About Us

Choosing a Language School

Learning a new language can be challenging, but choosing the right school can significantly affect the rate and enjoyment of your learning experience. A good language school provides a comfortable, relaxed environment and a serious but positive atmosphere for learning. Instructors will be experienced and attentive to your requirements, and will respect that students are clients and teaching is a professional service. When choosing a school, ask to speak with an instructor about how the curriculum addresses your particular needs. A good language school will also offer to let you to sit in on a class and not charge you unless you decide to enroll.

Why Concept Languages?

Concept Languages was founded in 2001 in Istanbul as an alternative to the cookie cutter approach to language instruction used in franchise schools. We believe that language instruction must be flexible: personalized to meet our students’ individual needs.

Clientele

Our diverse clientèle includes expatriates of all nationalities, ages, and backgrounds, as well as native Turks learning English or other languages. We have considerable experience coaching business professionals, diplomats, and academics whose work requires an exacting proficiency in the Turkish language.

We also provide services to variety of corporate and institutional clients.

Methodology and Curriculum

The curriculum at Concept Languages is a synthesis of communicative and task-based language teaching. These approaches emphasize meaningful interaction over rote memorization. Students participate in discussions and role playing that mimic real-life situations. At the same time, we recognize that our clients’ needs are diverse, and the small class size at Concept Languages allows us to incorporate relevant authentic texts and students’ own experiences into classroom activities.

Who are we?

Concept Languages was established in 2001 by co-founders Arzu Sekirden and Şule Hızal.

Relying on word of mouth, the school attracted a dedicated teaching staff and made a name for itself in Istanbul’s expatriate community. At the beginning of 2010, the school opened a tailor-made, new facility in Etiler. It’s operations continue to be directed by Ms. Sekirden.

Instructors at Concept Languages

Our experienced instructors are college graduates, have CELTA or equivalent certification, and are native speakers of Turkish. All are fluent in at least one other language. Moreover, instructors are rigorously trained in our methodology and curriculum, are monitored during the first weeks of working with us, and are periodically evaluated.

English and Other Languages

Concept Languages offers private lessons for individuals or groups in languages other than Turkish, including intensive courses for business professionals and diplomats, as well as programs for young learners. The curriculum and pace are tailored to your needs, and may focus on general language acquisition, language for business or academia, grammar, or conversation. Lessons are conducted according to your schedule, either on site or in our comfortable Etiler facility.

We have close working relationships with instructors of English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, including many on staff. Our experienced instructors are college graduates, have CELTA or equivalent certification, and are native speakers of the languages they teach unless a client prefers a native speaker of Turkish.

Our School

Clients

FAQ

In Istanbul, Ankara, and in many coastal cities that see a lot of tourists, you’ll find English speakers. But English is no more a second language in Turkey than French or German. For expatriates, knowing some of the language will certainly make for a more pleasurable and diverse experience.

For students who require intensive or specialized instruction (for professional or academic work) or those with busy schedules, private instruction is advised. But for general acquisition of Turkish, our small classes are an equally viable option that some clients find more comfortable.

Turkish shares some structural similarities with Finnish, Hungarian, Mongolian, Korean, and Japanese and has many loanwords from Arabic and Persian, but is quite different from Romance and Germanic languages, including English. The logic and syntax may seem surprising at first, but anyone can learn.

Language is communication, and small classes give our clients more opportunities for interaction. A successful language class is a structured and safe environment for practicing, and the restricted class size enables our instructors to stay attuned to how each student is responding to the material.

Depending on your native language, the sound and logic of Turkish may seem unusual, but it’s no more difficult to learn than any other language. In fact, many aspects of Turkish are helpful for non-native learners: pronunciation is phonetic, and there are very few irregular forms and few exceptions to grammatical rules.

By the end of a beginner course, students should be able to handle basic survival situations like shopping, dining out, taking a taxi, and small talk. But the key to learning a language is practice, and so your experiences outside of class are important. Students who are immersed in Turkish in their personal and work lives will learn much more quickly and can become conversational speakers in as little as a year to a year and a half.

Before your first class, you’ll meet with one of our instructors who will conduct a level assessment consisting of a brief multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank exam and some casual conversation. Being in the right course will affect the rate and enjoyment of your experience learning Turkish.

Take our INFORMAL QUIZ to get a rough idea of your proficiency.

Courses

Concept Languages offers general Turkish instruction at all levels, for adults and young learners, as well as focused instruction oriented toward business professionals, diplomats, and academics.

