You know what they say: if I tell you how good I am, you might be doubtful; if someone else says it, you will believe it!

Last Saturday, we invited Samantha (former secondary school French teacher) to the Academy to observe lessons and give us some feedback. 

I was so astonished (and proud) by the report she wrote that I wanted to share it with you all!

So there it is:

‘The Vici Language Academy from Bartholomew Street, Newbury caters for all ages and abilities and I was mostly amazed by:

-         Teachers’ passion and learners’ engagement

-         A sociable and pleasant atmosphere in which to learn

The Infants… were obviously happy to be in the room. They all seemed to like the warm up games and activities, which recapped aspects of the language they were already familiar with. Some children seemed ‘off task’ at this point, but in keeping with the Vici’s ethos of French class being fun, they were gently cajoled into participation, rather than disciplined.

The Juniors…  started their lesson by reading books in French. They were clearly very proud of their abilities, and were pleased at what they had achieved. The teacher was lively and enthusiastic, and this rubbed off on the students. They were confident with a grammar point that was explained to them, and even the youngest were able to complete the grammar exercise effectively.

I only spent a brief amount of time with the Teenage group…… but what I saw was great. They were able to work out some quite complicated questions in French. They were concentrating, and relaxed. The group atmosphere was supportive and they were encouraged to have a go.

 The atmosphere in the adults’ group was amazing…… more like friends meeting for a coffee than a French class. I observed the initial half hour in which they engaged in a role play exercise with confidence and imagination. They were obviously very enthusiastic about the language and had an excellent rapport with the teacher.

Throughout the four lessons, what I saw was engaged learners being given freedom to learn by flexible, passionate teachers who were able to adapt their approach to learners’ individual needs. The atmosphere was that of a fun, sociable club rather than a stuffy classroom.’

If you too, would like to experience the above, give us a ring now on 0800 021 7181 or email learn@thevici.com

What an eventful morning today in the Arcade, Newbury, at The Vici Language Academy with the most entertaining radio presenter of all, Nicki Whiteman!

The Andrew Peach show on BBC Radio Berkshire this morning asked its listeners: ‘why should we learn another language when English is the international language?’

Really? Is that STILL a question asked in 2012?

I’m sure that Andrew Peach had for idea to get everyone thinking and throw a spanner in the works so he will forgive me when I say that, in my opinion, (and the opinion of most I believe – and hope) this was a 19^th century comment in a 21^st century society!

Andrew made a remark that with the increasing use of social media and its crucial role in worldwide communication, English was as proeminent as ever and therefore, the use of other modern foreign languages on the decline.

I think the key word here is indeed communication. Social media have helped people from all walks of life and from anywhere in the world communicate freely, live. People feel closer; they share ideas and opinions and therefore want to speak the same language. This means that increasingly, English speakers want to master another language.

One of my favourite quotes is from Nelson Mandela: ‘you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his  head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.’ How so very true.

My late grandma used to say: ‘you jump on a plane as often as I used my bike at your age!’  Yes, it is true. I do. And I like to be polite and courteous when I arrive at destination.

Mentalities have changed. People no longer learn a language because they have to but because they want to.

Ten years ago, our business clients felt the need to learn a foreign language to build rapport with prospects and close more deals. They still do, except now (and The VICI language Academy’s figures show), up to 75% of companies with cross border offices will invest simply because they want their staff to communicate better amongst themseves and improve performances at work. And this applies to any foreign language: French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Turkish… No exception at all.

So, here we are, Andrew, we said it and will say it again; communication is key and multilingualism a true asset!

Expose yourself. Yes, really!

Our ability to learn new words is directly related to how often we are exposed to these new words. So go ahead, expose yourself: a little bit, often, as much as you can and you will soon get there, I promise!

My first real language exposure was in America, as an au pair. This meant that I was unbeatable at baby talk within a short period of time. My subsequent experience was in a pub in Manchester.  Pub talk? I was brilliant at that too. Perhaps not the classiest of language but hey, I was progressing! And the Mancunian accent soon replaced my French twang.

Think about babies, kids who move countries several times during their childhood; Dr Sulzberger calls it ‘massive exposure’. Babies and kids learn a new language naturally and they do it fast, simply by being fully exposed to it.

Research has shown that, when constantly exposed to a new word, the brain will store it in less than 15 minutes. Yes, 15 minutes only. Now that is enough to get any skeptic to give it a try, isn’t it?

