Here’s a Trip That Won’t Leave You Speechless

The best souvenir from a trip abroad, according to a small but eager group of American travelers, is the ability to converse in a foreign language.

Along with the expected travel pleasures, they choose to immerse themselves in a week or several weeks of concentrated language studies, saying that somehow the wines of France, for example, taste better if you are able to order a glass in French.

Language studies abroad have long been an option for high school and college students. But short-term programs are increasingly being offered for adults, who may want language skills for business purposes or simply to enhance travel experiences.

Courses for foreigners are available in France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Soviet Union, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Japan, China and Taiwan.

Classes generally are taught for three to four hours each morning. In the afternoon, students are free to use their new communication skills at sidewalk cafes, in shops or any other place they may wish to go.

If you want to learn before you travel, check out language programs at local adult education programs, colleges and universities, cultural exchange organizations and private language schools.

You can find classes running a few hours a week to several hours daily. Or, if you’re a real self-starter, you can try taped cassette drills.

Abroad, immersion into the language will depend on the courses chosen. At many foreign language schools, students live in private homes, dine with families and practice what they have learned in class. Schools believe that students will progress more rapidly if they speak the foreign language being studied their entire waking day.

“You eat their food and sleep in their beds. You have to function as a native,” Reuel Zielke, National Registration Center for Study Abroad, said. A Milwaukee organization, it represents 86 universities and privately owned language schools in 16 countries.

All foreign language classes, however, are not really so demanding. Accents, a private school for adults in the French village of Artemare, near Geneva, offers courses in the context of a well-rounded vacation.

Class members occupy rooms in a comfortable inn with a swimming pool, and they are free to converse after class in whatever language they prefer.

“A lot of adult clients look for creature comforts on a holiday,” said Pam Bourgeois, who operates the school with her husband, Alain.

Many schools provide informal lessons in the local culture--history, music, art, food, literature--to accompany the language classes, and often arrange guided excursions to historic, cultural and scenic sites. Participation can be as a single, with one or more companions or as a family.

When seeking language training abroad, American travelers have several choices:

--Private schools: Europe, in particular, offers countless privately owned schools, which are popular with Europeans studying the language of a neighboring country. As a result, classmates may be mostly Europeans with a mix of nationalities. Private-school classes tend to be small and are offered throughout the year.

--University classes: During the summer recess, a number of European universities offer language programs for foreigners. Class size tends to be larger than those at private schools, but enrollment fees generally are less. Accommodations may be in student dorms, although most schools--whether private or public--allow students to find their own lodging. Also, a large percentage of classmates may be college students.

--Join a group from home: A number of U.S. universities and other educational institutions sponsor summer language classes abroad. This year, the Connecticut-based American Institute for Foreign Study is offering Italian in Florence and French in Paris at the Sorbonne and in Cannes on the Riviera. A Leningrad Russian program already has been filled.

Georgetown University has scheduled classes of French in Tours, Italian in Fiesole (outside Florence) and German in Trier as a part of its Summer Sessions Abroad program.

--Hire a tutor: International Homestays, a foreign-language program founded in Great Britain, places adult students in the homes of qualified teachers to study on a one-to-one basis. Formal lessons are held in the morning, says Louise Harber, a U.S. representative in New York City, and in the afternoon assignments may be to speak to local people.

A couple of times a week, the host or hosts will accompany students on sightseeing or recreational excursions. Tutors in this program are available in Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Language classes draw a diverse group of adult Americans, most of whom, say school spokesmen, are very serious about their studies. Many are business travelers who need a foreign language to conduct business.

They study abroad rather than at home so they can absorb the local culture, which may be of help in their profession. Others are retired and have free time to devote to classwork.

The intellectual challenge of mastering a new skill can be more appealing to them than time spent on a beach or golf course. Others simply want to learn the basic language as a way of enhancing future vacations.

What to consider when selecting a language school:

--Duration: Classes are available by the week, month and year. By most accounts, one week is too short a time to accomplish much, particularly for a beginner.

“There’s a lot of frustration,” says one teacher. “Four or five weeks is much better, if possible. Like any skill, the more you practice, the better you will get.” You probably will get more out of a foreign language school abroad if you have had some prior introduction to the language, such as a high school or college class.

--Expectation: How serious are you? What do you hope to accomplish? Mastery of a language for most adults, if you are starting from scratch, can be a matter of months of hard work in a solidly academic environment.