TURKISH CLASSES

Turkish classes at Concept Languages generally meet once or twice a week for a minimum of three months, but may continue for as long as there is a quorum of students. For general acquisition of Turkish, our small classes offer our dynamic curriculum and professional instructors in a convenient and comfortable atmosphere.


Enrollment for our regular programs is continuous throughout the academic year. Before joining a group, new students will meet with one of our instructors who will conduct a level assessment consisting of a brief multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank exam and some casual conversation. Take our informal Turkish quiz to get a rough idea of your proficiency.

AUTUMN COURSE PROGRAMS

Autumn is around the corner and Concept Languages is gearing up for the academic year. New Turkish classes will be beginning in September at all levels. “Get started” to reserve your spot.

SUMMER PROGRAMS

Concept Languages offers 80-hour intensive summer Turkish programs, weekdays, four hours a day for four weeks. Our intensive, programs are a great way to make quick strides toward proficiency.


The size for any one class will not exceed 6 students. Please inquire about the availability of courses at different levels.


Sessions take place on Weekdays at 9:00 – 13:00


29 May – 23 June 2023
3 July – 28 July 2023
31 July – 25 August 2023

GRAMMAR AND CONVERSATION

Concept Languages’ informal clubs offer the opportunity for additional review of grammatical points and for guided Turkish practice. The weekly program is available at Concept Languages on Facebook, or by subscribing to our mailing list. These clubs are free for currently enrolled students and open to the public for a fee. Participants are welcome to attend whenever they have time and the subject is relevant to them. Regular attendance is not obligatory.

PRIVATE LESSONS

Concept Languages offers private Turkish lessons for individuals or groups, including intensive programs for business professionals and diplomats. The curriculum and pace are tailored to your needs, and may focus on general language acquisition, business or academic Turkish, grammar, or conversation.
Lessons are conducted according to your schedule, either on site or in our comfortable Etiler facility. You may schedule as many or as few hours a week as you like. At the end of each month of coursework, you’ll be issued a detailed progress report documenting the lessons and concepts covered.

YOUNG LEARNERS

Children and teens are welcome at Concept Languages, and we’ve developed a special curriculum to make learning enjoyable for our young students. We can accommodate individual or group lessons.

Book

Take Away Turkish

Founders of Concept Language Şule Hizal Mixon and Arzu Sekirden Döven, prepared Take Away Turkish, a pocket manual for the busy student of Turkish. User-friendly, functional, fun, and pressure-free, Take Away Turkish is not your typical teach yourself manual. The book is organized by the contexts in which you will use Turkish in day-to-day social encounters and provides basic communication skills that allow you a greater appreciation of the language and culture. In addition to being a practical introduction to the Turkish language, Take Away Turkish may also be used as a grammar reference manual or even as a pocket phrase book. It’s designed both for serious and casual study, at your desk or on the bus. There’s no wrong way to use it. Skip around, review, practice, and enjoy!

Buy Now

Events

At Concept Languages we offer extra curricular activities for a faster and smoother transition into Turkish daily life as well as facilitating interaction between students and giving them the chance to practice their Turkish. The kind of activities we offer range from art tours, workshops (i.e. cooking) and shopping at the Grand Bazaar to visiting the hairdresser’s and movie days.

November 20, 2019

The Child Within Me

We visited the exhibition 'The Child Within Me' at the Abdulmecid Efendi Pavillion. After the exhibition we had a short lunch break in Kuzguncuk where we discovered the historical streets. before the 9th of October.

January 26, 2017

Concept Languages at the Glass Furnace!

The Glass Furnace, an international glass center built in the green fields of Beykoz in Black Sea Region was first designed as a glass studio but has quickly become one of the world’s leading glass schools that organise many workshops for global artists and amateurs. We organized a "bead making workshop" at the Glass Furnace on the 3rd of February from 10:30 - 16:00.

May 29, 2018

Burgazada Tour

We went to Burgazada, the third largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul. It is a major theme for famous writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık, where he also resided. Today, his residence is kept as a museum. The museum is a private museum dedicated to the history of his life and works. After visiting the museum, we stopped to have a meal at a restaurant which is located on the sea side of Burgazada.

February 22, 2000

Concept Languages in the Kitchen!

Concept Languages organized a Turkish cooking workshop followed by a sit-down tasting session at Mövenpick Hotel.

Contact Us

Location

Seher Yıldızı Sokak 23/8 34337 Etiler - Istanbul

E-Mail

[email protected]

Phone

+90 (212) 351 18 40