One Snarky Chica with Issues

I think that a lot of what personal development is all about is learning to invest in yourself. One way that you can invest in yourself is to learn a new language. This is actually something that I think about a lot. But I never seem to have any real follow-through with it.

I know the languages that I would like to learn. I know that it would make me more valuable to employers. Yet, I hesitate. Why? Good question. I took foreign language classes in high school and college. In fact, I took enough of them that you would think I would be fluent in another language!

Maybe I am hesitant because I know that if “you do not use it; you lose it.” And that would be a bummer. I have recently been looking at options though for learning a new language. I am not sure which way is the best, but here are some options for you:

Berlitz
Berlitz seems to be a leader in foreign language instruction. They have different instruction programs available. They offer face-to-face training as well an live online training.

Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone bills itself as the GUARANTEED fastest way to learn a foreign language. Their products are not cheap though. You can take advantage of free 2-day shipping by using code gg2008 at checkout.

Transparent Language
Transparent Language is another player in the “teach yourself” market. And they appear to be considerably cheaper than the other alternatives! Save 15% - 30% off your order using code CJAPR08 at checkout.

Total immersion is something that you hear a lot about as an effective way to learn a language. But when I was looking it up I had some difficulty finding programs that offered this that were not part of a college study abroad program. I only ended up finding one that was what I was looking for and it is based in the UK. (If you know of any others, please do let me know!)

Experience Language
Experience Language is a language travel agency specializing in French language courses in France and Spanish courses in Spain. The courses take place all year round and are aimed at students of all levels and ages. Courses of varying duration are offered, from one week to six months. And what I like about it is that prior to the course or on the first day, students take a placement test to ensure they are placed in the correct ability group.