(credit: orestparkforever.org)
Global Village Language Center
8428 Delmar Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63124
(314) 989-9112
www.globalvillagelanguagecenter.com
Global Village offers an incredible smorgasbord of classes that can be tailored to your exact needs. Choose private or group classes, from beginner to advanced. Study Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Korean, Japanese, German, Latin, Hindi or one of 50 other languages. Classes are offered for ages two through adult, with specific options like short-term sessions aimed at travelers to specialized classes for medical, business or military language instruction.
(credit: umsl.edu)
Foreign Language Connection
JC Penney Conference Center
1 University Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63121
(314) 516-5961
www.umsl.edu
If you want to learn Arabic, Bosnian, Chinese, French, Greek, Italian or Spanish, you’ll find classes at the Foreign Language Connection at University of Missouri. The FLC offers beginner and intermediate levels in most languages, and covers cultural context as well as language skills. If you need translation services or if you want someone to offer a customized class for your small group, the FLC has those programs covered as well.
(credit: jasstl.wordpress.com)
St. Louis Japanese Language School
126 Sverdrup Building Webster University
470 E. Lock Wood Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63119
(314) 599-3871
www.jasstl.wordpress.com
Japanese is the language of choice for everyone from international business people to animé fans. Every Saturday, the St. Louis Japanese Langage School offers adult classes at Webster University. The beginner class meets at 8:30 a.m., followed by an intermediate (conversation) class at 9:45 a.m. If you’ve never spoken a word of Japanese, drop in on an introductory class at 11:15 a.m. There’s even an advanced class at 12:15 p.m. The program has $50 deposit and registration fees. After that, monthly tuition is $60. E-mail the instructor, Hitomi Salini, at hitomichappy@gmail.com if you have questions.
(credit: alliancestl.org.org)
Alliance Française de St. Louis
8505 Delmar Blvd. Suite G
St. Louis, MO 63124
(314) 432-0734
www.alliancestl.org
Parlez-vouz Français? Would you like to? Alliance Française in U City can help. Twelve levels of adult classes accommodate total beginners, those who’ve forgotten their high school French and need a refresher course and the most advanced students. Children can choose from an assortment of classes for different ages, including a summer day camp.A conversation group for college students and young professionals meets monthly on Sunday evening to practice their skills.
(credit: sllis.org)
St. Louis Language Immersion Schools
4011 Papin St.
St. Louis, MO 63110
(314) 533-0975
www.sllis.org
Educators know that learning a language during elementary school (or even younger) leads not only to greater fluency, but to an increased ability to learn other languages as an adult. Yet many schools continue to wait until high school (well after the language “learning window” has closed) to introduce languages. The Language Immersion Schools are private schools that teach from Kindergarten through 5th grade entirely in either Chinese, French or Spanish. The program assumes that students come in with no skills in the new language, and the goal is for them to graduate the program with fluency, in addition to the usual reading, writing and ‘rithmatic skills.
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Lauren Haas was the founder and publisher of The St. Louis Area Family Gazette magazine, and editor-in-chief of Marketplace Magazine. Now, Lauren is a full-time freelance writer who travels the world, using St. Louis as her base. Contact her at Lauren@LaurenHaas.com
