3 Reasons Your Language Base Accelerates Your Spanish Abroad
EdOdyssey’s partner language school, El Sol, located in Miraflores, Peru.
“Wow! Your Spanish is so good! How long have you been studying it?” You may hear this type of compliment during your time studying abroad, but it takes some commitment before and during study abroad for up and coming language learners.
After you’ve spent some time creating a strong language base at home, you’ll be able to take that foundation of language skills with you abroad. It is very beneficial and necessary to build up your language skills before study abroad so you can maximize your experience while abroad.
Here are 3 ways how learning language at home will help take your language skills to the next level:
Build Deeper Connections
With the knowledge of a language, you can really take a dive into a culture. Furthermore, you have a foundation for basic communication that gives you a base of the language to connect with others on a level that is more than a friendly hello and goodbye relationship.
You’ll need to make sure that you have a sense of how the language works and feel confident enough so you can work on going faster while still feeling in control. The world continues to move quicker, and it is still truly connected with language, which is one of the most effective tools that brings people together.
Increase Your Confidence Abroad
Before you decide that you want to study abroad, you too can experience the benefits of language firsthand. It will only require some work on your part with regard to studying the language of your choice.
A local art piece featuring the Spanish language.
For EdOdyssey’s study abroad program in Peru, it requires at least three Spanish courses of knowledge, or the equivalent in Spanish knowledge for you to have some context going into the experience. For example, if you plan to study abroad in Peru during the spring semester, it may be a good idea to make sure that you work on the language during the fall semester. If you put in the time and effort leading up to your study abroad experience, you will be setting yourself up to take the most advantage of your time abroad.
Before even arriving, you will have a general sense of the language going into the experience which will give you more confidence and autonomy when you want to explore on your own. This will not only help you when taking classes in another language, but with your daily life, making friends, and connecting to the culture when abroad.
When I did the EdOdyssey Peru program, I was with a group of fellow classmates in the program who also had a strong base of Spanish. All of us had signed the language pact to speak in Spanish and I felt like the intensive 80 hours of Spanish classes took my Spanish to the next level to fully enjoy and make the most of my time abroad.
A Second Language s a Gift For Life
Understanding a second language, such as Spanish, is beneficial when exploring the city during your travels!
The advantage of going abroad is that study abroad itself accelerates language learning. When you are abroad in the streets of Peru, you are going to have to be able to speak the language. Therefore, you will attain daily practice of a language, improving your proficiency (and hopefully local tongue) by the day. Language is a powerful tool, but its full power is only activated if you properly prepare yourself for experiences abroad.
As an EdOdyssey Peru alum, I saw first hand how my Spanish went from basic to conversational within my time in Lima and I continue to use it and study it. After you’ve invested the time and effort, you have to make sure that you do your best to keep it alive!
Interested in improving your second language skills? EdOdyssey’s study abroad program in Peru includes an intensive 80 hour Spanish language booster program for all students to advance their Spanish! Visit our study abroad page for more details!