Take Class on Fire Island in Summer 2013!

Plan a trip to the beach this summer that includes a Fluent City workshop! Dive in and get exposure to French or Spanish without committing to more than a quick hour and a half lesson outdoors. Fire Island workshops are held on Saturday mornings by the pool or on the beach with backup classrooms used in inclement weather. Get an overview of how the French or Spanish language works, pick up a few key phrases, and meet a few new friends to grab a drink with later that night if you choose to stick around for the day!

If you have friends who spend their summers at Fire Island, pass on the word that we will also be hosting our regular group classes during the week.

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Parlare in Italiano Night at the Bushwick Starr!

Want an evening of theater, Italian and free booze? Yep, we thought so. All month (May 8-25th)  THE HOTEL COLORS, a new play by Eliza Bent, will be in performances at the Bushwick Starr. The play takes place in Italy so the production staff are celebrating by throwing Parlare in Italiano Night on Thursday, May 9th. Here are just a few of the perks for attending…

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Try the World

Kat Vorotova began taking French classes with Fluent City in 2011 due to her interests in travel and international cuisine. At the time, Kat was preparing for a trip to Paris and wanted to strengthen her conversational French. She ended up liking classes so much that she also signed up for Fluent City Spanish classes when she returned. Her love of international culture has now translated into company Try The World, which Kat launched this Spring.

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Booze and Schmooze: German Meetup NYC May 9th!

German Meetup NYC Night!
Thursday, May 9th at 7:30pm

Schmooze and booze with a group of young working professionals visiting from Frankfurt, Germany. Fluent City is hosting a bilingual German meetup at Harefield Road and wants you to join! Come practice your German, meet a few penpals and have a drink or two! Non-German speakers also welcome. 21+

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Foreign Language Jobs

by Michelle Kiefer

When I was a college student studying a foreign language, I often thought about how my language education might fit into my career after school and what foreign language jobs I could hold. I usually came across the same stock answers when I researched my options: teacher, interpreter, or flight attendant. Lacking the patience to deal with children or cranky travelers, I resigned to the fact that the years I had spent cramming a new vocabulary would collect dust unless I was on vacation or attempting to pronounce the dish names at a fancy restaurant.

That was, until I entered the job market and realized that the opportunities to apply one’s language skills aren’t as few and far between as I had assumed. I interviewed with an arts organization that turned out to have a big presence in France, and I suspect I didn’t get another job as a market manager because I lacked the Spanish skills to communicate with local customers and farmers. Though my current job doesn’t yet apply this skill, when I asked around I found dozens of careers where it’s advantageous to be multilingual.

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New York’s Other Chinatowns

by Michelle Kiefer

Sky Foods in Flushing, Queens

One of the best things about New York is the ability to travel to a neighborhood that feels like a foreign country right in the middle of the city. Those looking to get a taste of Chinese culture typically head to Manhattan’s Chinatown, but the fastest growing Chinese communities in New York are actually located in the outer boroughs, in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park and Queens’ Flushing. Unlike Manhattan’s Chinatown, where you’re just as likely to stumble into a souvenir shop as you are a Chinese market, a trip to either of these neighborhoods feels like it should require a passport. Your Mandarin skills will serve you well here, but whether or not you have a Chinese dialect up your sleeve, your strategy should be the same: head straight to these neighborhoods’ eateries and markets to experience the best of New York’s other Chinatowns.

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Why take a language class? Cheeky answers via Twitter.

Brooklyn Exposed asked readers to share on Twitter why they would want to take a class in French, Spanish or 8 other languages at Fluent City. We love the answers we received! Congrats to contest winner @Pocohannah who responded, “I want to win @FluentCity Italian class fr @BrooklynExposed b/c I’ll convince my Italian CEO, in Italian, to give me a raise.” Check out some of our other cheeky responses to why take a language class at Fluent City. Thanks to everyone for participating!

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Things to Know If You Want to Move Abroad

by Michelle Kiefer

We all dream of the day when we can confidently use the language we’re learning in a foreign country. Some of us might be interested in practicing this language not only on vacation, but immersing ourselves completely in a different culture for an extended period of time. Whether you’re cramming vocabulary and grammar to fulfill your dream of living abroad or considering the expat life for the first time as a way to take your language skills to the next level, there are many things you’ll have to know before packing your bags. The logistics of moving to a new country are as varied and complex as the countries themselves, but here are a few things to start researching as you plan your new life abroad.

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The Art of Literary Translation

Fluent City is pumped for our panel on the art of literary translation going down at WORD (126 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11221) this Friday, March 29th at 7pm. The panel was originally cancelled due to a storm (silly New York weather) but it is finally happening and we want you to join! Fluent City sits down with moderator and award-winning author Jordan Schnee to get a preview of the discussion that will happen this Friday.

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The Tacit Approach to Learning Languages

by Alberto Horihuela

Learning a language is never quick and easy – it takes determination, motivation and even a bit of curiosity. It seems however, that those who immerse themselves into a new language via the culture and environment tend to learn it faster. Short of taking a long break and moving to another country to test this out, we might be able to replicate this experience with a different method. Indeed, the improved rate of learning attained by those who submerge themselves into a new culture comes largely from the use of both tacit and explicit knowledge creation.

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