To better learn to communicate with people from different countries who speak different languages, a growing number of Americans are taking foreign language classes. 

The benefits are many.  It broadens your life experience, gives you a competitive edge in the job market, teaches you about other cultures, helps you build learning skills, and it helps you when you travel to foreign countries.

To get started you might try a CD-based language program such as Rosetta Stone or Berlitz.  However, if you want to take your interest to the next level and engage in speaking a foreign language with other people, there are a number of local places where you can go - high school and colleges as well as private businesses and organizations - that offer language classes.

Below is a list of some privately owned businesses that offer foreign language classes.

La Unica
La Unica provides Spanish instruction for people of all ages for $93 per month.  The classes offered include: introductory, intermediate, advanced, group conversation, advanced grammar and conversation, and communicating with Spanish speaking parents and their children.  A class is also offered for Spanish educators for $285.

601 Tacoma Ave., Tacoma (253) 627-5495, LaUnicaCat@thewiredcity.net

Tacoma Spanish Academy
The Tacoma Spanish Academy is designed for children or students who want to become bilingual. The academy equips parents and teachers to teach their children how to learn Spanish.  The program is offered in local schools including: Birney Elementary, DeLong Elementary, Fawcett Elementary, Larchmont Elementary, and Point Defiance Elementary. In addition, the academy offers Spanish classes in local preschools and other community locations.  For more information go to www.tacomaspanishacademy.com

Lengua Rica
Lengua Rica provides Spanish instruction, translation and interpretation services. This program offers three levels of classes: introductory (greetings, farewell, food, articles, verbs, irregular verbs, shopping terms and phrases, numbers, time, days of the week, adverbs, body parts, adjectives); intermediate (ask for and give directions, prepositions, present and past tense, shopping, food, likes and dislikes, direct and indirect object pronouns), and  advanced classes (a combination of both of the others) for adults and teens.

303 10th Ave. S.E., Olympia, www.lenguarica.org

Tacoma German Language School
Tacoma German Language School is an organization that provides high quality language and cultural programs for children.  The program introduces German as a second language to American children and adults as well as helps children of Austrian, German and Swiss backgrounds improve their knowledge of the language and culture.  The classes cost $175 for the first child, $165 for second child, and $150 for children of families with three or more students attending the classes.

8211 112 St. S.W., Lakewood, 383-3210 or (360) 438-6528, tgls.tacoma@comcast.net

Other Web sites to check out:
www.Rosettastone.com
www.berlitz.com
www.bbc.co.uk/languages/italian
www.mylanguageexchange.com
www.cactuslanguage.com/en/home/en-us.php
http://anne_fox.homestead.com/learningfrench.html