So go on;  TV, radio, books, magazines, social media. Surround yourself with the new language you want to learn!  ’Dynamic immersion’ will help build new neural pathways in the brain and within no time, you will find yourself thinking in two languages.

This is why The VICI Language Academy in Newbury has its own dedicated premises and offers flexi memberships so students, whether hobbyists or academics, can experience the language through an immersive teaching style. Learning French, Learning Spanish, Learning Mandarin? Worth the try, definitely! learn@thevici.com

Who said that learning Russian could help you stop smoking? You’ve heard it here first!

What a delight when this week, one of our students told us that coming to the Academy and learning Russian helped him stop smoking!

Mr A. had decided that after many years, it was time to call it a day. No more cigarettes. But it wasn’t easy.

He also decided that his job took him to Russia on a regular basis and that therefore, he could do with practising some basic language skills, at least learn to be polite and courteous whilst there and also understand a few cultural differences.

What he hadn’t put together was the link between stopping smoking and learning a new language…

He was keen to progress quickly and therefore asked his Russian coach for a 2h session each time he came to the Academy. Without telling her, he feared he would struggle to cope with two hours of intense language coaching and no cigarette! But he was dedicated and keen to take on the challenge.

I am sure you can guess the ending to my story.

Mr A soon realised that he could indeed cope without cigarettes for that long (very long for his then, daily cigarette consumption) and recently told us that taking on Russian had vastly encouraged him to quit smoking.

The point is not the time spent in the class as opposed to outside the office for a break, it’s about personal achievement. Mr A had left school over 20 years ago and wasn’t very confident about his learning abilities when he first came to visit us. ‘Each time I come, I learn so much more and find myself encouraged to carry on’! I have now studied Russian for 35 hours… And have just booked another 35h course - let’s do it!’

He could learn a foreign language and felt good about himself. Cigarettes were dropped.

Learning to speak a foreign language is one the most enriching and rewarding experience you may have.

And if it saves you hundreds of pounds a year (and a lung!), well, it’s a bonus!!

My husband often tells me that whilst his salary could be better, his benefit package is very good and therefore an incentive, amongst others, to stay in his current company. I would have argued quite ferociously on that point until very recently. If it wasn’t extra money on our joined bank account for shoes, holidays or kids’ treats, then what was the excitement about?

So why did I come to change my mind? Have I matured? Hopefully I have! But the realisation came when several ‘business’ customers pushed the door of the Academy in recent weeks, all very eager to learn to speak or at least get by in a  foreign language. They came from different industries, and wanted to approach a different foreign language but all had in mind the same goal: being more productive whilst doing business abroad.

They mentioned their inability to create close rapport with their colleagues and felt ill at ease in an environment where the language was unknown. They all, without exception, explained that whether they went to sell a product or service or work with branch offices in Paris, Madrid, Rome or Berlin… They all wanted ‘to be part of the same gang’.

To my delight, all of them were taken by VICIExec’s Language Coaching Programmes and enrolled immediately, choosing the most comprehensive and high value language programmes. They clearly were extremely motivated.

To my surprise, they all paid for their own course; it was a personal and not a corporate decision.

There is undoubtedly always a close link between job satisfaction and productivity in any organisation. How do you motivate and retain the right staff? If my husband’s attitude is a true representation of how employees feel, benefits are certainly a great motivator.

And if those gentlemen, impatient to learn German, Portuguese and Arabic show a trend in employees’ benefits’ preferences, it seems that companies should perhaps focus on helping their staff to further their education.

So the goal post might have moved. Could learning a language be sat next to medical and dental care on your next Employees Benefits’ wish list?

As I was rushing around last night to make sure I could pick my little boy up from football practice, I wasn’t paying much attention to anything around his school but was trying to focus hard on getting there on time (and losing my reputation of ‘mummy-who-cares-more-about-work-than-her-own-kids’) until his teacher, who seemed quite determined, approached me and said: ‘Can I ask you something?’… Oops, I panicked that Maxie had done something wrong.. Actually to be truthful, I worried that I, had done something wrong! Did I run in the corridor? Did I forget to say hello to the Headteacher? Did I use the wrong door? Oh dear…
Well actually, no, I hadn’t. None of that in fact. Instead, his teacher asked me if a little girl named Freya, in Maxie’s class (Reception year) came to my Academy. ‘She certainly does’, I replied. ‘She learns Spanish, she is delightful, isn’t she?’. ‘Well’, replied the teacher, ‘I was wondering because she keeps counting in Spanish in class and always tries to translate all we do’.

