How to learn Spanish: Maryna Bosenko about Effort Online School Language and Ukrainians in Spain
How to learn Spanish: Marina Bosenko about Effort Online School
Spanish is called the fourth “powerful language” of the world according to research by Canadian economist Kai L. Chan ( “Power Language Index”, 2016 ). Over the past decade, the number of Spanish speakers has increased by over 30%, and those learning Spanish as a foreign language by almost 60%.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Spain has provided temporary protection to 130,000 citizens. Co-owner and teacher Effort Online School In an interview with Woman Magazine, Marina Bosenko talked about how the school helps Ukrainian IDPs learn Spanish from scratch, the peculiarities of life and local culture, as well as how to overcome the language barrier and find a job.
Marina, how did you start your language learning journey and open your own school to help others learn it?
My path began at the age of 18 at the department of “Iberistics” (Spanish philology – ed.) in one of the Warsaw educational institutions. After school, like most, I didn’t know which faculty to choose, but I knew one thing, the knowledge should be useful to me in life. My choice was foreign languages, but I wanted to study something special, interesting, and not like everyone else. That’s why I chose Spanish. At that time, I did not even imagine that I would connect my life so much with this language.
The idea of opening a school arose during the quarantine, when the world went online and people got used to working and studying remotely. Foreign languages were not an exception. This helped to expand the student base, as it was possible to study from anywhere in the world. Now at the school we have students from almost ten different corners of the planet. The first student of the school was a Ukrainian who lives in Mexico, and she continues to work with us.
Now at the school we have students from almost ten different corners of the planet
How to learn Spanish: Effort Online School
From the first days of the war, Spain became one of the countries that began and continues to accept forced migrants from Ukraine. How did you personally experience the first days? What was done to adapt the work of the Effort Online School?
To be honest, in the first days of the war, they didn’t think about school affairs at all. Like everyone else, I worried about my loved ones who are still in Ukraine. On February 24, all classes were canceled and all teachers were paid their salaries. We also returned money to students for lessons. Not everyone was ready for classes, neither the students nor the teachers. The school temporarily stopped working until the end of March.
You started helping Ukrainians learn the language for free, as well as advising them on the Spanish lifestyle. What feedback did you get? Has your vector of work changed? What is the mission of your school?
Yes, the way out of the crisis began precisely with free courses for Ukrainians in Spain. We learned that many immigrants come to Spain, and it is very difficult here without knowing the language. Spain, like all other countries, offers free courses, but they are conducted by native speakers, and according to our students, it was very difficult to learn, since they did not even have basic knowledge.
Their motivation passed quickly. We also wanted to be of some use and created free intensive language courses. On the very first day, we reached our limit: 50 people started training. Many people were interested and asked for help with the preparation of documents or translation, so we started to help with the adaptation of Ukrainians in Spain for free.
After the end of the course, those who wished could continue their studies with a discount, most of the students stayed and continued their studies. Many have already moved to a higher level and got a job.
Currently, discounts on education are available for Ukrainians living in Spain. Tell us in what format the classes are held and what is the peculiarity of your methodology? Tell us about your teaching method? What courses are currently available?
The school offers group (up to 5 people) and individual lessons. Lessons are held in the student’s personal office on our platform. The Zoom system is already built into the platform. There is also access to chat with the teacher, technical support, homework, rescheduling or canceling lessons, etc. We tried to create a convenient and simple platform to use. Group lessons are recorded and sent to the student in case of absence from class for independent study at home. Individual lessons – this is a personal approach to everyone, the teacher creates a program individually for each student and discusses his goals and plans.
Individual lessons are a personal approach to everyone
All language levels are available at the school, from elementary to advanced. There are also classes with native speakers. Intermediate levels are already beginning to teach native speakers. There is also a mixed course (level B1-B2, intensive), where the group has lessons 3 times a week. This is one of the most popular courses and one of the most effective.
The school provides a free first trial lesson where the student can get to know the teacher, check the level of language proficiency or learn more about teaching methods and materials.
How to learn Spanish: Effort Online School
How long does it take to learn a basic level of the language for living in Spain?
It’s all quite individual. Everything depends on the motivation and desire of the student himself. Our introductory Spanish course lasts 4 months. This is enough to master basic grammar and communicate on a daily level. Also, students learn a lot about the culture and mentality of the Spaniards, which helps in everyday life. For example, they constantly tell me their interesting daily stories from life in Spain. There are students who study a lot on their own at home, have a great desire to master the language, and since the beginning of the war, their level has already become higher than average. Also, classes with carriers help to overcome fear and start talking. It is nice to work with such people and see the result.
