All About Pirates

Argh, matey! September 19 marks the date for International Talk Like a Pirate Day! How can ye best discover the treasured and protected history of pirates? I learned the Pirate Language through Mango Languages, which is a free language learning tool for all ages. Now, if Piratical Language is not your style, perhaps you can become a translator for International Voyagers. After all, there are over 70 languages you can learn through Mango. From Egyptian to Yiddish, Gaelic to Japanese, Ancient Greek to Thai, follow your own treasure map to discovering new worlds through spoken languages.

Every country and every ship have their own unique flags. Discover the flags of the world through CultureGrams, displaying flags from over 200 nations. My personal favorite is Bhutan. 

Do you want to meet real pirates? Check out Biography and meet Blackbeard (a.k.a. Edward Teach), Anne Bonny, or Mary Read. I know that there are some skeptics stating, “Why is there a celebration of thieves and robbers?” Discover the answer through your own exploration. Simply go to MCPL’s Research and Learning webpage and type in “piracy.” Be warned, privateers, that there are over 500,000 articles, books, videos, and magazines dating back to 1705.

Do you want to tell your own sea-faring story? Put together this little piratical “yarn” from Teachables. Do you need more help telling tales whether written or spoken? Check out the 150+ titles on creative writing in the Library’s collection to get started. If you want to tell your own tales, look into The Story Center’s Storytelling Certification Program.

As always, landlubbers, you can find this and more with your Library card. An ocean of possibilities and possibly some treasures await ye!

Andrew E.
Red Bridge Branch