About Us
At Z Language School we are passionate about language learning at every
level. The core of our philosophy is that students learn best in an
entertaining, dynamic and interactive environment. Our goal is language
mastery for every student. Here is how we achieve that:
No Translation Method
The most distinctive characteristic of our teaching method is that we do not translate. We believe that the traditional translation-based learning creates artificial links between languages that slows the learning process significantly.
Why No Translation?
It's faster. Imagine that you have just arrived at the airport in your first visit to a Spanish speaking country. You are excited to try out your newly acquired language skills and strike up a conversation with the taxi driver. Every time he speaks, you translate. He starts in Spanish you translate into English. You then form your answer in English and then translate it back to Spanish before answering his question. At Z Language School we will have you speaking more fluently, with greater confidence, in less time.
It's more accurate. Each language has been developed in a particular geography and culture, and is therefore more than a collection of words--language is a way of seeing the world around you. By translating you miss the chance to learn the forms or style of the language, you simply learn to substitute Spanish (or French) words for English. Students who learn this way have a difficult time understanding humor and the subtleties of the language they are learning.
It's more fun! We use a variety of methods that avoid direct translation to Spanish. We use basic drawing and depiction of the concepts we are learning. We will teach you how to record and organize your new material effectively during your first class.
The Card Box System
In order to record the information that we learn in class we use card boxes with corresponding size index cards, and dividers. These can be purchased in class for an additional $10, they can usually also be purchased at Corner Drug in Driggs. The use of index cards allows for a more flexible way of practicing and studying the material we review in class. Instead of having the vocabulary locked onto pages that cannot be moved around. The use of cards allows for numerous ways of practicing the vocabulary at home, or in group activities in class. It also allows you to identify the sections you need to work on and select them exclusively for practice.