Learning Spanish has many benefits if you plan on spending time travelling or living in a Spanish speaking country. Once back home, language skills offer benefits in the job market. More employers are interested in hiring bilingual employees to help communicate with Spanish speaking customers. The money and time you invest in learning to speak Spanish will be money well spent.
Options for Learning Spanish Online
There are numerous websites on the internet that offer at home Spanish courses. You move through the lessons at your own pace. There are some free sites and others charge a fee. The fee charging sites often have more resources and a more comprehensive course that will help you become fluent faster.
The Instituto Cervantes was founded in 1991. It is the largest worldwide organization for instruction in the Spanish language. This is a public institution that was started in Spain, but now operates on four continents. The purpose of the institute is to promote the teaching of Spanish and Spanish culture in various countries throughout the world.
The institute has the Centro Virtual Cervantes, which offers online courses and information on the language. There are activities, reference resources and information on the culture of Spanish speaking nations. They offer materials for both teachers and students of Spanish.
The institute offers a variety of programs for teaching Spanish. They offer courses in the classroom, combinations of in class and online and all online courses. The online course is called Aula Virtual Espanol (AVE). Students can enrol at any of the Instituto Cervantes centers world wide.
The courses cover all aspects of language: vocabulary, phonetics, grammar and spelling. The richness of the Spanish culture and diversity among Spanish speaking nations is addressed, as well as socio cultural issues. The program is an excellent way to learn to communicate in Spanish.
After Learning Spanish Online
Learning online is good, but the best way to become fluent is to immerse yourself in the language. This is also the best way to experience the culture, traditions, foods and history of the people. Travelling to Spanish speaking countries is a good way to become immersed in the language.
Further study is available though language immersion programs. These programs are available in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Seville. Programs are available in other Spanish speaking nations as well. This is the fastest and most effective way to become truly fluent in the language.
With language immersion courses, you go to live in a Spanish speaking country for a period of time. Immersion courses offer smaller groups, often with afternoon and evening activities. You spend a good portion of the day in class, learning the language. You also have a lot of time on your own to travel around the area and interact with the people. Striking up conversations on the street or talking with waiters and merchants in stores is the best way to learn.
When you enrol in the course, you have options for accommodations in the country. In some cases, you will share an apartment with another student in the course. This will give you the opportunity to study together. In other courses, you are paired with a host family and stay with them. This is a great way to interact and experience the culture first hand.
