Getting started learning Spanish

by Shauna Reedy
(Atlanta)

Shauna asked: I am currently researching schools and programs online and also programs I can do it at home to learn Spanish and I was wondering if I should try to do it on my own or if it would be more beneficial to go ahead and attend a school with a strong linguistics program. I have always picked up on languages quickly but do not know for certain if I would be able to learn efficiently on my own. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you will be able to provide some useful answers. I look forward to hearing from you!



The Spanish Translator: Thanks for the question about wanting to learn Spanish. That is great that you are so interested in languages and learning Spanish in particular. When learning a language, many people are like you and wonder if they should try to learn a language on their own (maybe using computer programs) or actually attending a class. I, for one, believe that it is really difficult to learn a language by yourself. The best way to learn a language is by interacting with other people in that language, and studying a language at home with the computer just doesn't give you the practice you need to become truly fluent.

That being said, you don't necessarily need to enroll in a full-fledged college degree program in order to learn a language. It's true that there are some good college programs out there, but if your main goal is to learn a language, there are some other options you might want to consider.

I would recommend you look at overseas language programs. There are a number of these types of programs that are offered throughout Latin American and Spain that will probably be the most valuable for your money. One reason these programs are good is that in some places, especially in Latin America, you can make your money stretch farther and spend more time learning. Also, because you are in a Spanish-speaking country, you have more opportunities to practice your language abilities.

If this is something that interests you, you can find more information at the article on Spanish language schools.