The International Language Institute of Massachusetts (ILI) is a private, non-profit language school founded in 1984 and located in Northampton, Massachusetts. ILI’s mission is to promote intercultural understanding and diverse communities by providing high-quality language instruction and teacher training.
Language can bring people together or sometimes create barriers that are difficult to overcome. ILI knows that in this country and many others, poor skills in the “official” language contribute to the marginalization of many people, making it hard for them to realize their full potential. ILI provides English language training in the hopes of bringing a truly multicultural, and linguistically equitable, society to reality.
They believe that fundamental misunderstandings, mistrust, and even aggression among nations can be overcome when people interact with respect for different cultures and different languages. This is true at individual, business, and government levels. ILI encourages second and world language learning and cross-cultural awareness for both native and non-native speakers of English.
Their founders responded to the need for high quality language training in the Connecticut River Valley when they established ILI in 1984. Their teaching methods must be as effective as possible because language is so important to personal and professional lives. Traditional approaches to language training teach in an intellectualized way, often failing to provide students with the means to communicate and perform even basic, daily tasks in the language they wanted to learn. ILI seeks to reverse this trend by teaching in a meaningful context, consistently encouraging active student participation in – and evaluation of – the learning experience. This intense level of student participation in program context and structure ensures the relevance of their offerings and helps to ensure their effectiveness.
ILI is accredited by ACCET, the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training and by IALC, the International Association of Language Centres.
