Crossing the Berlitz bridge

The Berlitz Centre on Jumeirah Beach road in Dubai offers tuition in 11 languages such as Arabic, English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Greek, Persian, Spanish and Japanese to students belonging to diverse backgrounds.

With centres in more than 500 locations and 50 countries, Berlitz language training centres have been helping people all over the world for the past 123 years to 'bridge the language barriers' that separate them, according to Leila Shehab, regional general manager for Berlitz. "The instructors, besides being native speakers of the respective languages that they teach, also receive special intensive training in the Berlitz method," said Leila.

Berlitz method is a natural way of learning a language. Developed by Maximilian D. Berlitz in 1878, it is modelled after the way one learns to speak in one's mother tongue. It involves exclusive use of the target language whereby vocabulary and grammar skills are taught in a natural conversational context, the ultimate goal being to enable students to think in the new language.

Besides language instruction, their services include translation, on campus programmes, travel-related books, tapes and CDs and other publishing products like dictionaries, phrase books and self study instruction materials in many languages.

Operational since July 1999, the Centre is open 13 hours a day and has tailor-made options to suit individual demands of course levels and convenient timings.

"The need to learn a new language could be due to various reasons," said Leila, including "relocating to a different part of the world, changing jobs that requires proficiency in a new language, integrating in an alien environment or simply satisfying curiosity about an unknown community or culture".

One can opt for private or group tuition, the fees charged accordingly. As in any discipline, there are different levels of learning. Tuition in each level is followed by a test, after which an internationally recognised Berlitz certificate is awarded to the student.

For more information, call Berlitz on 04-3440034.