Learn Spanish and cater to the large Latin American market

 What educational background do you come from? What interested you to learn a Foreign Language? Why Spanish of all the Foreign Languages?

I grew up in the Canary Islands because of which I did my primary and secondary education in Spain. I learnt it as Spanish was my mother tongue as well as the national language.

What made you bring this language to India? How did you go about it?

In The year 1998, my wife Vidya and I decided to come and reside in India as we wanted to give our kids an Indian upbringing. I have always been very passionate about India since it was all about my origin and we have always been fascinated by the Indian culture and tradition. I was very lucky as Vidya was from Bombay and we finally decided to shift to India. I did some research and there was no institute in Bombay offering Spanish Courses which made me think that there was a lack of awareness about the importance of Spanish. So, I started imparting classes in small groups from my residence .That was the beginning of Academia De Español.

Can you please tell us a little bit about Academia De Español?

Academia De Español was founded in 1998.In the beginning , we started our classes from our residence itself. As the language was not very popular in those days, We also imparted classes in different language institutes naming, The British Institutes (BBC), Study Centre of Foreign Languages. We also worked with private tutors where we used to get assignments to teach small groups and individuals. With time, and with the help of the media such as TOI/ DNA and other newspapers, there was more awareness about the importance of Spanish as the second language for business term communications. With the entry of international Schools and the IB curriculum, the demand increased and we started to have a proper classroom in Amboli which was, and is managed by Vidya.

What are the various Spanish Training Courses offered at Academia De Español? (duration and levels)

The courses include Basic(A1,A2), Intermediate(B1,B2) and Advanced(C1,C2) of European standards. The duration could depend as it is a syllabus oriented Course and not an hourly based course. But the approx time for the basic level would range from 1 and ½ to 2 months. We also offer Business Spanish. (For more info on the courses, please visit www.academiaespanol.com.)

Are these courses certified?

Yes, we do have a proper certification for each level as per European Framework.

What are the benefits of learning a foreign language?

Spanish being the second language as for business term communication and the increasing number of Spanish Speakers in the world, learning Spanish is a must for people who deal with Latin America, Spain. And when we talk about globalization, we should not forget the fact that Spanish, is today of great value. More and more Indian companies of different fields, Pharma, textile, Jewellery, Software’s, Automobiles are marketing their products to Latin American countries where the predominant language is Spanish. With the growth of Indian economy, we have many MNC’s coming to India for Business and their requirement is to have qualified people who can communicate in Spanish.

Why should one pursue learning Spanish as a foreign Language? Why from Academia De Español?

As I mentioned earlier, Spanish is gaining great importance due to business trade with the Latin American market. We should not forget the fact that while learning Spanish you will also be learning 50% of French,60% of Italian and 80% of Portuguese. Today, students who are pursuing MBA courses, especially abroad are bond to learn a foreign language. Given the choice, they prefer to learn Spanish as it has greater value for their job prospects. Academia De Español offers a personalized course which no other institute in Bombay does. We are flexible with the timings. Our courses are very competitive in price as compared to any other institute and the amount of knowledge imparted is also higher and the structure of the course is designed in a manner that one can fall into the logic of Understanding, Speaking ,Reading and writing in a very short span of time. Academia De Español also offers interactive audio visual learning as part of the curriculum without forgetting the fact that they are learning from natives.

How is Spanish beneficial to GMAT aspirants eyeing colleges in the USA?

Spanish is the second language in the United States of America. Students planning to move to the States for higher education should always learn Spanish as it can be of great use in the day to day living in the USA. If students want to find a part time job, the first question raised to them is, ” Habla usted Espanol?” ( Do you speak Spanish?) Because the main consumer in the States is a Latino and we Indians look very much like Latinos. It can make their life much easier.

What is the investment required to be proficient in Spanish? What are the employment prospects? Are there certain institutions which give preference to Spanish as a language?

First investment would be time,1 year of Hard work would help to get a good command over the language. As mentioned earlier, there are many MNC’s seeking for Spanish Speakers but there is a huge demand in the BPO industry. One need not work in Multi Nationals or in BPO’s. Translation is another field about which one could think as it has got fantastic remuneration and it is an income which can be generated by working from home. It is becoming day by day very popular amongst the house wives.

Does Academia De Español provide any placement assistance? If yes, where and how are your students placed?

After completing the third level of Spanish offered by Academia De Español, students should go and appear for the DELE Exams of Instituto Cervantes which is the highest authoritry for gaining their international certification by the Spanish authorities. It is like Allianz Français(French), Max Muller Bhavan (German).Once they have cleared the DELE certification, we help them to find placements in different companies. We also offer to work under us for gaining proficiency as translators, teachers. With the growing demand of Spanish in International Schools, we help them to find their preferred job once they have undergone proper training in our institute.

You have been teaching Spanish to many Bollywood celebrities, Hrithik Roshan for Kites, Kim Sharma, Ekta Chowdhary to name a few.Would like share some of your experience?

The reason why Bollywood celebrities want to learn Spanish is because the Spanish movie directors in Spain are very renowned. Let’s set an example of Almodovar, Luis Buñuel and Alejandro Amenábar. Their movies are internationally acclaimed, and when it comes to Spanish Actors, Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz, Paz Vegas, Javier Bardem have won Oscars. Our Indian Actors want to learn from them, and the best way to do so is understanding their language. My experience with Bollywood Actors has been great! When it comes to Hrithik Roshan or Abhay Deol and also Zoya Akhtar, I found all the three very devoted when it came to learning and putting quality efforts even after having a very hectic schedule.

Any advice that you would like to give young students and aspirants?

I believe that the right age for learning a foreign language is when you’re 15.You have time as well as your grasping power is at its best. We Indians are very lucky as all of us already speak 2 or 3 languages. To earn a fourth one is not very difficult. But once we start working it becomes a task as we can’t devote quality time to it and one must always learn a foreign language especially when we talk about globalization. It can give us an upper hand and could always be an asset.