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Here are some of what our students say about our programs.
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| The pride in learning a foreign language runs concurrent with frustration. In everyone there is the will to work hard, but often times actual improvement does not match this desire. However, rather than lament over failure, one must think of how to overcome these obstacles. Often insufficient growth is born from mismanaged study. Over the course of a month, in the three times a week I took personal lessons at Languge House, I learned not only a wide range of Japanese but also means to efficiently study it for the rest of my life. The instructors, many times more diligent than I, helped me to improve in that short month far beyond my expectations. Thanks to my time at Language House I feel a limitless potential for the future. |
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- Mr. Brian Gesiak
University Student, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA |
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| As a Japanese-speaking attorney practicing in New York, I can enthusiastically recommend Language House, and particularly the extraordinary teaching abilities of its founder, Mayumi Nishida. Having studied Japanese for more than fifteen years in the U.S. and in Japan with different instructors, and having studied with Ms. Nishida for over five years, I have found her to be, far and away, the very best at what she does: guide students through this highly complex language in a clear, supportive, and enjoyable way. She has a rare gift for making Japanese language study manageable and fun, both because of her sunny disposition and because of her ability constantly to find inventive new ways to introduce the material. I especially appreciate Language House's Japanese "movie evenings," where Japanese television dramas become a sort of textbook for students, and where the teacher uses media as a jumping-off point for language study. Finally, Ms. Nishida has extraordinary breadth in her command of different subject matter -- equally agile in classes dealing with literature, business, and even law. In short, Language House is a delight! |
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- Mr. Charles Danziger
Attorney at Law, Danziger & Danziger LLP, New York, NY |
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Learning a foreign language is a task that people undertake for a variety of reasons. Some do it for travel, some for business and others just have the desire to learn something new. The motive behind a student's willingness to learn may vary, but I believe that the learning conditions which they seek remain constant. Trust, patience, creativity and passion are all qualities that students look for within their teachers. These are traits that can be found at Language House in any given class, on any given day. The ways in which the classes are delivered help reduce self-doubt and increase self-confidence. I've learned more in my time here than I thought possible. And that, along with just how fun the classes are, keeps me coming back week after week, and month after month. Mayumi Nishida's school, under the teachings of Ms. Sae Okihara, has not just taught me how to speak Japanese, but how to love it as well. And for that, I am very grateful.
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- Mr. James Fleming
New Business Specialist, Thomas Publishing, New York, NY |
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One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
I have studied Japanese for more than 20 years. For the recent three years, I have continued my studies with Professor Mayumi Nishida in her class "Culture and Society" at Language House. Although Japanese is not directly useful in my work, I believe that the world that I understand is made wider by even a little of understanding of that language. Further, despite a busy life style, I enjoy as a luxury the opportunity to study this beautiful language. I am able to find all the teaching that fits my interests at Language House. |
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- Dr. Robert Goodnow
Chemist, Hoffman-La Roche, Inc., Nutley, NJ |
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Learning a foreign language enhances personal development by building character and creating additional skill sets. But it also makes the world a smaller and better place by creating the capacity to bridge cultural, political, and sociological gaps through mutual understanding and empathy derived from direct communication. To these ends, Language House has integrated a serious academic agenda with a nurturing and customized teaching approach that takes each studentŐs learning style and capabilities into consideration. On the one hand, the course load is ambitious and the students are expected to commit to the program and be fully prepared for each lesson. On the other hand, the instructors are patient and sensitive to the unique learning style and capacity of each student, never rushing ahead to blindly adhere to a schedule to the detriment of thorough learning. Great care and effort is taken in preparing the lesson plans for each small group class. Participation and practical usage are given as much weight as book learning. While I have only been a student at Language House for eight months, I have made more progress than I had ever thought possible. Perhaps the best attribute of the school is its ability to inspire students to persevere, through the competency, creativity, and commitment of its instructors. I would enthusiastically recommend Language House to anyone considering studying the Japanese Language.
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- Mr. Michael J. Wald, Esq.
