If you want to learn a new language, be it Swedish or Farsi, you''ve definitely come to the right place. The Monterey Peninsula has long been a mecca for foreign language learners, from Army personnel and international businesspeople to visitors and young students eager to explore new cultures. Many people who were drawn to the area to take language classes fell in love with the place and stayed, adding lingual diversity and new perspectives to an already multifaceted county. Indeed, in present day Monterey County, you can find communities speaking Spanish, American Indian dialects, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese, and an estimated 2,000-3,000 people (largely Spanish-speakers) swell the ranks of new immigrants each year.

Whether you''re a hard-core Francophile or just interested in trying something new, you''ll find a language program to match your needs. One route is to enroll in one of several local community colleges or adult schools. Monterey Peninsula College and Hartnell College offer structured and intensive semester-long group language classes that use textbooks, language labs and oral practice. Anyone over 18 can sign up for classes in languages as diverse as Arabic, Russian and Tagalog for a low per-unit fee. For a mellower pace, try the Pacific Grove or Salinas adult schools, for small group classes in Spanish, French and Italian focused on communication skills.

If your piggy bank is full and you learn better one-on-one, or have very specified language needs, try one of the area''s private language schools. Go to JK Language Solutions for customized individual tutoring in Asian languages or the Spanish Language Institute of Carmel for one-on-one and small group Spanish classes running from $200-400 per course. For executive language training in any number of dialects--including Latin, Japanese, Hebrew and Spanish--check out the Monterey Language Academy''s tailor-made courses designed for professionals.

And then there''s the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), which offers just about any course you could dream up, from Masters level degrees in interpretation, translation and linguistics to overseas language study in Germany, China and beyond. Popular, if not cheap, MIIS programs include summer and winter intensive language programs in eight to 10 widely used languages.

And once you learn the language, call the Volunteer Center of Monterey County to find out how to put your skills to good use. Second language speakers have become invaluable to social service providers as our county becomes increasingly diverse. Some public service agencies, such as police departments and hospitals, subscribe to "Language Line Services" where they can get on-the-spot translation and interpretation in more than 140 languages, but smaller nonprofits generally cannot afford the service. Whether you speak a widely spoken language like Spanish or a less common language like Greek, you''re almost guaranteed to find a venue to use it. Be a docent with the Central Coast Lighthouse Program or the Monterey Bay Aquarium, or translate calls for the domestic violence hotline. Whichever way you cut it, bilingualism is the wave of the future.

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JK Language Solutions,Seaside: 394-5855

Monterey Institute of International Studies:
647-4115, www.miis.edu

Monterey Language Academy: 649-8122

Spanish Language Institute of Carmel: 624-0318

Pacific Grove Adult School: 646-6580

Salinas Adult School: 753-4260

Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey:
646-4100, www.mpc.edu

Hartnell College, Salinas: 755-6905,
www.hartnell.cc.ca.us