Global Language Network

I received a message from GLN requesting that I remove my past review. My review depicted my honest experiences taking classes through them and I think it is tacky and dishonest to ask someone to remove their review.

GLN is wonderful. They offer numerous languages at an affordable price. All the teachers are volunteers so you know you are being taught by someone who really wants people to learn their native language. I have never had a language teacher as committed to my learning as those at GLN. Four star rating due to some odd class hours. Totally recommend.

I had a great language experience here. I took advanced farsi, I can’t say my reading skills improved but I did engage in a lot of conversation (for me anyways they still called me the quiet one in class). I think the emphasis of the classes is to get a conversational understanding.
The classes are staffed by volunteers, so it’s a crap shoot on how good your teacher is but ours carried himself as a professional. There are no textbooks, or other materials required, so I can see how this could be a difficult way for beginners new to a language to learn. Our teacher had us read alot of articles in farsi in wikipedia (pronounced «Viki-​pedia» by Iranians). That’s what I learned, iranians can’t say their «w» sound.
Here’s how the program works: You register at allotted times throughout the year (before a semester), pay a $ 150 deposit (usually through paypal) and if you miss less than 3 classes, at the end you get a survey to fill out and a form to reclaim your deposit. It’s easy.
I hope to take Portuguese next, since my mom likes yelling at me in her language, I might want to understand what she is saying or maybe not.

I took French Beginner Level I this semester and it was great! My teacher was a French native and made class interactive and fun. On a scale of 1 – 10 I’d say that my classmates’ knowledge of French ranged from 0 (no French) to about 3 (some French knowledge, possibly a few classes in high school) and I’m positive that we all learned something. Our instructor spoke primarily in French and even if you don’t have any knowledge of the language, you’ll pick it up with gestures, pictures, and the little bit of English used in class.
More than anything, I built a strong foundation and am excited to take French Beginner Level II to expand my French language skills even further.
As far as the donation of $ 150, that’s a drop in the bucket in comparison to other language classes offered in D.C. If you’re unable to donate $ 150, it’s not mandatory either and you’ll get it back as long as you don’t miss more than three classes.

I’m fan! It’s a great opportunity to learn a foreign language! I’ve taken both Chinese Beg. I and am enrolled in Portuguese Beg. I now, which have both been great.
It’s essentially free — it’s $ 100 (for GW affliated students) and $ 150 for others; however, you get your deposit back if you don’t miss more than 3 classes a semester.
They’ve definitely improved this year over last year. Their communications are good and I believe that they have got a lot of the kinks out.
I’d say that a lot of the experience depends on your teacher. It’s definitely not formal (no textbooks or anything), but it’s great at getting immersed in the language and learning a lot of the customs and traditions (our last class we learned «dating» techniques haha and how to sing a Brazillian song).
I’d encourage all to join!

It’s a terrific concept, but my experience was far from good. I joined a level one beginner class, and was surprised to see that nearly everyone in the class already possessed a basic understanding of the language. The instructor launched into material right off the bat, and the only reason I got through the first 15 minutes was by mimicking other students’ responses. GLN advocates a total immersion approach, but it seems counterproductive for beginners. A brief intro to the material, including what the instructor is actually trying to say, would do wonders for us newbies. I’m sure it would have been a useful class if I knew the fundamentals of the language, but that would defeat the purpose of a beginner 1 class, right?

Ok, I was excited. The opportunity to learn a foreign language. All for the low deposit price of $ 100, plus $ 10 service fee. As long as you don’t miss the class more than 3 times in a semester, you get you money back, minus the service fee. Sounds great, right? Nope, hence the two stars.
First, their communication blows. They won’t post a phone number and you have to communicate via email only. If you try to call the number on the Paypal listing when rendering payment, good luck. I was never able to get a hold of anyone.
Second, the popular languages fill up quickly. And they don’t open another section for it. So if you want Arabic, Chinese, or any other «in-​demand» language, good luck.
Finally, the teachers are hit or miss. The Arabic guy seemed on his game. The Japanese teacher, not so much. Since she’s a frosh at GW, I’m guessing her teaching depth is about as deep as a rain puddle. Maybe she’ll be better in a few years — but by then, she’ll be graduating. Can’t they find someone with more experience?
The Wife and I withdrew from our classes. $ 20 not well spent on service charges. I’d steer clear unless you have absolutely no background in your language — I know some Japanese (enough for survival) and I felt like I was light years ahead of folks in there. No thanks.