Learn Spanish in Barcelona

Let’s see shall we, night school in Bracknell or cultural immersion language course in cosmopolitan Barcelona? I’ll give you a second to cogitate over that conundrum shall I? Ok it shouldn’t be the hardest decision you’ll ever have to make – with opportunities to learn languages abroad becoming better and cheaper you’d be hard pushed to justify staying in your own country to learn a foreign language these days.

Indeed, in these days of time-starved young professionals the lure of killing two birds with the one stone is sometimes just too great. So now you can take your holiday and combine it with an intensive language course. There’s still plenty of time for all of the tapas and culture you need but also the chance for some practical application, a chance to better yourself and learn valuable new skills to facilitate what other globe-trotting plans you have up your sleeve. I start by taking my own example of a few years ago – working a job in central London I was offered an opportunity to rediscover my a-level glories with a work sponsored language programme, great I thought, envisioning myself back up to the old a-level speed in a few weeks and merely months away from carefree conversation on the days political issues in my chosen language.

Not so as it turned out, the motivation for a forty minute journey across a rush-hour London seems to wane somewhat on a cold December evening and I found myself wearing my language course like a millstone around my neck for the next few months, impeding my enjoyment, and of course, my appetite to learn. Now, if I’d have swapped those trying conditions with a sun-kissed European destination then I don’t doubt the outcome would’ve been much better and I’d have found the experience a lot more rewarding, not to say vastly more educational. I am not saying that everyone would have felt like me for the duration of the course but given the opportunity to learn the language intensively in a foreign country which would you prefer?

When learning Spanish in Barcelona, for example, your whole stay becomes part of the learning experience – whether you’re in your intensive class or ordering tapa from a local bar. The concept of cultural immersion is that with so many more stimuli, the language is bound to sink in a lot quicker. Classes are much more focused and a greater emphasis is placed on conversation. The beauty of it is all you then have to do is wonder around the city to practice these new skills and phrases.

Language schools such as Babylon Idiomas offer superb courses for a variety of levels of student and at varying levels of intensity. The focus is on providing quality teaching that can then be practically applied whilst out of the classroom. Many of the schools also offer certain extra curricular activities to further enhance the cultural (and linguistic) experience.