Before I started teaching at the Kathryn Wasserman Davis School of Russian, I was a student there! I spent four transformative summers at Middlebury, and it was the single best thing I ever did to finally get my Russian on its feet.
At Middlebury Language Schools, learning a language has never been just about the language alone.
| by Daniel Peirce
Daniel Peirce and his sister, Lynn Scalia, enrolled in the 8-week Chinese School at the Middlebury Language Schools in Summer 2025. Daniel is from Woodstock, Vermont, and is currently a Brand Strategy and Social Impact Consultant. We sat down to learn more about Daniel’s experience at the Language Schools.
Middlebury Language Schools creates and sustains a campus environment that is conducive to learning and that fosters engaged discourse. Watch our video, and experience the Language Schools!
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| by Seth Joyner
Fifteen years after arriving in Daegu, the Korean language remains central to School of Korean alum Seth Joyner’s professional (and personal) identity. He continues to study, to practice, and to learn.
Why learn a language?
We want to hear YOUR story.
Share your “Why [your language]?” moment in your own post!
We met during the opening week of our first summer at the Middlebury Spanish School’s Graduate Program in 2022.
| by Nicole Karlis
Thor Sawin, the associate dean of curriculum for Middlebury Language Schools, said he believes there is a place for AI when learning a new language, but that place is small. Hypothetically, chatbots can be used to practice a conversation that a person knows they will have in advance. However, if a person is exclusively learning Italian with an AI chatbot and never transitions to practicing with a real human—or the transition takes too long—it can have negative effects on learning and leave a person feeling “unprepared” for real-world interactions.
| by Sydney Michael
“What are your plans for after JET?” Many JET (Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program) alums can recall the confusion and “now what?” feeling after deciding not to renew their contracts or hitting the maximum number of years on the program. When I found Middlebury’s hybrid MA program in Japanese Language and Culture, I knew it was perfect for me.
“Who better to ask about learning languages than someone from what is widely regarded as the finest language school in the world?”
Middlebury Language Schools has a reputation for being one of the top institutions to learn a language. The Vermont school offers total immersion programmes over summer and each year more than 1400 students arrive to learn one of 13 languages. Middlebury’s Associate Dean of Curriculum at the Language Schools, Dr. Thor Sawin joins Emile to discuss why language learning there is so successful.
