Berlitz International: An Institute for Language Lovers
by Toni Brett

In a city as culturally diverse as New York, the sounds of Spanish, German, Italian, French and many other foreign tongues fill the air like international symphonies. And if music soothes the soul, language lures the intellect. Should the passions of your mind and spirit merge in a quest to learn a foreign language, then the 125-year old Berlitz International is to foreign language students what Carnegie Hall is to concert musicians.

Aside from the expected offerings in German, French, Spanish or Italian, Berlitz provides instruction in every language spoken on the planet. From the first session students participate in classes of six to ten students where not a word of English is uttered (unless, of course, the course happens to be English).

“Our job is to teach you to communicate the natural way, just as you did when you were a child,” says Liliana Dussi, the NY District Director of Berlitz International. Just as children learn pronunciation and meaning via repetition, so too do beginning Berlitz students. Beginning courses focus on laying a basic foundation for conversation, Dussi explained, while advanced courses teach the more complicated aspects of language.

Instructor Juan Carlos Ayarza puts this technique into action in his Spanish class. In a structured but friendly approach, he started his second class with each of his eight students introducing themselves to one another and answering basic questions. When memory failed, the students laughed at their mistakes and tried again.

“I make the students start thinking in the language itself, rather than in translation,” Ayarza explained after class. This is in keeping with the Berlitz emphasis on verbalization.

All Berlitz classes meet once a week for two hours and 15 minutes, for eight weeks. At the end of the beginning course students should be able to go to the country of the language they’ve studied and get around effectively. Of course, the possibility is increased when a student practices his foreign tongue between classes. For this, each student receives a workbook/reader and cassette.

Student Jacqueline Snyder chose Berlitz because it is “famous for its speak-only method.” As to her enjoyment and the effectiveness of Ayarza’s Spanish course, Snyder said, “I wish it were more frequent.” #

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