Language Profiles

  • Students and professor in an ASL class

Language Profiles

Find out more about some of our languages below...

Thumbnail of "Welcome" depicted in American Sign Language.

American Sign Language

Did you know that American Sign Language (ASL) is one of the most widely used languages in the United States? ASL is a complete, natural language with its own grammar, syntax, cultural traditions, and history. It is the primary language of many Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals throughout the U.S., parts of Canada, and many other countries around the world. ASL is expressed through handshapes, facial expressions, body movements, and space. It is a rich, three-dimensional visual language and an important part of Deaf culture and communities.

Thumbnail of Egyptian pyramids

Arabic

Did you know that Arabic is the fourth most widely spoken language today after English, Spanish and Chinese? It is spoken in more than 22 countries by over 432 million people worldwide. It is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Arabic is a Semitic language with an alphabet consisting of 28 letters, including three vowels. It is written from right to left in cursive. It is a very rich language that has influenced a great number of other languages.

Thumbnail of the Eiffel Tower

French

French is a world language with more than 300 million people speakers on five continents. French is the second most widely learned foreign language after English, and the fifth most widely spoken language in the world. French is also the only language, alongside English, that is taught in every country in the world. France operates an international network of cultural institutes with French-language courses for close to a million learners. Learning French is extremely enriching and there are many compelling reasons to choose it.

Thumbnail of Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau, Germany

German

Did you know that German is the most widely spoken language in Europe? German is the official language of Germany, Austria, and Lichtenstein. It is also the native language of a significant portion of the population in northern Italy, eastern Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, eastern France, parts of Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia, and Romania. German belongs to the West Germanic group of the Indo-European language family and is closely connected to English. Learning German can connect you to over 150 million speakers around the globe!

Thumbnail of The Colosseum, Italy

Italian

Did you know that Italian is the fourth most studied foreign language in the U.S? Join this community! Whether you are from Italian heritage and you would like to connect with the language of your ancestors, or whether you come from a different background but you love Italian culture, our program is the perfect place for you to explore Italian culture. Turn this passion into a competence for your future career.

Thumbnail of Kinkaku-ji temple in Kyoto, Japan

Japanese

Is the Japanese language too difficult to learn? If you begin with one of our Japanese courses, you will soon answer “No” to this question. Japanese is ranked as the 6th most studied language in the world, and it is currently being taught in 142 different countries.  In the United States, 1446 different

Thumbnail of Plaza de España in Seville, Spain

Spanish

Worldwide, Spanish is spoken by over 400 million Spanish speakers, and that number increases drastically if we include those who speak Spanish as a second language. In the United States, Spanish is the second most spoken language. Learning Spanish will open new doors for you, allowing you to discover a world of infinite opportunities.