Speak Spanish in Santiago. Read Tolstoy in St. Petersburg. Explore Francophone culture in Senegal. Study 20th century history in Tokyo and Munich, or go back to ancient times in Athens.

At Lewis & Clark, we believe that language is the key to understanding the world, which is why we offer study in eight languages: Japanese, Chinese, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Latin and Classical Greek. Learning a language other than English opens the mind, broadens one’s sense of culture and history, and—in an increasingly global society—gives students a post-graduation edge in a wide array of professional fields.

Through on-campus and overseas study, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Lewis & Clark enables students to learn to think, write, speak, and read critically in a second (or third, or fourth, or fifth…) language. Because we believe that learning in the classroom must be supplemented with learning in the field, we require all majors to study abroad, and offer semester and year-long programs in eleven different countries. Students regularly report life-changing experiences during their time abroad, and all return with greater fluency and confidence.

• Placement Exams