Lunching in Tongues

Middlebury College is noted for its language programs. That part of the curriculum has a dining component in the form of Language Tables, daily lunches where beginning and intermediate students can converse over a lunch meal with professors, staff and graduate students fluent in the particular language they are studying. Held in Atwater Dining Commons, where it is the only lunch served, the language table program is catered by the Atwater dining staff. The daily meals are served family style for maximum interaction. During the current semester, there are language tables in a dozen different languages (including American Sign Language), with the number of tables and number of days dedicated to each depending on level of interest and number of willing participants.