Global Language Network

Washington, DC, United States

3

7 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 202-684-6627
Website:
www.thegln.org
Address:
1720 I St NW 7th Fl GLN, Washington, DC, DC, 20006
b/t N 18th St & N 17th St
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
420 ftFarragut West
770 ftFarragut North
880 ftMTA Bus Stop
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Today

Today –
Local time (Washington, DC) 6:43 PM Saturday, May 24, 2025

Business hours

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Description

Specialties

The Global Language Network (GLN) is a DC-​based 501©3 not-​for-​profit organization whose mission is to provide opportunities to learn any language at a minimal cost.

GLN is a community where people learn, share and connect. We offer affordable language classes in more than 60 languages, using a communicative approach that builds our learners’ communication skills in an interactive and enjoyable environment.

How are we able to promote language learning in so many languages at a fraction of the market price? We recruit and train native speakers who volunteer their time to teach their language and share their culture with the greater DC community. Through our Teaching Fellowship we develop our teachers as educators and community leaders.

History

Established in 2005.

In 2005, Andrew Brown founded The Global Language Network Andrew to engage the community, share his passion for languages with others and address the growing need for accessible, affordable language education. Andrew realized the power that language has to break down barriers and build communities and his vision in founding GLN has been to fix the world and bring peace through communication and mutual understanding.

Andrew credits much of the organization’s growth and success to the many devoted teachers and other volunteers who have contributed and allowed him to build GLN to what it is today.

Meet the Business Owner

Andrew B.

Business Owner

Since fall 2001 Andrew has taught close to ten languages and is learning his 26th language. He has won over a dozen awards for his work, including the Pepsi ‘Power in Numbers’ Award for Community Service, the Intuit Small Business Award, and the Humanities Council of Washington, DC Award.

While Andrew has been GLN’s President, Chairman of the Board and chief executive (Executive Director) since he founded GLN in 2005, Andrew has contributed to every facet of GLN, large and small, with the help of hundreds of GLN volunteers. Andrew has a variety of language learning and teaching experience, and a not-​for-​profit management background which combine for making his leadership at GLN his true dream job.

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7 reviews of Global Language Network

No registration required
Place rating: 1
Washington, DC
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.
Place rating: 3
Washington, DC
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.
Place rating: 5
Bethesda, MD
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.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
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.
Place rating: 4
Arlington, VA
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!
Place rating: 1
Arlington, VA
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?
Place rating: 2
Arlington, VA
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.