Classes with speakers help to overcome fear and start talking
How effective is online learning?
Just like learning offline. The only difference is live communication, but in our school, no one is bored during lessons. We have a young and energetic team that knows how to interest. Online learning is a good opportunity to meet people from all over the world, because most likely in real life these people would never meet.
Online learning is a good opportunity to meet people from all over the world
When starting to speak a foreign language, many feel the fear of communication when it comes to the language barrier. Tell us about your experience of overcoming it and how you help your students feel free?
Absolutely every person has a language barrier, the fear of saying something wrong, or that the interlocutor will not understand because of the accent. The only way out, oddly enough, is to talk more. You can know grammar well, but still not start speaking. Probably the most important thing – is not afraid to make mistakes. I always say to my students: “la práctica se hace el maestro” (“Practice makes perfect”, – Ed. note). Personally, my advice is to talk to yourself about some interesting topic, tell out loud how your day went or an interesting story in the foreign language you are learning. If possible, record it on a recorder and listen, you will be able to understand your mistakes. The second tip is translation, and as much as possible. Common everyday expressions that you use every day. Try to translate into a foreign language and speak aloud. These life hacks were recommended to us at the university and now I teach them to my students.
I always tell my students: “la práctica se hace el maestro”
How to learn Spanish: Effort Online School
In addition, you have created an interactive journal that facilitates language learning. How do you choose topics that would benefit your students?
From experience! Since I myself went through the same path as our students, I know what questions arise at one or another level of language learning. As soon as you start learning Spanish, logical questions immediately arise: “Why exactly did Columbus discover America? Why is Spanish in Argentina different from Spanish in Cuba?”. We try to answer all these questions in the magazine: from linguistics to culture or politics. The magazine is adapted for different levels, from beginners to advanced. You can also scan some texts via a QR code and listen to the language in the original. It will be especially useful for listening comprehension training. It’s very convenient, Spanish is always with you: in your phone, tablet.
The texts can be scanned through the QR code and listen to the language in the original
How to learn Spanish: Effort Online School
Spain is rich in dialects, and Catalan is generally considered a separate art form. How can a person who is completely clueless choose the right direction of study?
Yes, there are 4 languages in Spain: Castellano (all of Spain), Catalan (Catalonia), Euskera (Basque Country) and Galician (Galicia). In any case, without exception, everyone learns Spanish (castellano). It is the official language of the Crown of Spain, according to the standards and rules of which they study in all countries of the world. The entire Iberian Peninsula speaks Castellano, it’s just that some regions are officially bilingual and have “Cooficial” status.
Your lessons are filled with useful information, and students learn not only the language, but also understand traditions, culture, and features of life. In your opinion, is Spanish culture close in spirit to Ukrainian? What do you need to know about Spain before planning to move to this country?
No. Sometimes it seems that these are two completely different worlds. I live in the south of Spain and here everyone lives in a relaxed rhythm and does not worry about the little things, without remorse they put things off until “mañana” (tomorrow – ed.). Probably, this is a quality that our people lack so much. They always have lunch with colleagues, friends or relatives, discussing the news or their affairs. Spaniards can talk to the cashier for 10 minutes and even create traffic jams. They can talk to you on the street, just talking about themselves or their day. The culture is very interesting and absolutely not similar to our Slavic culture. This can be explained both by the geographical distance from our country and by historical events.
The culture is very interesting and absolutely not similar to our Slavic culture
Maryna Bosenko
How do you improve your language skills and is there a limit to language perfection?
There is no limit to improvement. And the longer you study, the more you learn, the clearer the fact becomes that the language does not end with tenses or idioms, and there is no end to its improvement. Personally, living in Spain, I discover new and interesting linguistic or cultural features every day. It is also necessary to understand that time does not stand still. The world is changing, and it is changing with it language and every time more and more language street slangs appear.
The world is changing, and the language is changing with it
How to learn Spanish: Effort Online School
blitz
Favorite phrase in Spanish: The only way to do good work is to love what you do
3 movies worth watching in Spanish: 8 Basque Surnames ( ocho apellidos vascos) / The Fourth Passenger ( el cuarto pasajero) / Perfect Strangers ( Perfectos desconocidos)
Region of Spain you adore: Catalonia, Andalusia
Your personal recommendation for those planning to move: start learning the language as early as possible.
The mission of Effort Online School: to spread the Spanish language among Ukrainians and to build a school at the level of an educational platform with a wide selection of languages
Photo: personal archive
