Going bilingual, from Dubai to Sancerre
A vacation with homework. To the average middle-school student it might sound like a nightmare. But for lifelong learners who wish they’d paid more attention in “Spanish for Beginners”—or for anyone looking for extra insight and access to the country they’re visiting—a foreign-language holiday can add les mots justes that separate a mere trip from a truly meaningful overseas experience.
These days, learning a foreign tongue often involves much more than vocab quizzes and verb conjugations. Jay Jamieson, accreditation services manager for the Canada Language Council (CLC), says language instruction used to adhere more strictly to the “here’s your text and we’re gonna go through it” model. Now, he says, many schools are “starting to carve out more of a niche … for travelers wanting experiences that are unique and different.”
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That new niche includes experiential learning—several of the French schools on the CLC’s accredited list, for example, offer skiing or golf as part of the curriculum. At the École de langue française et de culture québécoise in Québec, a new program centers its French language instruction around music. Students can join ensembles or choirs, and classes take excursions to French shows and recitals in the area.
In Montezuma, Costa Rica, La Escuela del Sol has taken experiential language learning to new extremes: This seaside center offers surfing, yoga, and fire dancing instruction to complement its Spanish language classes.
Still other international language schools cater to a slightly slower-paced lifestyle. Gérard Chartrand, who, along with his wife Marianne, founded the Coeur de France École de Langues in the fabled winemaking region of Sancerre, said the school and the area are places for people to sample some of the finer things in life. We’re used to visitors who are interested in wine, gourmet food, etc. For accommodations, students can choose from Coeur de France’s three luxury apartments in a restored 17th-century mansion (which also houses the school).
Alex Anderson, a retired American investment banker, has been visiting Coeur de France annually for about eight years with his wife, Rebecca. They typically stay for two or three weeks at a time, rent a house near the school, and walk to their private French lessons at the chateau each morning, picking up croissants and French newspapers on the way. Alex says he likes to play golf in Sancerre the afternoon. “It’s a great way to meet French people. And it’s easier to have meaningful conversations than if you’re meeting in a store. You can talk about your families, and what you do.”
Chartrand says those kinds of real, personal interactions are part of the reason he and his wife chose the smaller, village setting of Sancerre for their school. Often, in a major metro area like Paris, says Chartrand, students “try so hard to learn French, and then they go to a café and try it out on a waiter—who answers in perfect English.”
By contrast, says Chartrand, most of the waiters in the Sancerre cafes will actually help correct visitors’ grammar and pronunciation. The local bistros, wineries, and goat-cheese farms thus become a kind of living language lab for eager Francophones-in-training.
Jesse Philippe, program director for Languages Abroad, a tour operator that coordinates language-school programs and accommodations in 50 countries worldwide, says travelers who make language schools a part of their vacations tend to “really want a rich cultural experience. They may not be expecting to master the language, but even when you can say ‘How are you?’ in that local language, people really respect you for that.”
See our slideshow of Luxe Language Holidays.
The types and qualities of language schools available to foreign travelers can vary wildly, and a little research can go a long way. Sarah Eaton, an educational and language-school consultant and author of "101 Ways to Market Your Language Program," says, “It pays to do your homework and talk to people about their experiences” at the language school you’re considering. “Anyone who's had a good experience will be happy to talk about it!”
Eaton also recommends looking for schools that belong to standards organizations, and asking about the qualifications of the teachers. “It is a myth that anyone who can speak a language can teach it,” she says. “Professional language teachers are trained in languages and/or linguistics and have also taken courses in teaching or pedagogy. This means that they'll be able to explain difficult concepts better and help you learn faster.”
Private or first-class universities also tend to be good sources for language instruction, Eaton says. “These institutions pride themselves on their reputation, so it's likely that their instructors are going to be better qualified and the people coordinating behind the scenes may have more experience and training. They also have the institution as a whole to support them, so students often have access to world-class libraries, fitness facilities and other campus services available to students.”
In addition to their academic-year programs, many universities offer shorter, intensive courses during the summer or school year.
Our sampling of unique language schools worldwide covers a wide linguistic and geographic spectrum; it includes storied institutions of higher learning, like the University of Vienna, as well as some smaller programs that center around less traditional curricula—from cooking in Florence to surfing in Central America.
Read on to whet your appetite for a truly immersive foreign-travel experience.