacher and volunteer for Lutheran Services Carolina’s, made the initial request for this course:

“I have helped several new Americans get library cards at the Rowan County Public Library in North Carolina. I’ve also introduced them to NC LIVE and Transparent Language. I’ve worked with native speakers of Amharic, Arabic, Spanish, and Tigrinya as a volunteer ESL teacher. One of my students, a young man from Eritrea who speaks Tigrinya, wanted to access your service, and that’s when we realized that Tigrinya wasn’t offered. Thank you so much for adding an ‘English for Newcomers’ course for Tigrinya speakers in Transparent Language Online!”

Thanks to NC Live, this course (and every course in Transparent Language Online) is now available free with a library card from any public library in North Carolina.

If your library is supporting English learners, learn more about Transparent Language Online and explore our 300-hour English collection for speakers of 40 languages.

And if your library already subscribes and needs English for speakers of a language we don’t have, let us know at libraries@transparent.com.