Maximilian (Maximilien) Delphinius Berlitz (April 14, 1852 in Mühringen, Germany – April 6, 1921 in New York City) was a linguist and the founder of the Berlitz Language Schools, the first of which he established in 1878 in Providence, Rhode Island.

Born David Berlitzheimer of Jewish parents in Mühringen, Württemberg, Germany, he and his sister were soon orphaned, and he grew up in a family of educators in the Black Forest. He later moved to France and then to Providence, Rhode Island, United States in 1872.

His first employment was as a teacher of French and German at Warner Polytechnic College, which he took over in 1878 when the owner of the school, Mr. Warner, disappeared with all the prepaid tuition money. When Berlitz became ill, and was unable to teach a French class, he quickly hired Nicholas Joly to replace him and take over the class. Since he had always corresponded with Joly in French, he did not realize that Joly did not speak any English until after he had hired him.

Joly taught the class entirely in French (with no translation) by using gestures, pointing to objects and using tone of voice and facial expressions to convey meaning.

Berlitz returned to the class six weeks later to find that his students, who had spoken little to no French before Joly began teaching, were conversing semi-fluently in French. Their pronunciation and grammar were also very good.

Berlitz used this experience to develop the Berlitz Method, in which only the target language is spoken from the first day of class. Students rely on the same techniques Joly used, rather than translation, to gather meaning and learn grammar and vocabulary.

After success, Berlitz opened a second language school in Boston in 1880, followed by others in New York and Washington, D. C. He went on to establish schools all over the U.S. and abroad.

Between 1880 and 1900 he also put his ideas down in writing, developing them into a systematic method, which he then presented in 1900 the World’s Fair in Paris.

After the turn of the century, he began travelling extensively, making headlines by teaching German Kaiser Wilhelm to speak English which is rather curious given the fact that the Kaiser’s mother was English and the daughter of Queen Victoria, and by receiving medals of honor from the King of Spain, the government of France, and many international expositions.

As the company moved into the 20th century, increased international trade and the rise of multinational corporations stimulated a new period of growth for Berlitz. In Europe, Latin America, and the Far East, the demand for English soared, replacing French as the accepted language of the business world. At the same time, the demand for other language instruction increased in English-speaking countries. By the time of the start of World War I in 1914, there were over 200 Berlitz Schools worldwide.

Maximilian Berlitz died in 1921. His son-in-law and associate, Victor Harrison-Berlitz, assumed leadership of the business. Not long after, Harrison died in 1932 and control passed briefly to his son, Victor Harrison-Berlitz, Jr., or “Vic”. Vic, not interested in running the business looked to Jacques Strumpen-Darrie, a man who had built an outstanding career with Berlitz in Europe and the United States for more than 30 years. Jacques’ son Robert succeeded his father as president in 1953.

In the 1950s, Berlitz found the composition of its student body changing. Berlitz was increasingly confronted with business professionals, and technicians headed for foreign posts and needing language skills for their new assignments, and major corporations seeking to enroll large numbers of personnel – and their families – to learn languages as quickly as possible. To meet this need, Berlitz accelerated the changeover from conventional classes to private and small group instruction and instituted a research program to develop new techniques of intensive instruction. After several years of research and testing, Berlitz created a stir in academic circles with the introduction of its Total Immersion (T.I.) instruction program. Total Immersion is geared for students with an urgent need, such as an impending relocation overseas. The program immerses the student in language instruction more than eight hours a day, for two to six weeks.

In the 1950s Berlitz also opened its first Latin American language center in Mexico, following shortly with locations in Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, and Chile. In 1966, Berlitz reaches Asia, starting with a language center in Tokyo. Today there are more than 90 Berlitz centers in Asia.

In 1966, Berlitz became a subsidiary of Macmillan, Inc. Robert Strumpen-Darrie continued as president until his retirement in 1970, and Elio Boccitto led the company through most of the 1980s. In November 1988, Maxwell Communication Corporation took over Macmillan, and just a year later, Berlitz was made public.

In 1993, Fukutake Publishing Co., Ltd., now known as the Benesse Corporation, a Japanese publisher of correspondence courses and other educational materials, began purchasing Berlitz stock. In 2001, Berlitz becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of the Benesse Corporation.

In November 2010, the Berlitz changed its name from Berlitz International, Inc. to Berlitz Corporation, in efforts to build unity among staff.

Berlitz acquired Second Language Testing, Inc.(SLTI) in March 2011. SLTI specializes in the development of second language proficiency tests and the translation and adaptation of standardized achievement test to students’ native languages and cultures. The company maintains long-standing relationships with major commercial testing companies, federal and state governments, and colleges and universities.

In August 2011, in a bid to become world leader in blended learning, among other commercial ambitions, Telelangue/World Speaking, a French based company, accepted, after protracted negotiations, an offer by Berlitz Corporation to acquire its stock. Blended learning includes traditional classroom teaching, telephone tutoring and an on-line E Learning site (Cyberteachers).

In the UK there are several Berlitz schools.  They are:

• Berlitz London
• Berlitz Edinburgh
• Berltiz Oxford
• Berlitz Birmingham
• Berlitz Manchester
• Berlitz Brighton