Types of Spanish Classes Tips
Read these 11 Types of Spanish Classes Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Spanish tips and hundreds of other topics.
How To Do Business In Spanish
Like many Spanish courses, business Spanish courses will contain lessons to improve Spanish vocabulary, Spanish pronunciation and Spanish grammar. However, business Spanish courses are also likely to highlight the skills that business people commonly use. A business Spanish course could focus on: * travel - getting to and from the airport, hiring cars, calling taxis, dealing with hotel reservations and so on * telephone calls - how to answer the phone, how to end a conversation politely, how to ask for telephone numbers or leave messages * social and cultural customs - meeting and greeting, wining and dining * holding meetings and giving presentations * negotiating deals * the business environment in Hispanic countries * money and banking vocabulary
The Business of Spanish
Business Spanish courses are designed mainly for those who have to do business in a Spanish-speaking country. This is useful so business people can: * enhance their career prospects * talk and do business with colleagues in Spanish-speaking countries * learn about another culture * travel to Hispanic countries on business However, business Spanish can also be useful for anyone who is likely to deal with Spanish-speaking business people. This could include people who are planning to relocate to a Spanish-speaking country.
Dipping Into Spanish Culture
There are many Spanish courses that help people learn about Spanish culture. These courses include a wide range of information including: * Spanish history * Spanish cooking * Spanish dance - flamenco, for example * Spanish cinema * Spanish art * Spanish literature Each of these subjects can be a class or number of classes in a Spanish course. Each of them can also be a separate Spanish course. Some courses take place in Spanish-speaking countries. These allow students to learn about Spanish culture and language at the same time. Such courses also give students access to native speakers of Spanish.
Spanish For Doctors
A medical Spanish course is designed for healthcare workers, such as doctors, nurses, emergency medical personnel and medical students. These Spanish language classes help healthcare workers who need to work with Spanish-speaking patients. A medical Spanish course will also help medical personnel who wish to work in Spanish-speaking countries. There are several options for learning medical Spanish. There are a number of book and CD-based courses for health care workers. There are software courses, such as the one offered by Idrama.com, that help healthcare workers communicate with patients. There are telephone and Internet based Spanish classes. There are also Spanish immersion classes. All these methods will help healthcare workers to speak Spanish fluently when dealing with their patients. There are as many native speakers of Spanish worldwide as of English, and more than 35 million of these live in the US.
Learn Spanish Free
There are many free Spanish classes and Spanish lessons available on the Internet. Some of these are trials for much larger programs. However, others will allow web users to gain some proficiency in the Spanish language. LearnSpanishToday.com offers a free Spanish lesson as part of its Visual Link program. The BBC languages website offers a free online course in holiday Spanish. Multilingualcenter.com also offers free online Spanish lessons. These are just a few examples of the Spanish lessons that are available online. Taking a free online Spanish class has the advantage of flexibility. It also means that people can try learning Spanish before committing to a more intensive or costly course.
What Method Is Best If You Can't Afford Immersion
This is an ongoing debate among educators. However, it is largely agreed upon that as much immersion as possible is best. In other words, a speaking class that is taught entirely in the target language, accompanied by an exchange program with native speakers etc. However, there is some degree to which this varies with learning styles. Some people can only learn vocabulary through association, some can only learn it through memorization. Some people can only learn grammar through context, others can only learn it through formulae. The key is to find and recognize your particular learning style and then seek out an appropriate program. Forcing yourself to learn in a style that doesn't suite you will not get you far and it will only waste your time and money. That said, keep in mind that learning a language requires pushing your boundaries and your comfort zone. It can be intimidating at times and require you to push yourself to new levels. Never reject a teaching technique just because it pushes you. On the other hand don't stick with a program that isn't working once you've given it your all.
Spanish For Spanish Teachers
Spanish teachers who are non-native speakers of Spanish can benefit from a Spanish course. Taking a Spanish course will help Spanish teachers to: * keep up to date with slang and vocabulary * update their cultural knowledge * polish their Spanish accent * get new teaching materials that they can use in class * make contact with other Spanish teachers to exchange ideas and information * enhance their professional development There are several Spanish institutions that offer this type of course for non-native Spanish teachers. These can be found easily by doing an Internet search. Most of these courses take place in summer to coincide with the school holidays.
Speaking Conversational Spanish
A conversational Spanish course aims to help people learn to hold everyday conversations in Spanish. For example, a conversational Spanish course could include: * directions (for getting around) * ordering food * greetings * shopping * things around the home Conversational Spanish courses for beginners usually concentrate on learning how to speak. More advanced conversational Spanish courses will focus on grammar, so that people can learn to build sentences on their own.
Benefits Of Spanish Immersion
Spanish immersion classes force students to make comparisons between the languages. The classes also make children's brains work harder as they try to learn and speak Spanish. A Spanish immersion class will help to expose your child to another language and culture. In addition, immersion classes: * help students to achieve a higher level of Spanish proficiency and become bilingual * help students to problem-solve and think flexibly * give students more flexibility in career choices * help students understand their native language better
Enhancing Spanish Education
Following a Spanish course is only one aspect of learning Spanish. Learning will be enhanced if students go beyond the textbook and classroom. Students can improve their Spanish education by: * reading Spanish newspapers and magazines * watching Spanish films and programs * listening to Spanish language radio * talking to native speakers of Spanish * going to Spanish or Latin American restaurants and ordering food and drinks in Spanish * visiting a Spanish-speaking country and speaking only Spanish * arranging a get-together with fellow students where you speak only Spanish These strategies will improve any student's Spanish education - and more importantly, fluency - in record time.
Learn Spanish Quickly With Spanish Immersion
An immersion class is a class where teaching and class activity take place only in the target language. So a Spanish immersion class is a class where teaching and learning take place only in Spanish. This approach is often used in language teaching in universities. There are also partial Spanish immersion programs where teaching time is divided between English and Spanish. Spanish immersion classes often use songs, stories and rhymes to help children learn Spanish language and culture. This is particularly effective with young children. Even better are the full immersion classes that take place in Spanish speaking countries. This because students who are surrounded by the language outside of class time will learn Spanish quickly. To get the most of a Spanish immersion class, it is worth considering a Spanish class in Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, Latin America or Spain.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Patricia Walters-Fischer |
