10 good reasons to book language lessons in January

 

1. It’s a new year, we all have this January motivation and energy which can go a long way.

2. Something new is always exciting, you buy new books/apps for your studying like you would buy new clothes if take up yoga. Learning a language is a good excuse to buy new DVDs in this language, or borrow some at the French Institute if you’re learning French.

3. Knowing a new language will not only impress your friends and entourage but also yourself. You’ll be amazed at what you can do and the positive consequences it has.

4. You’ll meet new friends. London is full of events where you can meet native speakers whilst, at the same time make new business contacts or meet a new girlfriend/boyfriend (Internations, Franglish: www.london.franglish.eu/en/home)

5. It’s good for your brain. Learning a language is challenging but rewarding. You’ll practice the gymnastics of verbs and your memory by learning new vocabulary. It doesn’t have to be boring. Your teacher can show you apps and website that you’ll be able to use on your own.

6. If you were stuck for ideas for your next holiday, the solution is here: why not go to Québec or Morocco to speak French and Japan for your Japanese? Different and not necessarily expensive. The Yen is down, or so I’ve heard.

7. You’ll be surrounded by other motivated people as everyone is taking up something new in January. And of course, you’ll be the one who carries on beyond February, because you’re not a quitter!

8. Be original, it doesn’t have to be French. I took up Greek a few years ago and never looked back. It really helps when you go to Greece and gets you a certain kind of respect and better service.

9. Never underestimate the power of a new language. You’ll understand conversations in the train, will have new work opportunities, will understand food labels, songs, articles your foreign friends post on social media, and last but not least, will discover new things in your native language (weird but true). It’s a new life experience as you will broaden your horizons on so many levels.

10. It usually snows in January so what could be better than watching a foreign DVD or drink a glass of vin whilst practising your new vocabulary with your encouraging other half?

Christmas presents–stuck?

 

Are you stuck with ideas? Christmas is only a few days away. You can book language lessons for a loved one. You decide the number of hours according to your budget and you have the whole of 2014 to use the hours. A lot of languages are available. Our most popular are French, English, Italian, Spanish, German, Greek and Latin lessons.

For books to learn languages or books in French, Spanish, Italian, German, visit The European bookshop near Picadilly Circus or Foyles.

Joyeux Noël/Merry Christmas!

Language show 18–20 October 2013

Today, Sophie, Claire and Paola from Voulez-vous parler visited the Language show. It is at Olympia in Kensington until Sunday 20 October. Free tickets are available online.

Why do we recommend visiting?

Lots of stands offer a wide range of material and resources for teachers and learners. I particularly liked these stands: Eurotalk: methods to learn lots of languages, 50% off during the show, The European Bookshop - 15% discount during the show - with the lovely CLE representative from Paris, FIL (Français Immersion Loisirs) who organizes French immersion holidays in France for teenagers near the Spanish border, The Japan bookshop JP Books, The Japanese Foundation, Grant and Cutler at Foyles and Idioma, who sells T-shirts and bags displaying words or sentences in French or Spanish, Linguascope (dice, rulers etc with verbs, vocabulary), French in the Dordogne, French immersion courses for adults. Enjoy!

Words I wish I knew before going on holiday

By Paola Bassanese

Holidays. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and see yourself lying on a beach or walking up a mountain in the fresh air. Reminder: open your eyes.

So far, so good.

But then, while you are on holiday, you will need to engage in conversation with the locals, at one point or another. As long as you can order a beer and some food you'll be fine, right?

That's what I thought too a few years ago before going on holiday to Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries. I took a beginners' course in both Spanish and Portuguese in a group setting and off I went.

Little did I know that those phrase books you take with you on holiday display all those case scenarios that apply to other people but not to you.

To give you a bit of background: I am a massage therapist and when I go on holiday, I like to reward myself to a few massage treatments.

If only I knew how to communicate my preferences to a therapist in Portugal who was wrapping me in warm mud! Don't worry, I did request that treatment. I just did not know how to explain I was getting a bit too warm. I could not wave my arms around miming “I am too hot” as I was mummified with bandages.

Or that other time when, in Spain, I had a haircut followed by a massage and I had no idea how to explain what hair style I wanted or the type of pressure I needed during the massage. I ended up with a super short haircut and a wishy-washy massage.

Worse still, that time in Brazil when I really needed a strong massage but because I did not understand the spa's massage menu, I ended up having some crystals applied to my body and then the therapist left me alone in the room to “soak up the energy”. Probably the most disappointing spa treatment I ever had, but then again at least the venue was beautiful and the customer service excellent. I just wanted to kick myself for not knowing enough vocabulary to explain I really needed a deep tissue massage.

Those group classes I took years ago were quite useful but I now realise that I needed extra tuition to get more familiar with different terminology. In an ideal world, next time I am planning a holiday, I will have one-to-one language tuition to make sure I know how to explain that my shoulders are tight and that I hold a lot of tension in my calves. Hopefully the local massage therapist will not bring me a couple of baby cows.

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Language exchange, the best way to progress and discover the world

 

Do you often think you or your children don’t progress fast enough? Language exchanges with England (Kent and Yorskshire) in my teens are probably the reason I now live in England. Not only did I meet very welcoming families, who took me out for great visits, made me try new sports such as squash, step and windsurfing, but it also gave me great insight into the English culture, which I was already fond of, and gave me vocabulary I was never to learn in school. 2 decades later, I now live in Kent, and I wish I could tell my host families how important these moments were to me and the person I was about to become.

So if you’re ready to take the plunge, read this:

Kinder Exchange organizes cultural and linguistic exchanges.

They match children and teenagers of similar ages, hobbies and home environments between France and the UK.

They put in touch the two families who then organize the exchange the way they want. Their job is to make the exchange easy, enjoyable and safe.

They’re looking for children and teenagers between 11 & 17 who are interested in a linguistic exchange in the summer.

Many French teenagers have already registered for the summer so don’t delay!

For more detail:

http://kinderexchange.org
Blog :
http://kinderexchange.com/category/temoignages/
Facebook page :

https://www.facebook.com/childrenexchanges

Contact: Laure Colombier : 00 33 6 60 65 50 89

Facebook : Kinder Exchange sur Facebook

Email : laurecolombier@kinderexchange.org