5 real benefits of Spanish Immersion Courses and how they can boost your Spanish

Have you thought about immersion yet? No, not the baptismal sort…but language immersion.

You might feel like you’re drowning yourself in the language fast and but not to worry, you’ll soon learn how to swim!

It’s not for everyone, but here are 5 reasons why you should at least consider Spanish language Immersion if you have the time (and the up-front finance for it.)

Spanish Immersion courses are on the increase in recent years as research shows that true immersion facilitates the language learning process in the brain.

And believe you me, anything that facilitates the language learning process is what you want if you are hoping to learn a second language as an up-and-running adult.

Check out another article I posted a while back about how learning to speak another language is like learning to drive. 

 

What exactly is language immersion?

Language Immersion courses are language courses are provided, often in the country of the target language (the language you are trying to learn) and can last from only one week to several months.

 

Students on these courses are encouraged to communicate constantly in the target language with the teachers and other students on the course. Language lessons play a fundamental role in the courses, along with social events, outings, and leisure time.

These are all arranged to develop the students’ language skills as close to a natural linguistic environment as possible.

If you have been struggling to learn Spanish over the years, it’s time to consider taking the (Spanish) bull by the horns and consider Spanish Immersion.

5 reasons why you should at least consider Spanish language Immersion

1. Money (Cheaper in the long-run)

If you can possibly have the time for even just a one-week course (some courses near me here in Spain offer 100 hours of Spanish in just one week!) it could be money well-spent! You could even be SAVING yourself money.

How?

Add up the cost of 100 Spanish lessons taken at a frequency of twice a week.

X amount.

100 formal lessons of  Spanish would take about 50 weeks to achieve. A whole year! But even longer because tutors usually don’t work at Christmas/Easter/ or Summer. (A school academic year is classed as 36 weeks due to closure for holidays such as Christmas/Easter and Summer).

If you have been paying for private Spanish classes for any length of time, just add up what you have paid out so far…Y amount……you might be surprised.

Compare X amount with Y amount and see how you feel. Immersion works out cheaper in the end!

    2. Speed guaranteed (at least faster than your alternative)

When learning a language from hour to separate hour, with perhaps two or three days (or longer due to holidays) between lessons, your memory will have plenty of opportunities to ‘forget’ something learned.

The magic of ‘Immersion’ in language learning is that you can work on what you have just learned and have a much better chance of remembering the vocabulary, grammatical point etc. You get to consolidate what you acquired only yesterday, or two hours ago, for example.

You just don’t give your brain the opportunity to forget it as easily, because you are required to bring that word or grammatical point to mind very soon after learning it. Thus your brain has a much better chance of consolidating that learning.

   3. Success guaranteed (at least some)

Because of the nature of Immersion, success can be guaranteed. Your commitment is greater perhaps due to the initial financial outlay and the social environment which is being presented to you.

You will probably feel you are making progress in leaps and bounds and that you actually CAN achieve your dream of speaking that beautiful Spanish language.

Learning Spanish will have changed from an impossible dream to a happy reality.

  4. Fun guaranteed (at least a bit)

Courses which are professionally run are committed on their part to provide entertaining activities which have a linguistic bearing. Social situations, although they have been construed by the course organiser, are carefully monitored to ensure a true linguistic experience at the very least. This is not something that you can always achieve in a private-tutor situation.Authentic experience

    5.  “Authentic experience” (as near as possible)

And then that special something that all us travellers and language lovers hanker after more than anything else. “The authentic experience.”

As a learner to a new language, it’s really difficult to have that ‘authentic experience’ sensation. But for many of us, that is the greatest motivation for learning a new language.

I have friends who have been learning Spanish the traditional way for years.

They recount with extreme glee that they managed to communicate to a Spanish waiter in Spanish that they wanted a “botella de vino tinto”. And that is wonderful! These are the little conversations that make the language learning journey worthwhile. So think how much more you would be able to achieve with an intensive-style course.

 

I found this great language blog online when researching for this article. Rey Diego Fernando agrees with me about the benefits of immersion in Spanish language learning! https://elreydiegofernando.blogspot.com.es/2017/08/conversation-conversation-conversation.html

Have you paid a lot of money for tutors and courses so far in your language learning journey?

Would you ever sign up to an immersion language course?

My Promise

Let me know in the comments section what is the most difficult part of Spanish language learning for you.  I would love to know what you are struggling with (linguistically ) at the moment and I promise I will address in my next post any issue  mention in the comments below.