As all business becomes more global, and global issues more pressing, there are more reasons to become multilingual. And the options for learning a language other than English in Northern Colorado are expanding.

For those who have a basic grasp of a language, a number of free groups allow speakers to meet to practice speaking together. The Web site www.meetup.com lists a number of groups meeting locally in languages from Spanish to Japanese to American Sign Language.

For families wanting to pick up some culture and language skills together, the Language Exchange of Northern Colorado in Fort Collins specializes in private classes. With students ranging from six months to adult, owner Dannielle North-Decunto said her service is something she hasn't seen anywhere else in the country.

"They use their quality family time as a way of doing something cultural together," North-Decunto said. "We see these people wanting to travel with their family to these countries."

Most clients tend to focus on Spanish, but North-Decunto said demand for classes in Mandarin and Arabic is on the rise, particularly among business people.

Her teaching philosophy focuses on customizing lessons to the desires of students.

"These are working individuals, so they don't have a lot of time to (learn a language)," North-Decunto said. "They don't want the stress of an exam or grades. I expect that when people come here that hour in class is the only time that week they are going to practice."

During that hour, which ranges in price from $20 to $60, depending on whether it's a group or private lesson, all about fundamentals.

"We use every kind of medium and try to stay away from scripted dialogue," she said. "What happens is, if people only learn that way, the first time somebody says something in another language they are completely lost. We teach a foundational understanding of the language so they can develop any sentence they want." To that end, the firm offers an 8-week adult conversation course for $160.

Another feature of the Language Exchange is that the teachers are native speakers. North-Decunto hopes this adds a level of cultural learning to classes.

"All of our instructors are native speakers or people that have lived there long-term," North-Decunto said. "Someone who has been textbook-taught for 10 years is going to have a different interpretation than someone who this is their culture. If someone learns from me and hears that this is why we do this and my mom is from Latin America, they have a better understanding of the culture."



Learning through video

Taking the idea of native teachers to another level, Chicago-based InterLangua connects U.S. students with trained tutors living in Guatemala and China via fiber-optic video conferencing.

"Learning a second language in the States has been very much about reading and writing and listening because so much of what you buy are just audio tapes," said Susan Mravca, co-founder of InterLangua.

However, co-founder Peter Spevacek was hearing another story from scholars.

"When I read what the linguists and the technologists were saying it was completely at odds with what language companies were selling to us," Spevacek said. "What linguists were saying is you need to say it for yourself to learn it for yourself, and you need to say it in a live conversation."

InterLangua brings the conversation to the client. Each client is matched with a tutor, then they can communicate live via the company's Web site. The tutor's image appears in a video monitor on the site, and, once the client sets up a Web camera and microphone on his or her computer, the tutor can see and hear the client as well.

"Everyone thinks it's some prerecorded video thing, that they talk in and it's a cartoon, " Mravca said. "That's the challenge we have - getting people to realize that this is a real live person."

Spevacek has gone to great lengths technologically to make sure the audio and video components are in line. Tutors use chat boxes to correct words, and there is an option to share photos and Web sites as well.

Like the Language Exchange, InterLangua is all about customizing to the client's goals.

"The entire first lesson is pretty much an interview," Mravca said. "They're testing what tenses you know, what your vocabulary is, if you want to study using Web sites and books. Then, they set a lesson plan."

Aside from the open communication between tutor and student, one of the advantages Mravca sees in InterLangua is the flexibility of time and location for lessons.

"What we're finding with executives is the most important thing they love about this is the convenience," she said. "At lunch you can turn on your computer and have a lesson. In 10 minutes you can be in a meeting in the conference room."

For those learning Spanish, sessions are available five and a half days a week; Mandarin can be practiced six days a week.

Classes can be scheduled at set times a package of 10 lessons starts at $220., or adjusted to the client's convenience. Either way, InterLangua tries to keep the same tutor for each client, or at the least make notes of past sessions available to new tutors.

"These are full-time teachers that we're making full-time employees, which is pretty much unheard of in Guatemala," Mravca added.



Language in business

In response to increased interest in language learning from companies, both Language Exchange and InterLangua are incorporating cultural material relevant to the business world.

"Many of our business executives have the tutors work with them on speeches," Mravca said. "Nextel is having all of their employees learn Spanish because it builds excellent relationships."

Spevacek agreed.

"It does an enormous amount of good to not only know how to speak with employees, but to show you're wiling to work with them," he said. "There's a level of respect that you're trying to learn their language."

North-Decunto also sees the benefits of learning another language.

"It's nice to have kids in this world that don't think that what we do is the norm and everything else is different," she said. "For adults, it's very important to realize you don't have to like everybody, but if you can appreciate them it makes it a lot easier to sit down at the same table."