In a one- or two-week Accent program, says Bourgeoise, the limited goal is to give participants the confidence to speak up, if only in such ordinary travel circumstances as checking into a hotel or ordering a meal.

Some travelers enroll in a one-week class as preparation for the remainder of their vacation in the country. After a four-week class, you should have enlarged your vocabulary and enjoy a fluency with it.

Classes are available for all levels of fluency, from beginners to fluent speakers interested in perfecting the use of idioms.

--Class size: The smaller the class, generally, the more opportunity you will have to participate in oral classroom exercises.

Many private schools limit classes to four to eight students. Find out the maximum number of students per class at the school that interests you. But keep in mind that small classes will be more expensive than university programs with 20 or more students.

Fellow students: Older adults may want to question a school about the ratio of high school or college age participants in the class. You may be more comfortable in a class where your age group predominates.

Also, what is the native language of your classmates? If everybody speaks English, you may be tempted to revert to English with them in your off hours. Try for a class with students of varied heritage.

--Accommodations: In most total immersion programs, homestays are considered a significant part of the learning process. However, as an individual or a couple you could find the experience confining, especially if you are not very outgoing.

Some programs give you the option of finding an inn or hotel on your own. Another option--college dorms, which usually are available during the summer--can be noisy, which may be a matter of some concern, depending on your age.

--Location: Students have a wide choice of where they want to learn most major languages. In a small city, you probably will have a better chance of chatting with the local people, according to Zielke, although a capital city such as Vienna offers more extensive cultural diversions.

--The instructors: Clearly, you want to work with instructors who know what they are doing, so query the school on the experience of its instructors. Do they have professional teaching credentials? How long have they been teaching a language to foreign students?

--Course content: Vacationing Americans tend to be interested in a foreign language for the purpose of speaking it. When choosing a school, make sure it emphasizes oral exercises in the classroom.

Ask how many hours are spent in class: About three to four hours daily seems to be the norm. If you are a serious student, you may want a school that offers a language laboratory with recording equipment so you can practice outside class hours.

--When to go: Private language schools tend to operate year-round. Universities offer language studies for foreigners during the summer session. As might be expected, the average age in the classroom is younger during the summer, when high school and college students enroll.

To locate language schools abroad, begin by contacting the tourism office of the country in which you plan to study. Other sources of information are the language departments of the colleges and universities in your community.

Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil and other countries have cultural offices in a number of U.S. cities and they may also be able to provide information. Also, many language schools have business representatives in the United States who advertise in travel publications.

Among the organizations offering language courses abroad:

--National Registration Center for Study Abroad: Described as a consortium of 86 universities and private foreign language institutes, the center can arrange for language studies in 16 countries.

For example, German lessons are offered in five cities in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. French is taught in France, Switzerland and Canada. You can study Italian in a choice of five cities. Mandarin is a new course available in Taiwan.

Dozens of courses are offered, from one week to a year. Choices include large group classes in universities and smaller classes with five or six students per class in private schools.

Zielke says the center, established 15 years ago, visits its member schools annually to check on procedures. Accommodations generally are in private homes selected by the school. However, officials will help you find hotel lodging if you prefer.

Depending on country and school, a four-week package in Europe costs from $800 to $1,000 per person for food, lodging and instruction; in Latin America, $650 to $800; in Taiwan, $1,000 to $1,100; in Japan, about $1,500.

The center publishes seven separate language catalogues listing the variety of courses: Spanish in Mexico ($5), Spanish in Central and South American ($3), German in Germany, Austria and Switzerland ($2), Spanish and Portuguese in Spain and Portugal ($3), French in France, Switzerland and Canada ($3), Italian in Italy ($3) and Oriental languages in Taiwan and Japan (free).

An introductory newsletter also is available. For information: NRCSA, P.O. Box 1393, Milwaukee, Wis. 53201, (414) 278-0631.

--Accents: Now five years old, Accents is a small private school in France aimed at adult travelers who prefer to learn conversational French in a decidedly vacation atmosphere.

In the past, the school has catered primarily to visitors from Great Britain, but this year it is making a bid for an American clientele. For the first time, the school has two teaching centers, in Artemare and Forcalquier.

Artemare is a small village along a river off the beaten tourist path about midway between Geneva and Lyon (both about an hour’s drive distant) .

Accommodation with private bath is in a bed-and-breakfast inn that has a garden swimming pool. Dining is in local restaurants.

Forcalquier is a country village in Provence. An old mill on the edge of town has been coverted into an inn to house the students, and on the large grounds is a swimming pool. Here too all rooms have a private bath. Dining is in the village.

