Have you ever returned home from a trip abroad feeling chagrined that everyone you encountered speaks two, or three, or more languages than you do? Our guests today say studying foreign languages is critical to understanding the cultures and world views of other people, not to mention easing communication. We look at the value of learning foreign languages, with a spotlight on the prestigious Summer Language Schools at Middlebury College. We talk with Michael Geisler, Vice President of the Language Schools and a professor of German, and with Jason Merrill, director of Middlebury's Russian School.

Also in the program, the story of William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" is retold in the new blues CD, "Shylock Sings the Blues" by Vermont writer and producer David Sokol. VPR's Steve Zind talks with Sokol about the project and its examination of bigotry and anti-Semitism.