Language, Literature + Cultural Studies

We may be a bit biased, but we think CIEE offers some of the best foreign language learning programs that allow students to travel abroad and learn their desired language firsthand. Our most popular foreign language learning programs include:

1. Summer Global Internship (Barcelona, Spain)
2. Summer Accelerated Chinese Language (Shanghai, China)
3. Russian Language + European Studies (Tallinn, Estonia)
4. Summer Intensive French Language (Rennes, France)
5. Chinese Language + Asian Studies (Taipei, Taiwan)
6. Advanced Arabic Language (Amman, Jordan)
7. Summer Arabic Language (Rabat, Morocco) 

There are several advantages of studying a foreign language, including:

• Improving brain and memory health
• Increasing problem-solving skills  
• Expanding your ability to connect with more people around the world
• Increasing empathy toward others
• Helping with personal and career advancement

Check out this TED Talk on 4 reasons to learn a new language by John McWhorter. 

There are many factors that influence how long it may take you to learn a new language, including your environment, dedication to studying, and your existing and desired language level. Depending on the language you want to learn and the level you’d like to reach, experts estimate that it could take anywhere from eight to 92 weeks or more. 

While the best foreign language to learn is quite subjective, we can provide you with a list of some of the most popular foreign languages to learn (excluding English), based on the number of native speakers.

• Chinese
• Hindi
• Spanish
• French
• Arabic
• Bengali
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Urdu
• Indonesian
• German
• Japanese

CIEE conveniently offers several language learning programs inclusive of many of the languages listed above. Explore all CIEE’s foreign language programs and apply today! 

Yes, you can absolutely study abroad without knowing the language. With 130+ language, literature, and cultural studies programs across 40+ locations, CIEE offers foreign language courses for all levels of language learners. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced foreign language speaker, you can study language abroad with CIEE!

CIEE offers study abroad language programs across a dozen languages including:

1. Spanish  
2. French  
3. Mandarin  
4. Arabic  
5. Korean  
6. Portuguese  
7. Japanese
8. Russian
9. German
10. Italian 

And more!

If you're wondering how to study language abroad, there are several ways to do so with CIEE including:

• Complete language courses at your CIEE Center or partner university
• Live with a host family and practice daily conversations
• Engage with the local community through volunteer work
• & more!

For more detailed information on learning a language abroad, we recommend that you explore individual program pages for course and language information.