Each center takes no more than 25 students at a time, divided into three classes according to ability. Mornings are spent in class, and there usually is an afternoon task that requires each student to converse with the local folk. A common assignment for female participants is to arrange--entirely in French--for an appointment at a hairdresser’s.

“The shopkeepers are used to it,” says Bourgeois. “It took them by surprise five years ago. Now they tell me, ‘It gets boring when your students aren’t here.’ ”

One- and two-week summer programs begin weekly from April 15 to Sept. 23. Teens are permitted only with their parents. The price for a week’s lodging, breakfast and instruction is about $435 per person, double occupancy, depending on exchange rates and date of arrival. For information: Artemare, 01510 Virieu le Grand, France.

--American Institute for Foreign Study: A national organization sponsoring learning trips abroad, the institute offers several monthlong (or longer) summer language programs at foreign universities.

The programs are open to high school graduates, college students and adults. Accommodations are in private homes or university dorms. To help resolve any difficulties, the institute staffs each campus with a resident director, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Fountain.

In Paris, French lessons at the Sorbonne begin June 29 for four, six or eight weeks. The price for a four-week course is $2,649, which includes dorm lodging, breakfast, instruction and round-trip air fare from Washington, D.C.

In Cannes on the French Riviera, four- and eight-week courses begin June 27. For those with vacation thoughts in mind, the campus is described as being across the street from the beach.

Accommodations are in dorms. A four-week course is $2,999 per person for lodging, breakfast, instruction and round-trip air fare from Washington. In Florence, an Italian language course that includes studies in art history begins June 28. Lodging is in private homes. A four-week course is $2,849 per person for lodging, breakfast, instruction and round-trip air fare from Washington, D.C.

For information about these and other summer programs, including studies in Peking: American Institute for Foreign Study, Dept. P-34, 102 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich, Conn. 06830, (800) 727-2437.

--International Homestays: Unlike other language courses, in this program you live and study in the home of your teacher, taking all meals with your host and his or her family.

It is an intensive course for serious students. “You will be guided and corrected not only during lessons but at all times,” says Harber, who represents the British-based organization in the United States.

Native-speaking tutors are available in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Argentina, Costa Rica, Japan, Taiwan and the Soviet Union. Classes can be arranged for as short a period as one week to a year or more. You can opt for 15, 20 or 25 hours weekly of class work.

In Italy, a four-week course at 20 hours weekly is $4,210 for one person and $3,150 per person for two people with the same tutor. The price includes superior to deluxe lodging, three meals daily and instruction.

In Germany, comparable prices are $4,870 for one person and $3,910 per person for two. In the Soviet Union, $2,995 for one and $2,340 per person for two. Harber also represents a variety of foreign language schools in Europe (including Berlin, Rome and Lisbon) and in Costa Rica.

For more information, contact Foreign Language Study Abroad Programs, Box 5409 GCS, New York 10163, (212) 662-1090; from Washington, D.C., call 232-2516.

Additional sources of information about language schools that provide intensive study programs include:

--Goethe Institute: Courses in German in many West German locales. Goethe Institute, Goethe House, 666 Third Ave., 19th Floor, New York 10017-4011, (212) 972-3960.

--Language Studies Abroad: Spanish in private language institutes in San Jose, Costa Rica; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; and Valencia, Spain. The U.S. representative is Charlene Biddulph, 249 S. Highway 101, Suite 226, Solana Beach, Calif. 92075, (619) 792-5693.

--Salminter School: A private academy in Salamanca, Spain, it offers classes in Spanish limited to eight to 10 students each. The U.S. representative is Elizabeth H. Nebehay, 251 East 32nd St., New York 10016, (212) 689-2636. Call before noon daily.

--Language Study Abroad: Classes in Spanish in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and Seville, Spain, and French in Vichy, France. The U.S. representative for the three schools is Richard Simmons, 1301 North Maryland Ave., Glendale 91207, (818) 242-5263.

--Georgetown University: Classes in Italian for adults at the university’s donated villa near Florence (May and Christmas) and summer classes in French in Tours and German in Trier. School for Summer and Continuing Education, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. 20057, (202) 687-5942.

--Language Experience Programs: Summer Spanish classes in Puebla, Mexico, about 80 miles south of Mexico City. Danette Pawlowski, Language Experience Programs, 1621 Orchard Hill, Hacienda Heights 91745, (818) 810-5521.