language abroad

16-04-2008

 Key to becoming the best language teacher

Key to becoming the best language teacherLearning a second language has so many benefits for you both financially and socially. Yet, learning the second language is difficult if you don’t have a good knowledge of your own language. If you are an English speaker from Washington D.C., United States then you should have the mastery of the English grammar and sentence construction first not just knowing how to speak the language because you are speaking it since you are a child. In fact, I suggest that you teach the English subject in George Washington University, Howard University or Southeastern University so that you acquire more knowledge in English. Learning is not only for students but for teachers as well. You might be surprised to know that the concepts that your grade school teacher has taught you is still the same lesson that you are teaching now. And you give efforts to understand it so that you can share and teach it with your students. If you have a good understanding of your own language like for instance English. Then, you are now ready to take steps in learning the second language. If you lack the skill of knowing the parts of speech of your own language then definitely you will have difficulty in learning the second language. The knowledge of the grammar of your own language is the key in fast and quality learning the second language.

First you have to choose what language you want to study. There are a lot of languages to choose from. French, Spanish, German, Dutch and, so many others. Try to choose a language that is most beneficial to you. After you have chosen your language then it is the time to get ready financially and mentally to start the steps in becoming a good language teacher.

If you decided to study Spanish then choose a country that speaks Spanish. You should scout first among travel agencies on the how, the where and when of getting to that country. We should know first the security of the place you are planning to stay. Renting a safe apartment is cheaper than staying in the hotel. This apartment should be located near in your school and supermarket. This is for easy access to your school and easy access to buying your food.

The best country to stay in learning Spanish is Spain. Tourist who had visited this place just felt like going back again. In fact this is the most conducive place to study Spanish for the most of the people hear are hospitable and friendly. You can somehow ask them how to say the correct words in Spanish. And the plus bonus in going here is that most of the people connected with the tourist are native Spanish people so they fluently speak Spanish and they also have an adequate English vocabulary.

If you have enough budget to say in Spain’s capital, Madrid then why not enroll in its finest university, the Real Academia Espanola. This is the university assigned to regulate the Spanish language. This university ensures you have a good and quality learning the Spanish language for it is affiliated with the 21 Spanish speaking academies through the Association of Spanish language academies. There lots of University to choose from if you wanted a University that has lots of foreign students then enroll at Suffolk University in Madrid.

The last key in becoming the best language teacher is practicing the second language you learn to the native speakers of the Spanish language. Why not strut your way around the shops of Madrid and its bars to circulate among the Spanish speakers. You might be surprised to find yourself answering back questions like a true blooded senorita.


02-04-2008

 Learning to be a Good Language Teacher

One of the best way to learn a language, especially when abroad, is to interact with local people - so what do you have to offer? Well, think about this: you’re a native too! Maybe not of that country in particular but nevertheless, you have some language skills and there are people who won’t have them yet will want them. So look into language exchanges. We don’t mean going abroad to the country to stay with someone and have them come back with you for a while. You can do the language exchange in-situ, in one night, in the place you are staying. For example, there are many people in Spain who want to learn English So if you are learning Spanish, go for a night of drinks, having one drink speaking and learning Spanish, one drink teaching English to your partner. It really works and that you are changing languages throughout the night adds to the diversity and keeps your mind working! The experience in explaining issues such as grammar and vocabularly use will also help you understand your language structure better and hence the language structure of your second language.

So how to organise these intercambios of language? Bars are good places to go - your local friend can tell you about the best places - but make sure they are not too noisy, you need to be able to hear everything clearly or there is no point to the exchange. Restaurants are a good idea as they are often quieter than bars but are as relaxed. However, be aware: you have to practise a language often to see improvement…so going once, twice (or even three times!) to a restaurant to practise can end up being very costly! One of the best ways is to involve people - the more the merrier! You can organise quiz evenings or games nights, playing Spain’s “juegos de casino“, have fun and learn - a great idea!

When you go for your language exchange, make sure you can take advantage to the maximum. Take pen and paper to note down new words and think about what you want to discuss before going. It could be that you want to learn something particular about the culure or it could be you want to clarify a grammar issue. It’s your opportunity with an expert on the language so don’t let it go to waste!


09-12-2007

 The Wealth in Languages

The Wealth in LanguagesLEARNING another language will surely go a long way here in Spain. For example, if you want to learn the other dialects here such as Catalan or Basque, then you can go to as far as Tenerife or Las Palmas next to the African coast or any other island in the Canaries Archipelago. You can explore El Teide National Park and ride the cable car going up there. If you know how to speak French, then you can organize a road trip with your friends and go all the way to the Spanish-French border. On the way, there will be no language barriers with the French locals so you already know how to speak French. Just be sure though that you have prepared yourself for a road trip. Do not attempt a road trip alone so someone can assist you when you are dozing off driving. Also, make sure that your car is filled with gas. Anyway, that’s just one aspect why there is wealth in learning another language. It’s not just money that I’m talking about here. The wealth of learning and accumulating another culture is more important.

But one cannot deny that material wealth is also needed during a lifetime. Well, you can actually make money just by studying another language. Consider this, if you only are diligent to study English for three academic semesters, you can in turn teach English. There is a course called Teaching of English as a Foreign Language for that. Called TOEFL in short, this course consists of three stages – basic, intermediate and advanced. Each is equivalent to three academic semesters or six calendar months each. This may be an intensive training all week long but reaping its benefits is definitely worth it. During the first day of school, a student must write an essay about anything. Then he or she must read it in front. The essay gets longer as the class progresses. A student is also assigned a language exchange student through chat. The student may be someone from Great Britain who is also interested to learn Spanish. So that the student on the other end will tutor you what a typical British English conversation sounds like, then you must teach him or her a few Spanish words of your own. Of course, the British student also pays tuition to the language school just like you. After graduating from the advanced TOEFL course, you are now a full-fledged person to teach English.

You can either be a private tutor or establish yourself an English language school in Spain. Plan strategically so you can recoup your investment if you’re planning to establish an English language school. Know what’s the fastest growing tourist destination in Spain because the locals here too who want to work in the hospitality industry are eager to learn English. Right now, the fastest growing destinations are Valencia in mainland Spain in the Iberian Peninsula and Palma del Mallorca which is in the Balearic Archipelago smacked right in the middle of the Mediterranean. You needn’t be limited though, options such as Malaga Car hire
mean you can be based in one place (this beautiful Spanish city, perfect for language learning) and escape at the weekends to other cities - not missing out on anything!


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