If the teacher seemed somewhat perplexed about the situation, and wondered how she might handle the situation as Freya progresses and becomes bilingual, she didn’t realise that she had simply just made my day!

I am often asked what it means for a child to be bilingual and how long it might take to get there… The answer is not to think about it as math calculation or science experiment. As far as I am concerned, Freya is well on her way to bilingualism.

A second language does take years to learn, but parents shouldn’t focus on this; children have years ahead of them, time is on their side. Freya’s willingness and desire to communicate in Spanish during her normal school day when no one else speaks it in her class shows how wired young children are at learning a new language. Also, bilingual children are generally more  effective at communicating even the most tenuous, ephemeral ideas… So if Freya’s teacher is lost for words, I’m sure that this clever little girl will soon be able to help her… In two different languages!

Offering your child a bilingual education is not just about giving her the chance to speak another language, open her mind to different cultures but you will in the process, undoubtedly, make her more clever! Proven fact.

I remember a study carried out in the USA a few years ago… At the time, I had no intention of becoming a teacher, nor a parent for that matter, not yet anyway, but the results caught my eye simply because, at the time, I was working very hard  to become bilingual myself.

Researchers interviewed twenty children from the same social-economic class.  The one single difference between all was that half of them were monolingual whilst half of them were bilingual.

Whilst the various tests were carried out, not much difference was noted until children were asked to solve problems. The bilingual children achieved accurate results in half the time needed by monolingual children.

Further research from around the world have shown that bilingual people tend to do better in IQ tests compare with monolingual people and I sincerely hope that this is true, having spent a vast amount of time and efforts trying to become bilingual in the last ten years!

So YES, engaging your child on the road to bilingualism will open her mind to other countries and cultures, offer her greater career opportunities later on in life and for now, show her the road to superior academic performances.

That is to be discussed, bilingualism should perhaps become compulsory!

Nathalie and Sarah from The VICI Language Academy held a charity night last month to raise money and awareness for Little Hearts Matter. http://www.lhm.org.uk/

The night included half a dozen ladies selling their products and sevices. There was also a raffle with lots of lovely prizes won. Thank you all for our support! We raised an amazing £325!

Whether our guests came to our Open Evening to have a chat about learning a language or to start the immersion process by enjoying all the lovely French canapés, I cannot answer this question but for sure, a great time was had by all!

Should you like to find out how you too can immerse yourself in a new language, CALL US today!

0800 021 7181 or email learn@thevici.com

Sounding sexily Italian when ordering a glass of Chianti or sensually French at the terrasse of a Parisian Cafe is within us…. Just sometimes struggling to get out!

What is it that we are all dying to have the ability to speak a foreign language but are hesitant to take the plunge and enrol in a course? The fear of failure?

Apparently 1 in 10 Brits only can have a basic conversation in a foreign language compared to 6 out 10 in other European countries.

So what’s wrong with us?! I think most of us became adverse to languages after some very structured and daunting language lessons at school where all we could put together was a dull sentence about the tourist office! No teacher could get us interested let alone excited (in the slightest) about verb declination and we all went home wondering why oh why, learning a foreign language had any space at all in the school curriculum (along with food technology!)

The great news is: things have changed! The past few years have seen a vast improvement in how language learners are being supported.

Any good language school will spend time figuring out why you want to learn a new language, what are your aims and objectives, and also, what is your learning style? Are you a visual, auditory or kineasthetic learner? Forget your inability to absorb a new language; start focusing on your strengths and your learning style has a lot to answer for!

All our life we try (or are forced) to learn new things… It sometimes seems easy, sometimes challenging. We often simply put it down to what we are trying to learn. What if it was ‘how’ we are attempting to learn it?

There are plenty of free tests online (www.businessballs.com) you can use to determine what kind of learner you are. Do you understand things better when you see them written down? Check out how visual learners fonction. Do you remember the words and rhythm of every song and find it easy to immitate and perfect an accent? Auditory is the one to look for. Did you use to pace up and down in your parents’ corridor when you had to revise for your A levels? You are most probably a kineathetic learner.

Finding out what is your learning preference is the first stage. Use it to your advantage is the second. Any learning process is made much easier when you know how to handle your strengths and weaknesses and learning a new language is no exception.

So if all you have to do to master a new language is answer a quick quiz… What are you waiting for?!