Assistant Vice President & Legal Counsel, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, NYC |
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I have enrolled in Ms. Nishida's literature class almost every session since 1997, first at the Japan Society, and now at Language House. Ms. Nishida is a gifted and dedicated teacher. Our class material and homework are always both intellectually engaging and often challenging. Moreover, thanks to her cheerful personality, classes are fun. She never fails to ensure that we have understood the materials by asking pertinent questions and explaining, even before asked, idioms and unusual expressions. Conversely, she spares no effort in answering any questions we have, no matter how esoteric.
I have had many Japanese teachers in the 30 years since I began studying the language, including teachers at Harvard University and at the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Tokyo (now in Yokohama). Ms. Nishida is one of the best. As long as she is teaching in this area, I hope to continue taking her class. |
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- Ms. Diana Chapman
Librarian, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Fort Lee, NJ |
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The Language House is truly a haven for all those who wish to study the Japanese Language and taste the rich culture of Japan via the study of its language.
Every house has a garden. And the Language House is no different! Every classroom of the Language House is a garden where the seeds of learning are richly sown. Impeccably planned lessons and a rich array of study materials nurture the steady growth of a student's knowledge, much in the same way that rich soil and water nurture the growth of vibrant flowers. In these garden-like classrooms, Ms. Mayumi Nishida, founder and senior instructor of the Language House, imparts to all her students her very own love of, and deep devotion to, her native language and culture. With each lesson, you cannot help but feel your own growth of knowledge and a forever-blossoming desire to learn more and delve deeper into the rich beauty of the Japanese Language and culture.
At the Language House, thanks to the tutelage of Ms. Nishida, what has been a long and enjoyble growth of knowledge has now bloomed into a lifelong dedication to continue growing in this garden of learning and to master one of the world's most difficult tongues. Only in these gardens of the Language House can such a goal be achieved. |
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- Mr. Barry Morrow
Alitalia Airline; West New York, NJ |
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| I studied Japanese at Harvard and Columbia, two of the best programs in the country. Language House surpasses them both in content and quality of instruction. The course in Japanese business and economy that I am currently taking is superb. It gives a chance to read current material taken from Japan's top newspapers and magazines. TV news clips on the same topic reinforce the subject matter and vocabulary and hone listening ability. In the course of studying five foreign languages, I have come to understand that, all sorts of gimmicks notwithstanding, the only way to reach high proficiency in a foreign language is to read intensively. No program offers this opportunity better than Language House. |
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- Dr. Jonathan Kolatch
Free-lance Writer, New York, NY |
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I began studying at Language House two years ago as a Level 1 student. While making reservations via telephone for a trip to Japan this year I was amused to find that most of the people I spoke with were
genuinely surprised when I provided my name and contact information - they were expecting a Japanese name, or at least a Japanese phon number and address. I believe this is a testament to the quality of the program at Language House and (based on my personal experience) the enthusiasm and dedication of Sae Okihara-sensei.
Foreign language study is always a challenging proposition, and Japanese is certainly not intrinsically easy for native English speakers to learn. Thanks to the ever patient, cheerful, and well-organized instruction of Okihara-sensei, however, I have found it far less difficult to progress than I did while studying other (supposedly easier) languages previously. I look forward to spending many more enjoyable hours in class at Language House and ever-increasing astonishment from the unsuspecting Japanese people I encounter here and in Japan. I wholeheartedly recommend Language House in general, and Okihara-sensei specifically, to anyone seeking to begin or continue their study of the Japanese language and culture. |
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- Mr. Seth Block
System Administrator, New York, NY |
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| This summer was my first experience learning Japanese. Having taken Spanish for most of my life, I decided to learn a new language and get some new experiences in the world. I entered the Experiment in International Living's Japan program, figuring it would be a good way to get interested in the culture. I realized it would be a good idea to get an orientation to the language, so after looking around online I chose Language House-- one of the best decisions I've ever made. I signed up for three weeks of lessons with Okihara-sensei, and I had a fantastic time. She made learning the language easy and fun (not a simple task when dealing with me!) and I truly had a wonderful time. I learned a great deal of the language and put my knowledge to use in Japan. After returning from my time in Japan, I continued lessons with her for three more weeks of intense, two hours a day, five days a week lessons and learned an astonishing amount. Entirely thanks to her, I now have a solid foothold on the language-- but beyond that, I'm interested in it, because of her. |
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- Mr. Ted Sumers
High School Student, Horace Mann High School, Montrose, NY |
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