Meet Rachel
I was born and raised in the United States of America, in Houston, Texas, a wonderful and underappreciated city at the world level (see what it’s like and what you can do there in the description of the language school that we represent there!) All my life, I have had a love of reading, writing, and learning languages. I am half-Italian, and grew up speaking Italian in America with a mother who would not allow the use of any other language in speaking with her—in that sense, my childhood home was my first full-immersion foreign language experience! Our family traveled very often to Italy and to Europe in general throughout my childhood and teenage years, so my learning of Italian continued and my appreciation for other countries and cultures was instilled in me at a young age.
I went to Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City, fulfilling a dream of mine to live there and to experience the vibrancy of that unique and cosmopolitan place. I majored in English, studying American and English literature. My studies naturally required me to do a lot of reading and writing, and throughout my life, I have been praised for my exceptional ability to write and to use the English language correctly, which would render my future role as English teacher very easy for me. Later, as a language study agent, New York City was my first destination for my clients, as it was the city in America that I knew and loved best. It remains one of Marshall Language Services’ top destinations.
After the University, my job back in Texas required me to speak Spanish, a language that surrounds the population there, and which I never found difficult when I learned it in high school and informally through my co-workers. In 1996, partly because of a genuine need to improve my Spanish quickly, and partly through a desire to return to the Europe that I loved, I enrolled in a one month, full-immersion Spanish course at the Colegio de España in Salamanca, Spain.
I can only describe the month that I spent there, and the subsequent weeks traveling throughout Spain and then to Rome, as the most perfect and happiest experience of my life. I loved Spain and the university town of my school, which also permitted me to practice my Spanish with some local students who would become lifelong friends. I learned the language quickly through my course and the social activities that the school organized (one of my fondest memories is learning traditional Spanish songs with a guitarist, and hearing those same songs sung by a complete, live tuna in the Plaza Mayor). I admired the tremendous enthusiasm of all of my teachers at the school, and decided then and there that language learning and teaching would become an important and irreplaceable part of my life.
The following year I moved to Rome, and was thrilled for the opportunity to teach my own language to Italians. As a freelancer, and I gave lessons six days a week, often from morning to night, but I enjoyed it so much that it never felt like work to me. It was during this time that many of my students asked if there was a way to continue their studies in English-speaking countries, so I began to look into these opportunities at schools abroad. In 2001, I founded Marshall Language Services as a full service agency offering local language lessons, translations, and language courses abroad, but the demand for the latter became such that I phased out the language services locally, and focused only on organizing courses abroad.
In moving to Europe, my dream was also to travel to other countries, and in becoming a language travel agent, it was richly fulfilled. In visiting schools in historic and beautiful destinations, I have the opportunity not only to see the buildings in which my clients will learn the language, but also the sights of the place, and to meet the locals (including host families who put me up for the night) and like-minded professionals in the schools who have a genuine love of languages, teaching, and experiencing other cultures through their students and colleagues abroad.
Now it’s your turn to experience this joy — please give us a call, and we’ll have you soon on your way to a dream.
“From the moment you are interested in improving your language skills in another country, I, along with my team, will work with you to choose the destination, the course, and the accommodation in a way that meets your personal needs and budget.”
Press
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- I Viaggi della Repubblica, 2001.
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- The group program "English in New York" published in Viaggi della Repubblica, 2001.
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- The group program "English in New York" published in Corriere della Sera, 2001.
Services
Marshall Language Services provides the complete package for language and high school study abroad.
You can choose from one of the many schools on our site, or if you are interested in one that is not on here, we can book it for you if we know that it will provide the quality experience that we stand behind. If you’re not sure of your language level, you can check it on one of our online language tests or you can take the test belonging to a school that interests you. For courses that require at least an upper-intermediate language level, we can arrange a phone or video interview for you directly with the personnel of the school.
Travel Advice and Transfers
To get to your destination, we can provide advice on the best air and ground transport options. If you would like a private transfer from the airport to your accommodation, we can arrange that, too.
Travel and Cancellation Insurance
To protect yourself against illness, travel problems, liability issues, and the possibility that you will have to cancel your trip, we offer a choice of insurance policies at a very reasonable price.
Student Visa Assistance
For students who need visas, we can provide information and assistance in filling out the required forms, many of which may not be in your language.
Clients who cannot easily reach our office in Rome do not need to worry about receiving good service. We are available by phone, Skype interview, email and fax for any information or problem solving. We regularly serve clients in all of Italy and abroad.
History
Marshall Language Services was founded in Rome in the spring of 2001 as a company for the teaching of the English language in Italian companies and to individuals. It also offered interpretation and translation services. That same year, Rachel Marshall organized a full immersion English study trip to New York City, on the campus of Columbia University, where she had studied for four years, also as a way for the company’s clients to continue their English studies during the summer. The tragic events of September 11 of that same year made the prospect of a language study trip to New York less viable for the near future, so she began to add other destinations like London, Dublin and Malta to the company’s vacation study portfolio, and the company quickly grew from there (New York City later rebounded and became one of the agency’s’ top destinations). The company also moved to the Balduina area of Rome in 2002, where it is today.
Marshall Language Services gradually phased out its local language teaching over the next few years, as it increased its offerings of destinations for language study through its website, one of the first on the Italian market containing in-depth and practical information about language programs abroad and the schools it represented. It became extremely successful in attracting new and repeat clients all over Italy through the website and through its many satisfied clients. As a result, it also began to work upon clients’ requests with schools and programs not present on the website, and that service continues to this day. In 2007, it began a long and in-depth experience with various programs in the junior market, and continues to be a favorite of parents looking for a knowledgeable and competent agency who can offer the most effective and safe language learning programs for their children. Some of the comments Rachel has received from these clients over the years include, “each place you sent my daughter was more beautiful than the one before it. What do you have for me this year?” and from another parent, “everything went well on the trip to Boston for my daughter this year. Unlike on other trips that she went on, this year she actually learned something.” Another mother remarked, “My daughter doesn’t want to go back to the program in Cambridge this year. She told me that for her, it was an experience so wonderful that she prefers to go someplace else this year so that those memories of Cambridge will remain perfect for her forever.”
Marshall Language Services’ clients over the years have included many university students, young graduates, parents of children of all ages, persons just starting their careers and professionals with many years of experience, both self-employed or with prestigious companies and organizations. There are far too many of them to list here, but if you are curious about some of them, please contact us and we’ll be happy to furnish you some of their names.
Rome
Columbia University