Where to learn a language locally
Online options for language learning abound — Rosetta Stone is perhaps the best known — but you can also take advantage of the many local opportunities to learn at least a few phrases before you travel to a new place. Your choices include everything from conversation circles in Swedish to book clubs in French to a family immersion weekend in Korean.
Here is a sampling of the possibilities:
Concordia Language Villages (1-800-222-4750; www.concordia languagevillages.org) offers immersion programs in more than a dozen languages for children and adults, with locations in northern Minnesota and Marine on St. Croix.
The Swedish Institute in Minneapolis (612-871-4907; www.asimn.org) offers adult Swedish classes of all levels.
Parlez-vous français ? Kids and adults can attend French classes at the Alliance Française (612-332-0436; www.afmsp.org), also in Minneapolis.
The University Language Center in Edina (952-224-5600 or 1-800-798-6032; www.ulanguage.com) offers classes and private instruction in several languages for adults and children.
If you're going to Deutschland, you can brush up on your German at the Germanic-American Institute in St. Paul (651-222-7027; www.gai-mn.org).
Going to a Spanish-speaking country ? Options for classes include the Spanish Institute in Edina (952-933-9940; www.spanishin.us) and Global Citizens Network in Minneapolis (612-436-8270; www.globalcitizens.org), both offering all levels of instruction.
