Language Initiatives

Overview

The United States’ international business interests and national security depend on citizens with strong foreign language skills and a deep knowledge of the history, politics and culture of other countries. Language training is an increasingly crucial CIBER initiative, and the Columbia CIBER seeks to link its language training programs to other opportunities to strengthen students’ understanding of foreign cultures. 

While Columbia University offers credit courses in more than 40 languagesw, the Columbia CIBER offers non-credit courses for studying foreign languages within a business context. The Columbia CIBER has also developed a number of innovative programs for the study of less commonly taught languages, especially at the advanced levels.

Chazen Language Program

Designed to fit the intense schedules of MBA students, the Chazen Language Program offers language study in small, interactive classes for a period of eight weeks. Beginning classes focus on conversation skills and advanced classes focus on business terminology. The program can provide instruction in virtually any language with a minimum enrollment of four students. 

Intensive Language Program

Each January, the Columbia CIBER presents the Intensive Language Program in International Business, a week of intensive study before the start of the spring semester. In this concentrated program, the curriculum is tailored to students’ career goals — for example, Arabic for a student slated to work for an American oil company in Iraq or French memo writing for a student preparing for an internship in Marseilles.

Local K-12 foreign language educators from New York City public schools can attend this program free of charge in order to enhance their language teaching ability.

Information on winter 2008 classes will be available in late fall 2007.

Individualized Language Study Grants

In cooperation with the Columbia Language Resource Center, the Columbia CIBER offers Individualized Language Study Grants for U.S. citizen students interested in studying a less commonly taught language within a business context. In response to high demand, CIBER doubled the number of grants during the program’s first year. Individualized language training allows students to fit language study into their busy schedules while working on specific areas for improvement. Study must be at a level or in a specialization not available through the regular curriculum at Columbia University.

To apply, students must describe their need to study a specific language in a one-page proposal, including previous language training and proficiency levels; how this language fits into their career plans; what language options they have explored on or off-campus and why those options do not meet their needs. The proposal should be submitted, along with a resume, to ciber@columbia.edu.

The K-12 Initiative: Training the Language Trainers

We invite New York City Public High School language teachers to join our students in the January Intensive Language Program. If you are intersted in participating, please send an email to ciber@columbia.edu.