Texas: Language classes speak volumes

[Francis Hult]

Houston Chronicle

 

Language classes speak volumes

 

Walking down the hallway of Rice University's language program school can feel like taking a global journey. The voices of students chatting in French, Spanish, Russian and Italian can be heard flowing from the university's classrooms. 

 

In one room, financial advisers, attorneys and advertising executives gather twice a week to improve their French by discussing politics, gambling and the economy.

 

"Bravo!" French professor Marie-Josephine Larsen said, praising her students.

 

Adults learning a foreign language in a city as diverse as Houston is nothing new. But in an era of budget cutbacks, layoffs and dwindling stock portfolios, it's striking that Houston professionals are still learning everything from Arabic to Portuguese to bolster their careers, communicate during foreign business trips or just for fun. 

 

Polyglot professors said students are still saying si and oui to language classes despite today's economic turmoil. And several Houston employers are still offering language classes even in the face of corporate cuts.

 

Full story:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/6476968.html

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