How to get the most from your language class abroad
What could be more fun than learning Italian in Italy, or French in France? Or as I did this summer, German in Germany? Although it had been more than twenty years since I had studied German in a classroom setting, I found the experience to be a tremendous amount of fun, and a great way to refresh my language skills.
If you’ve ever considered a language course abroad (whether for yourself or a child), here are a few practical tips to help you get the most from your investment.
Set personal goals
The first thing you should do is to set a few realistic goals for your program. Obviously you aren’t going to master an entirely new language in just a few short weeks. But if your goal is to build your vocabulary and learn how native speakers use the language, then you are on the right track already. By being “in-country” you will have more opportunities to learn and speak the language than would otherwise be possible. My personal goal was to feel at ease when speaking German and to dust off my grammar.
Choosing a school that fits your needs
With so much information being available on the Internet, finding the right school can seem a daunting task. Often your local community colleges or adult education programs can be a good source of referrals. Another strategy is to first identify the city (or cities) that are of most interest to you, and to then research your options through an organization such as The European Association for Quality Language Services (EAQUALS). By searching the EAQUALS database you can easily find a member school in the language and location of your choice.
It is a fact of life that many of the best language schools are not experts at self-promotion, particularly when it comes to worldwide marketing. Many schools wisely choose to focus on their key strength, language instruction, and work with sales agents to promote their schools. In effect these sales agents are almost like travel agents, helping to match you with the type of school (language) and location (city or country) that suits you best. And like travel agents these specialists will do their best to find the right school for you. Even so, make sure that the school they recommend meets your standards.
You may also want to consider whether your potential school belongs to any professional industry organizations (for example EAQUALS, ALTO - Association of Language Travel Organizations, and so on), and whether the school specializes in teaching a single language, or a variety of languages.
And of course, regardless of the quality and reputation of the school you choose, it will be up to you to make the most of your time and studies abroad.
