Proficiency and cultural sensitivity, not short-term memorization, are the names of the game when learning a world language at CA. How else are you going to live like a local in Argentina, China, France, or Germany (like the 10th graders do) during your World Language Exchange trip?

Choose from four world language offerings—Chinese, French, German, and Spanish (some students choose two!). You’ll be taught by experienced, approachable faculty in immersive classes (vos professeurs ne parleront que dans votre langue cible).

Interactive activities and culturally authentic projects will have you flexing your emerging conversational skills in no time. Craft a public health campaign in French. Pitch Berlin to host the next Olympics in German. Present your concept for a sister school in Chile to a native speaker in Spanish. Navigate a local Asian market in Chinese. Whether making a pod-cast, receiving feedback from your teacher using online recording tools, or participating in a blended-learning course, you’ll use innovative technology to practice and improve your emerging skills.

Go deeper with language and cultural studies thanks to a wide-ranging selection of Advanced electives shaped by student interest and taught entirely in your target language (recent ones have included German Detective Novels, Business Communication in Chinese, Vanishing Ecosystems (Spanish), and The French Revolution. Or, perhaps, pursue an internship abroad (some of our 11th graders recently did just that in Argentina and Germany) or work with the Center for Community Engagement to engage in a program with a community partner like Lenovo.

You’re going to graduate as a global citizen thanks to a newfound appreciation and understanding of other cultures and extensive language experience (up to 7 years if you are coming from our Middle School!). You’ll have the ability to spontaneously and confidently converse with a native speaker about real-world issues, the skills to study or work abroad without needing to limit yourself to opportunities reserved for English speakers, and possibly even place into higher-level courses in college.

In other words: “Die Welt liegt dir zu Füßen!” (the world is at your feet).