Finnish American Heritage Center to offer Finnish language classes

Whether you are looking to learn Finnish, or brush up on your existing language skills, the Finnish American Heritage Center at Finlandia University is the place to be this fall. The Center will offer 10-week classes in Beginning Finnish and Intermediate/Advanced Finnish, starting in mid-September.

Designed for folks with some background in spoken and written Finnish, the Finnish II class begins Tuesday, September 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the Heritage Center. Taught by Tiina Sakari of Atlantic Mine, the course will incorporate reading, conversation, grammar and Finnish culture into each one-hour session. The class will continue on Tuesday evenings for 10 consecutive weeks.

For those with little or no experience with the Finnish language, Sakari will lead the Finnish I class, beginning Wednesday, September 19 at 5:30 p.m. This class is for folks who’ve never dabbled into the language, or who are looking to boost their confidence with spoken and written Finnish. The class will continue on Wednesday evenings for 10 consecutive weeks.

Tiina Sakari has several years of experience in Finnish language instruction, and is eager to share her skills and her passion for Finnish language and culture with anyone and everyone who is interested. Whether you spoke Finnish with your grandparents decades ago, or aren’t even sure you can pronounce “sauna” correctly, there’s a place for you in one of these classes.

Registration fees are $50 per student for the entire 10-week session, payable at the first class. Advance registration for each class is encouraged, though on-site signups will be taken at the first sessions. For more information, call (906) 487-7549 or email david.maki@finlandia.edu.