Kendall Walters is the former EPL's Digital Marketing Specialist.
Edmonton prides itself on being a multicultural city with a diverse population and cultural heritage.
A significant portion of the city’s population (21 per cent, opens a new window) is made up of immigrants, with Alberta’s capital weighing in as the fifth most popular destination for new immigrants, opens a new window coming to Canada, following Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. It’s also one of the four most religiously diverse cities, opens a new window in the entire country.
You have only to look to the many events hosted by Edmonton throughout the year focused on celebrating the unique cultures of the city’s varied inhabitants—like the much-loved Heritage Festival, opens a new window in August—to see the city’s love for diversity.
While these events often revolve around food, art and dance, Edmonton’s multiculturalism extends far beyond those—all you have to do is listen.
Languages Spoken in Edmonton
More than one-fifth (21.3 per cent) of the city’s population calls a non-official language their mother tongue and 11.1 per cent of Edmontonians speak a language other than English or French at home, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent census data, opens a new window.
Other than English (the mother tongue of nearly three-quarters of the city) and French (2.2 per cent), there are a number of different languages you might hear on the streets of our fair city.
These are the 10 non-official languages most commonly spoken by Edmontonians, along with the percentage of the population that speaks them:
- Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino)..................2.2 per cent
- Panjabi (Punjabi).................................1.8 per cent
- Chinese (dialect not specified)..........1.8 per cent
- German................................................1.5 per cent
- Spanish.................................................1.3 per cent
- Ukrainian..............................................1.3 per cent
- Cantonese............................................1.2 per cent
- Arabic....................................................1.2 per cent
- Polish.....................................................0.9 per cent
- Vietnamese...........................................0.7 per cent
If you’re a native speaker of one of these languages or a new language learner, the Edmonton Public Library has something for you.
World Languages Available at EPL
The Edmonton Public Library offers resources in more than 20 languages, opens a new window from around the world, including books in Tagalog, Panjabi, German and Ukrainian.
Whether you’re looking for a translation of a beloved favourite or an original text in a language other than English, EPL has a variety of items available.
Our world languages collections are perfect for bilingual members and new language learners alike. Browse and add something new to your shelf today.
How to Find Resources Available in World Languages
EPL’s World Languages Collection
To see the books, movies, music and more in world languages available directly from EPL, visit our World Languages page, opens a new window. Simply click on your desired language to see items available in that language.
Newspapers, Magazines and Publications in World Languages
If you’re interested in newspapers, magazines and other publications, browse through Press Reader, opens a new window, which offers titles from 100 countries in more than 60 languages. Access to more than 2,000 newspapers and over 1,000 magazines from around the world is available for free with your library card.
To see what publications are available in your language, visit Press Reader’s website, then click the menu icon in the upper left-hand corner of the page. From there, simply select a country or language from the navigation on the left side of the page and choose the title you’d like to read.
But that’s not all. EPL also offers a Chinese magazines resource, opens a new window, with plenty of publications to choose from.
EPL Programs in World Languages
In addition to online resources and physical items you can borrow from our collection, EPL also offers programs in several different languages.
Check out Family Storytime in Arabic, opens a new window, Russian, opens a new window, French, opens a new window and Korean, opens a new window or scroll through a variety of other library events offered in French, opens a new window.
On August 12, we'll also be running a special edition Family Storytime in Tagalog at our Lois Hole branch in Callingwood.
Learn World Languages
If you’re looking to learn a new language, EPL has plenty of online resources to choose from.
Then there’s Mango Language Learning, opens a new window, which offers 48 language options for English speakers as well as English language courses for speakers of 15 other languages.
There’s also Muzzy: Language Learning for Kids, opens a new window, which helps children from preschool to elementary age learn a variety of languages, including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese and Russian.
Explore our collection and see what EPL has to offer in world languages today!
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