"Dutch is an interesting and remarkably simple language," writes one former student of his experience taking Elementary Dutch at Berkeley. "[B]eing familiar with the Dutch language and culture can aid in everything from Indonesian studies to astronomy," notes another, and a third writes that in a Dutch course "you will not be 'just another number,' and as languages go, you will learn a lot in just a short amount of time." U.C. Berkeley has a highly reputable Dutch Studies program; regular international conferences on Dutch language and literature are held on campus, and the American Association for Netherlandic Studies was co-founded here. Dr. Inez G. Hollander Lake, the instructor of Dutch 1 this summer, holds advanced degrees from universities in both Holland and England. Besides being the Dutch translator of the John Adams Papers (Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston), she has been an author, publishing in the Netherlands as well as the States. Her publications include a biography (The Road from Pompey's Head: The Life and Work of Hamilton Basso, Louisiana State University Press, 1999) and a memoir, entitled Ontwaken uit de Amerikaanse droom (Archipel/Imprint Arbeiderspers, Amsterdam, 2004). Her new book, Silenced Voices: The Uncovering of a Colonial Family's History in the Dutch East Indies will be published in the Spring of 2008 by Ohio University Press. Hollander Lake also sits on the Board of the Netherland-America Foundation in New York City and she is the Chair of the Netherland-America Business Exchange Innovation Program. In the last fifteen years she has taught language, literature and creative writing classes in a wide variety of academic and community settings. "She simply has the gift of teaching, and she clearly enjoys teaching her native language," wrote one reviewer after observing her classes.
