im thinking about studying in spain this summer and then interning in barcelona in the fall. how much spanish do i need to intern in bacelona? i speak, but not fluent. any ideas? thanx
Go for it. I interned in Madrid and my spanish was far from perfect. You'll pick it up once you're there. Remember they speak Catalan in barcelona, but everyone still speaks spanish.
You should absolutely study in Barcelona! You don't need to be fluent in Spanish, but it helps if you know a little bit. As you talk to people while you are there you will pick up the language more quickly.
Here's a great site for internships in Spain: http://www.coined-spain.org/internships/
Go for it. I interned in Madrid and my spanish was far from perfect. You'll pick it up once you're there. Remember they speak Catalan in barcelona, but everyone still speaks spanish.
I think a month of Spanish Language lesson would be enough if you speak a little Spanish already. My cousin is now working in Barcelona in Spain, and prior to that the studied Spanish for a month.
There is an awesome Spanish Immersion summer trip, Its 22 days, there is a 3 to 1 Student to Instructor ratio and you only need 1 year of high school Spanish to participate!!
If you are planning on visiting Spain, go with www.studyabroadopportunities.com.
They are a young study abroad program in a mountain city of Alicante province.
They include all the services than any other program:arrivals, orientation, housing, academics (Spanish language courses), activities and excursions, onsite staff and much more.
Contact them, they are young and very enthusiastic and will help you immerse with local life and Spanish festivities, too
Hello Milagros, I've studied in Barcelona two years ago, it was so cool! I'm from Germany and my Spanish has been poor in the beginning and of course I was confused by the Catalan, which sounded more like French to me, haha. Well however, there is so much to see in Barcelona and there are many cool clubs like Catwalk, Sugar or La Cova (which is indeed a cave) if you like to party. You can find many tips about studying in Spain online, for example here, but it's also good to speak to people, who have been to that country before. Is there anyone at your university who has studied in Spain? Maybe you can ask your International Office to give you some contacts :)
I too was planning on studying in Madrid and was told that so many speak really good English, although I think its only polite to learn a little of the local language so you can fit in and show you've made an effort.
So what did you do eventually? Has your Spanish improved at all?
I went to Spain as a study abroad student a few years ago and found that the best way to improve my Spanish was by staying with a host family. I was not fluent either, and I learnt so much and so well that way. Here's where I found my host family, on a site called SpainExchange. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
My advice would be to just do it. Bring your pocket Spanish dictionary, Iphone translator, and with the knowledge you already have you will be fine. One more thing you might want to consider is travel insurance for an unforeseen occurrences.
