Learning a second language can broaden your horizons. It also makes you more marketable when looking for jobs, and telling people you're bilingual impresses them at parties. Really though, studying another language ranks high on the list of rewarding academic experiences, allowing you to think and communicate in an entirely new way. With all the avenues available for language instruction, there's no reason to put it off. Besides the numerous CD or DVD learning systems available (look at bookstores or online), several options exist in Rochester for adults looking to master another tongue.

There are, of course, quite a few colleges in the area, all of which offer some kind of language instruction. Depending on what you're looking for, these major institutions may be a good choice, especially if you don't mind sharing a classroom with a few undergraduates. All area schools allow adults to audit courses, usually at a rate less than what a matriculated student would pay. (Senior citizens can audit for free at Monroe Community College.) Courses vary from school to school; the foreign language department is the place to go for course listings, and the registrar's office can help you enroll.

Beyond the colleges, the only privately owned language school in Rochester is Language Intelligence Limited, located at 16 North Goodman Street. It started with the mission of offering translation services and language lessons for corporate clients, but President Irene White says that the interest in learning foreign languages for pleasure has increased greatly since she started the company in 1988.

White says that people come to her for language training because they "realize that it's fun." Additionally "there are a lot of people out there who may have taken some French in high school or some Spanish in high school, or maybe they're of Italian heritage and they've always wanted to learn the language but they've never gotten around to it."

Classes at Language Intelligence range from the European staples like Spanish, French, and Italian, but also cover Arabic, Czech, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and several other dialects. Instruction also takes many forms: "We can offer [students] customized individual lessons, one-on-one training; we can also offer them small group lessons," White says.

Language Intelligence customizes programs for individual needs, but generally programs run for 10 weeks and meet for two or four hours each week. Prices vary but start at $295 per person per program. Schedules are based on the needs of individuals or group members. For more information call 244-5578 or visit www.languageintelligence.com.

Foreign languages are certainly worth learning. But there's an alternative form of American communication that is used by a significant percentage of the Rochester population: American Sign Language. And Rochester has some of the best opportunities for learning ASL in the country.

The National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology is a national center for educating deaf and hearing-impaired students. It's a full undergraduate college with 1,200 students, but it also offers an extensive program for adults looking to learn ASL.

The Deaf Studies Certificate Program is an excellent way to get either a partial or comprehensive education in American Sign Language, says Donna Gustina, chair of the department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education. Completing the certificate program requires taking five courses in ASL itself, and two culture and deafness courses. However most students opt to take only a few of the courses, enough to achieve whatever proficiency they're after.

Gustina says a variety of people have an interest in ASL. "Most of the people in our deaf studies courses are people who are, say, waitresses or waiters in restaurants, emergency technicians, police officers, nurses," she says. They are community members looking to communicate with the deaf people they come in contact with.

The courses are geared toward adults taking them in their spare time, and so are fairly laid back. "It's much more of a relaxed atmosphere than if it were one of the regular academic courses," Gustina says. But people still learn and make meaningful connections: "We invite deaf people from the community to teach these courses, so people who enroll are also getting the benefit of getting to know a deaf person in the community, and they're able to practice their communication with this person," she adds.

The 10-week courses are offered on a quarterly basis and meet once a week for two hours. Most are two credit hours apiece, and the price is $391 per credit hour. To sign up visit RIT's Office of Part-Time Study, visit www.rit.edu/parttime, or call 476-2229.