The "foreign languages" considered in this paper are the non-European contemporary tongues whose study was encouraged by the Crusades and related projects for recovering the Holy Land from the Muslims, Arabic, Hebrew and Syriac (Chaldaic), of which Arabic held pride of place. No-one was more significant in advancing the study and teaching of Arabic than the Catalan thinker, Ramon Llull (1232-1315). Possessed of a rare understanding of Muslim religious thought and religious practice, Llull was consumed by the dream of converting the Muslims and other non-Christians and so conceived of the project of advancing the teaching of Oriental languages in schools and universities. Having founded a school at Miramar to teach languages and apologetic theology to missionaries, he urged the King of France and the Pope to mount a crusade and create throughout Europe and the Near East universities specializing in language study. The Ecumenical Council of Vienne in 1311 ignored his crusade project but legislated that chairs of Hebrew, Arabic and Syriac be established at the papal court and at Paris, Oxford and Bologna. (Contains 23 footnotes.) [An earlier draft of this paper was presented at the Suffolk University College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Research Seminar.]