Members of the Cornell community can get a password to access free of charge SCOLA's Web-streaming services to watch television programs from around the world in the original languages.

"It allows you to watch live online or download from a seven-day rolling archive in the form of downloadable, usually half-hour digital files of international news and cultural broadcasts from about 70 countries in about 55 languages," says Dick Feldman, director of the Cornell's Language Resource Center.

SCOLA is a nonprofit organization that rebroadcasts news and cultural programming. The SCOLA streaming service allows two kinds of desktop access and is Macintosh and PC compatible, Feldman said. Many people are familiar with Channel 1 of SCOLA, which is available on local Time Warner Cable.

"However, the Cornell community can obtain access to all eight SCOLA channels, which offer a broader range of programming, such as all Chinese programming from the Confucius Institute on Channel 3, and Channel 4 presents broadcasts from mostly Asian countries," he said. "Channel 5 has programming from continental Africa, Channel 6 programming from the Middle East, Channel 7 South Asian programming, and Channel 8 more programming from Eurasia."

To use the service, send a blank e-mail to Feldman, at rf10@cornell.edu, with the subject "SCOLA Password." Feldman will reply with the password and instructions on how to access SCOLA.

Cornellians also can request access to an "Insta-class" service, which provides audio and video files in a chosen language along with a transcript, translation and vocabulary list, by e-mailing Feldman.

Access is funded by the Office of the Vice Provost for International Relations.