Berlitz Language Schools
Berlitz Language Schools, now known as
Berlitz International, Inc, derive from an institution founded by
Maximilien Berlitz in
1878, in
Providence, Rhode Island. It has now expanded into an international franchise with some 600 schools worldwide. The success of the school has been based on the direct method of language instruction, in which pupils learn the new language from scratch, which at its most basic form begins with the teacher pointing to a pen and saying, "It's a pen."
Berlitz had immigrated to the
United States from
Germany in
1872 with the intent of teaching
Greek,
Latin, and six other European languages according to the traditional grammar-translation approach. Working as a private teacher for a few years, he later joined Warner Polytechnic College as a professor of French and German language instruction.
The school was severely understaffed, and Berlitz served simultaneously as owner, dean, principal, and only faculty member. Needing an assistant who could teach French, Berlitz hired a Frenchman named Nicholas Joly. Joly had been the most promising candidate, but when the Frenchman arrived in Providence, Berlitz was horrified to find that Joly spoke no English. Already infirm from overwork, Berlitz went on sick leave and told Joly to lead classes to the best of the Frenchman's ability. Berlitz asked his assistant to point at objects, repeating the French word for them, and act out verbs.
The method was seen as a success. Berlitz returned after six weeks to find the students engaged in fluent exchanges with Joly. The students had progressed more than they would have under traditional rote techniques. Berlitz began to employ this method in the school, and the schoolâ€"and its ideasâ€"achieved success over time.
When a student wants to study a language with Berlitz, he or she must first be placed at a particular level:
*1/2: Functional: Beginners learn to say simple sentences.
*3/4. Intermediate: The student learns to function in everyday situations like ordering a meal or getting directions.
*5/6: Upper-intermediate: The student begins having simple conversations.
*7/8: Advanced: The student practices having more complicated conversations and has mastered the grammar.
*9/10: Professional: The student learns specific vocabulary and idioms for his or her profession.
Berlitz became a subsidiary of
Macmillan Publishers in
1966. Berlitz became a publicly traded franchise in
1988 after Maxwell Communication Corporation took over Macmillan. However, in
2001, Berlitz was acquired by Fukutake Publishing Co., Ltd., now known as the
Benesse Corporation, and is no longer publicly traded.
There are more than 450 Berlitz Language Centers in over 60 countries.
*
Africa & Middle East*Algeria
*Bahrain
*Egypt
*Israel
*Kuwait
*Lebanon
*Saudi Arabia
*Syria
*United Arab Emirates
*
Asia *China
*Hong Kong S.A.R.
*Indonesia
*Japan
*Malaysia
*Pakistan
*Philippines
*Singapore
*South Korea
*Taiwan
*Thailand
*
Australia *Australia
*
Europe *Austria
*Belgium
*Bulgaria
*Croatia
*Czech Republic
*Denmark
*Finland
*France
*Germany
*Greece
*Hungary
*Ireland
*Italy
*Latvia
*Malta
*Netherlands
*Norway
*Poland
*Portugal
*Russian Federation
*Slovak Republic
*Slovenia
*Spain
*Sweden
*Switzerland
*Turkey
*United Kingdom
*
North & Central America *Canada
*Costa Rica
*Dominican Republic
*El Salvador
*Guatemala
*Mexico
*Panama
*Puerto Rico
*United States
*South America
*Argentina
*Brazil
*Chile
*Colombia
*Ecuador
*Paraguay
*Peru
*Uruguay
*Venezuela
The country with the largest number of Berlitz Centres in the World is Japan, which has well over 100 schools. However, it is in Japan that there have been some labour-related disputes in recent years regarding union membership and workplace conditions. Due to the fact that most teachers are international workers from English speaking countries, they often have limited access to assistance in any matters of contention with Berlitz.
*[https://www.berlitz-europe.com/cz/en/front_content.php?idcat=534 History of Berlitz International]
*
Berlitz International Homepage*
First language*
Second language*
Foreign language*
Language acquisition*
Second language acquisition*
Language education*
Bilingual education*
Berlitz U.S. site*
Current Berlitz commercial for learning English
