No matter how enthusiastic you are about learning a new language, Turkish is not one of those you can learn in 6 months. It takes serious time and effort to make certain progress. However, it is important to know at least some basic Turkish if you want to be able to go to restaurants, go shopping, take public transportation, etc, without having to depend on someone else all the time.
If you live on campus you will probably find you can get away without this language. You can expect all faculty members to speak English fluently and many of the administrative staff as well. Still, knowing basic words will help you in the market, cafeteria and other service providing companies of Sabanci University.
There are special Turkish courses for staff which are organized by School of Languages. If you’re interested in these classes, could you please send an e-mail to the Administrative Assistant of the School of Languages, Ms. Melahat Fındık at:
melahat@sabanciuniv.edu
For alternative language courses off-campus, please check below:
There are also several schools in Istanbul to learn Turkish. The two more popular schools are TÖMER and DILMER. TÖMER is a governmental institution and the oldest Turkish school around. Their teaching method is very traditional and grammar oriented. English is used all the time in the classroom. Currently, it is very hard to find a Turkish class with a more fun communicative methodology .There is a 50% discount for the spouses of Turkish citizens.
TÖMER:
Katip Çelebi Mah. Tel Sok. No: 47
Taksim – İSTANBUL
+ 90 212 249 16 48-49
http://www.tomer.ankara.edu.tr/english/index.html
DILMER is another popular school. They are also experience and have many students especially during the summer. Even though their teaching method is also quite classical, they devote the last portion of the class to developing oral skills. You can get a 25% discount if your spouse is Turkish.
DILMER
Inönü Cad. Prof.Dr. Tarık Zafer Tunaya Sk. No:16
34437 Taksim, İstanbul - Türkiye
Tel: +90 212 292 96 96
Faks: +90 212 292 96 93
Email : dilmer@dilmer.com
http://www.dilmer.com/
CONCEPT LANGUAGES is a good alternative to those grammar focused schools. It is a small school in Etiler, the European side of Istanbul. Groups lessons are very small, 3 or 4 students. The teachers are very professional and create their own materials. It is more expensive than other schools but the difference in the results are quite obvious and also the lessons are more fun.
CONCEPT LANGUAGES
Ihsan Aksoy Sokak
Fulya 2 Apt. 10 / 3
Camlık -Etiler ISTANBUL / TURKEY
Tel : + 90 212 257 39 93
Fax : + 90 212 257 42 77
E-mail : info@turkishcourses.com
Web : www.turkishcourses.com / www.conceptlanguages.com
