The Direct Dutch Institute celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The language school in The Hague, founded in 1985, gained national recognition in 2013 with the campaign "Spreek Nederlands met mij!" (Speak Dutch with me!). Today, that message is more relevant than ever.

A changing Netherlands

The Netherlands of 2026 is very different from the Netherlands of 1985. Cassette tapes, the guilder, public transport strip cards, and fax machines have disappeared from the vocabulary of Direct Dutch textbooks. At the same time, Dutch society has become more international, making it harder for students to practice Dutch. Many Dutch people automatically switch to English when they hear an accent. This led to the launch of "Spreek Nederlands met mij!": an urgent call to give non-native speakers the opportunity to speak Dutch.

New challenges

Language education now faces new challenges. With apps like Google Translate and ChatGPT, you can instantly convert text into any language or use them as a personal interpreter when speaking with locals. Severe staff shortages in the hospitality sector mean that speaking Dutch is not always necessary to start working. For non-native speakers, this can make learning the language feel optional.

According to Direct Dutch, this also has a downside. In a time when it is increasingly hard to distinguish reality from fake, human contact and understanding are more important than ever.

More reasons, not fewer

"Today, there are not fewer, but actually more reasons to learn Dutch," says Ruud Hisgen, director and founder of Direct Dutch. "Speaking and understanding the language is essential to truly feel at home. It creates connection and provides access to culture and the people around you. In a time when it is increasingly hard to distinguish reality from fake, human contact and understanding are more important than ever."

Dicht Nederlands met mij

The cultural richness of a language cannot be fully captured with a single click on a button. From this perspective, the anniversary project "Dicht Nederlands met mij" was born. Students and international staff selected a favorite poem or song from their own culture and translated it into Dutch. Whatever tools they used, the final word choices were carefully considered. What does a word mean in this context? What tone fits? What remains of a culture or historical context when translated literally?

"This collection shows what happens when people engage with language themselves," says Hisgen. "By searching for the right words, you not only discover another language but also another way of looking at the world."

"Dicht Nederlands met mij" was presented at the private Direct Dutch anniversary event on Saturday, March 21, 2026, on World Poetry Day.

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