Taking time to learn a foreign language

The US Department of State operates the Foreign Service Institute, and if you’ve wondered how long it would require your English-speaking self to achieve proficiency to speak and read a new language, the map above shows the different time frames.

A combination of classroom hours and practice is required for diplomatic standards of the Foreign Service. From 24 weeks, based on 600 hours of immersion study, for languages closer to English such as Spanish, French, Italian and Swedish, to over 750 hours required for German.

Russian, Polish and Ukrainian take longer at 44 weeks. Arabic is measured as Category V.

– David Johnson, The OJT 100