2. Enhance your travel experiences - Traveling is one of the great joys of life and also one of the most expensive. Why not get the most out of your experience? As a person who doesn’t know the native tongue you are completely excluded from the culture. The locals shun you and you are relegated to sightseeing and taking cheesy photos. Knowing even a few phrases of the language will make a huge difference. You will meet many more people and find it much easier to get around. People are much more receptive if you make an effort to speak their language. This can turn a frustrating experience into the trip of a lifetime.
3. Languages are beautiful - Language is what makes us human. It is the medium we use to share our thoughts with the world. Could you imagine thought without language? Great language also has a wonderful musical quality. Learning a new language is like learning a new way to think and a new way to sing. I am often struck by new phrases that are profoundly meaningful and melodic. At those moments I feel grateful to be alive. Don’t sell yourself short by stubbornly ignoring every language but one.
4. Join the global community - Believe it or not, the majority of the world does not speak English. We are so isolated that we hardly realize this. The truth is new thoughts and ideas are happening everywhere and they are not being immediately translated. The world is getting smaller and we are coming into contact with more non-English speakers all the time. Gain an advantage for yourself in business and personal relationships by being able to communicate with people in their language. This will set you apart and gain you immediate respect and credibility.
5. It’s
just plain sexy
- I’m not saying you should learn a
few corny Italian pickup lines and
go saying them to everyone you meet,
but knowing a foreign tongue and
applying it tastefully is undeniably
attractive. It implies education,
good taste, and refinement, and it
will certainly make you standout
against the competition. Imagine
saying a beautiful phrase with
perfect pronunciation to a lovely
coed. You will immediately have her
attention; she will be dying to know
what it means. I know this from
experience.
Now that you are dying to improve
your mind by learning a foreign
language you are probably wondering
how to go about doing it. The task
appears daunting at first, but have
no fear, in my next post I will
detail how to teach yourself a
foreign language in less than an
hour a day. I’ve developed this
method through personal trial and
error, and trust me, it works much
much better than the way your were
taught in school. And best of all,
it’s tons of fun. Once you start
making progress you won’t want to
stop.
English Language Courses
English
Language courses are usually
targeted at an international
audience. Language courses vary in
intensity, length and target group
or purpose. Many universities seldom
offer more than regular intensive
language courses whereas many
private language-institutions offer
a large variety of courses.
General English Course (15-20
h/week)
General English
language courses are
semi-intensive courses usually
available in several levels focusing
on all aspects of learning a
language: language structure
(grammar), reading, writing &
vocabulary as well as speaking &
listening.
Intensive language Course (25-30
h/week)
Similar to
General English
language
courses but more hours/week.
Intensive courses are offered by
almost all language schools preferrably in 4 week sessions.
Language for Profession
These courses are designed for
specific professional puposes. The
courses usually require a basic
knowledge of language since it
specializes its schedule towards the
needs in professions with
vocabulary, readings, dicussions and
presentations. Professional language
courses are available e.g. in:–
Business– Office– Law– Medicine–
Teaching– Executive Communication–
Language and Internships...
Language for Academic Purposes
The language for academic purposes
courses are designed to prepare for
university or other academic studies
and often specializes in the
preparation for the desired
university entrance tests such as
TOEFL,
IELTS, etc.
Language plus Interest
The language plus courses are
courses that combine general
language studies (see above) with
certain interests. The interest
areas can be fun activities like
sports, adventure or action as well
as areas that the students what to
get more experience in - multimedia,
cooking, dancing. In general,
classes are held in the mornings
while the activities in the desired
areas take place in the afternoons.–
Sport– Action– Adventure– Culture–
Music/Dancing– Cooking– Horse
Riding– Multimedia– IT
...
Courses for Senior Students (50+)
The senior courses for senior
students of ages 50+ usually
focusing on general language and
comon interests in e.g. culture,
group activities, history and
holiday.
Courses for Children (max 12
years)
The courses for children are most
often summer programs that combine
basic language studies with a lot of
fun activities. They generally focus
on creating a comfortable group
atmosphere and convey language
skills in a fun atmosphere.
One-to-one Courses
One-to-one courses are meanwhile
offered by many language schools
worldwide. They allow a language
courses tailored to your specific
needs at your individual pace.
Tailor Made
Group Courses (e.g.
for companies)
These courses are designed for whole
groups of people e.g. from companies
that need to work on specific
language skills. Interest areas and
schedule can be determined by the
groups and professors will prepare
to cover each individual groups
needs.
