Colby believes that foreign languages are the key to understanding foreign cultures. For regions where the spoken language is taught at Colby, students are expected to have completed the equivalent of three semesters (through 127) (Spanish, German, French, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Russian, Hebrew) prior to studying abroad. For study in Portuguese-speaking countries (Portugal or Brazil), Colby requires the equivalent of 3 semesters of college level study of Spanish or another romance language. In countries where the host language is not English, students are required to study the local language for the duration of the program