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Instituto Hispania: Spanish Institute like no other!

Monday morning, quick-paced Mumbai life. The goal is to reach Instituto Hispania , Khar road centre. I figured out how to arrive at the centre by 11-ish. Energetically welcomed by the assistant, I was approached to stand by to meet Director Silvia Augustine. Instituto Hispania is a Spanish learning establishment that has expertise in crossing over any barrier between Indian and Hispanic culture. They focus on teaching Spanish as a language as well as ensuring the students learn Hispanic culture and customs.

How they manage to do this in a study hall course got us keen on covering their story.

I was called inside the Director’s cabin to meet Miss. Silvia. With a chipper and positive emanation, Miss. Silvia welcomed me in Spanish, "Buenos Dias". Good morning she rehashed in English. I grinned and responded back in broken Spanish, "Bunos des". Miss. Silvia complimented me as I had got right, the ethos of the Institute. She revealed to me that we soak up in our student's Hispanic culture and conventions from Day one.

Without Further Delay, let's visit our classroom she said. Unlike any other language learning classroom, I discovered students engaged with some action as we entered the class. Miss. Silvia acquainted me with the students and revealed to them my motivation of visit. She said rather than we enlightening anything concerning our organization, let our present students represent us. I promptly enjoyed the thought. I observed the students and was surprised to see people of all ages The youngest candidate was 18years old and the oldest lady was around 71years old. Silvia acquainted me with Miss. Diana, the instructor of the class. Diana lived in Columbia and was here for a Spanish teaching internship. Diana revealed to me that the present batch is a month old. The activity they were doing was an impromptu skit in Spanish. In the next 10 mins, I watched various members come up with ideas and sentences in Spanish which they conveyed while ensuring the storyline remains flawless. The students battled once in a while with framing sentences in Spanish but nevertheless, they enjoyed their exercise. The rest of us burst into applause once the play was effectively done.

After this, I was allowed the chance to connect with the students. The following is the progression of questions and the responses I got from the class-

1.       What made all of you interested in learning Spanish?

-          I got a range of answers. For some, this was a career-oriented decision and for some a side interest. A few students were wanting to settle in the US and Spanish being the second most communicated language in the States got them keen on learning Spanish. A few students were visiting Spanish speaking nations for holidays and were figuring out how to get to know the way of life because of their itinerary items.

2.       For the ones who like learning languages, why they chose to learn Spanish?

-          A student in second-year B.A. addressed this one for me. In a country like India where, in most places, English is considered as the first language in academics, people are more comfortable with English. He said Spanish is all the more firmly connected to English. Individuals having a decent command over English can without much of a stretch learn Spanish.

3.       What career opportunities are you, individuals getting in the wake of learning Spanish?

-          I got a scope of answers

-  A career as a Spanish Translator and Interpreter

- Spanish Jobs in BPO, KPO, IT, Call Centers, and MNC

-  A career as a Spanish Teacher, Trainer, and Lecturer

-  Spanish Jobs in Foreign Embassies

-  Career prospects in Export and Import Businesses

-  Spanish Career in Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality

4.       Why did they pick Instituto Hispania to learn Spanish?

-          The Eldest student responded to this inquiry first. She disclosed to me that “Instituto Hispania is not just a boring classroom course where you come and learn Spanish in a closed Teacher-student set-up. But rather from Day one, these people make sure that learning is an engaging and fun experience for the students. We do a lot of activities while learning so the concepts get clear and they get ingrained in our brains.”

To add on to that, another student who was a working professional told me that he not only gets to learn Espanol (Spanish language) but also gets to learn the customs and traditions followed in Hispanic countries. Also, he gets to learn everything from a person of Hispanic origin. This will help him as he is planning to go to Spain for career prospects.

Miss Diana added students can also, opt to join an e-learning batch with other students or private tuition on one to one basis where the pace of the class can be customized as per the need of the student.

5.       What exercises do you folks do as a part of your educational program?

-          Apart from learning spoken Spanish these guys regularly engage in activities like reciting popular Spanish songs with learning their meaning, doing Spanish skits, getting an introduction of different Spanish dance forms, cross-cultural tasks like translating the preamble of the Indian constitution in Spanish on the occasion of Republic Day. They also get introduced to popular Hispanic festivals in different countries. And they get a monthly meet with a person from a Hispanic country.

6.       What are the Spanish learning levels in here the students can opt for?

-          Miss Diana told me the levels are divided into three broad categories Basic, Intermediate and Advanced which are further divided into a total of eight courses. By teaching our students using this detailed approach ensures that students achieve maximum proficiency in a minimum span of time.

7.       Which International exams can the students take?

-          Instituto Hispania offers an international D.I.E. examination and certification (Diploma Internacional de Español). The D.I.E examination is one of the most widely respected and recognized International Spanish language certifications in the world. Like any International Examination (IELTS, TOEFL, DELE, DIE), it provides students of all ages the opportunity to obtain international qualifications that evaluate their linguistic ability to communicate effectively with other Spanish speakers.

-          SIELE is the International Service for Spanish Language Assessment, which digitally certifies Spanish language proficiency levels. This examination is aimed at students and professionals who wish to internationally certify their linguistic proficiency in the levels established by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR): A1, A2, B1, B2, C1. SIELE certification has international validity of five years.

After my inquiries were done, I thanked them and took their leave. I went to meet Miss. Silvia and thanked her for allowing me to interact with the students. Never had I imagined that a language learning institute can be something so fun. While teaching a new language these people took care of cross-cultural exchange. They operate from 4 cities in India namely; Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune. All language learning enthusiasts must definitely visit their institute once and experience their uniqueness.