Language Academy   

Class Overview

Are you an au pair, or recent immigrant, wanting to improve your US English skills? Focus on building your language skills while getting to know other English language learners and building a sense of community in the Seattle region.

This class is taught by a trained English as a second language (ESL) instructor who will help you improve your speaking, listening, vocabulary, and grammar skills. Through group conversations, student-centered grammar practice, informal presentations, field trips, and lots of vocabulary and listening activities, you'll gain more fluency and confidence. Mistakes are encouraged!

Learn American slang and cultural traditions, as well as Seattle customs and lifestyle. Topics include Seattle neighborhoods, American culture, cheap travel, and events around the Seattle area. Enjoy educational, social, and cultural experiences with other au pairs who are living and working in the Seattle area. 

Learning Objectives

• Feel more confident in using and understanding U.S. English
• Practice conversation skills for both work and social situations in the U.S.
• Improve listening and comprehension skills.
• Learn grammar structures that improve communication with others in speaking and writing
• Use English to share ideas and collaborate with classmates

Who Might Enjoy This Class

Prerequisite: Intermediate English or above; you should be able to participate in group conversations about everyday topics.

• Au pairs, recent immigrants, or anyone interested in improving their U.S. English language skills

Class Overview

Continue learning German in this interactive class. Begin to master simple conversations and improve your vocabulary. Improve your ability to read, write and understand basic phrases and expressions in German. Practice speaking, listening and improving your comprehension as you build everyday vocabulary and expressions. Enjoy the company of other students with a similar level of German.You will also have the opportunity to learn more about traditional and modern German culture. Completion of basic German (1 quarter) or preexisting knowledge of German vocabulary and simple grammar is required. 

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Continue developing essential speaking and listening skills for simple conversations
• Understand basic grammar
• Use everyday vocabulary and expressions
• Have an increased understanding of traditional and modern German culture

Recommended Textbook

Deutsch: Na klar! 7th Edition. ISBN-13: 978-0073386355

Who Might Enjoy This Class?

Prerequisites: 1 quarter (20 hours) of German study or equivalent

• Travelers, business people, family and friends of German speakers, or anyone who is interested in German culture
• Anyone who would like to know how to greet and have small conversations with native German speakers

Class Overview

Continue learning German in this interactive class! Begin to master simple conversations and gain more useful vocabulary for daily life. This class will help you improve your ability to read, write and understand basic phrases and expressions in German. Practice speaking, listening and improving your comprehension as you build everyday vocabulary and expressions. Enjoy the company of other students with a similar level of German. You will also have the opportunity to learn more about traditional and modern German culture. Completion of basic German (2 quarters) or preexisting knowledge of German vocabulary and simple grammar is required. 

Recommended Textbook

Deutsch: Na klar! 7th Edition. ISBN-13: 978-0073386355 

Learning Objectives

• Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: 
• Use essential speaking and listening skills for simple conversations
• Understand basic grammar
• Use everyday vocabulary and expressions
• Have an increased understanding of traditional and modern German culture

Who Might Enjoy This Class? 

Prerequisites: 2 quarters (40 hours) of German study or equivalent

• German language students interested in continuing their language learning
• Travelers, business people, family and friends of German speakers, or anyone who is interested in German language and culture
• Anyone who would like to know how to greet and have small conversations with native German speakers

Class Overview

Continue learning Italian and build on the skills you learned in Italian Immersion - Level 1 in a low-pressure and supportive atmosphere. This class is conducted 90% in Italian, with time reserved for questions in English.  

In this class, review the basics from Level 1, including grammar, syntax, pronunciation, phrases, and numbers. Expand your listening and speaking skills. Continue to build your vocabulary. Learn more time expressions and prepositions, along with -IRE verbs, the present perfect tense, and more irregular verbs.

Enjoy more complex conversations with your classmates, and build your confidence speaking and listening in Italian.

Italian students usually have the opportunity to attend an Italian opera by Seattle Opera as a class at some point during the year, depending on the Opera's production calendar. Students enjoy discounted tickets with seats near the front, and a lively hosted Seattle Opera "mixer" before the opera begins.

Learning Objectives

• Build upon your existing Italian language, grammar and syntax skills
• Improve your vocabulary and learn important idiomatic expressions
• Gain confidence in listening to and conversing in simple everyday Italian
• Understand the present tense of -IRE verbs and the present perfect tense, and more irregular verbs
• Gain an additional 300-500 vocabulary items.
• Develop more confidence in being able to function independently in an all-Italian context

Recommended Textbook

Essential Italian Grammar, ISBN: 9780486207797

Who Might Enjoy This Class?

Prerequisite: Italian language students who have completed Italian - Level 1, Italian Immersion - Level 1, other beginning Italian classes, or equivalent experience.

• Anyone interested in learning Italian beyond the first level
• Students who enjoy a more immersive learning environment
• People with ancestral roots in Italy who would like to better understand the language and culture of their relatives
• Anyone planning on traveling to Italy in the future who would like to have some language skills for their visit

Class Overview

Improve your communication abilities in Italian while enhancing your understanding of Italy and Italian culture. Continue to improve your listening and speaking skills through conversation, reading, media, and practice. Review and expand the use of grammar, verbs, and vocabulary. 

In this early intermediate class, we will review the use of indicative mood (passato prossimo, imperfetto, futuro), and the present and past progressive moods. Expand on your ability to use direct and indirect pronouns. Learn the present and past conditional moods, along with relative pronouns. 

Become more comfortable conversing in Italian about current and past events, and gain more insight into Italian culture. 

Italian students usually have the opportunity to attend an Italian opera by Seattle Opera as a class at some point during the year, depending on the Opera's production calendar. Students enjoy discounted tickets with seats near the front, and a lively hosted Seattle Opera "mixer" before the opera begins.

Learning Objectives

• Build knowledge of Italian grammar (indicative and conditional moods)
• Strengthen listening and speaking skills 
• Become more comfortable conversing in Italian about current and past events
• Gain more understanding of Italian culture

Recommended Textbook

TBD. The instructor will choose a textbook that costs approximately $10.

Who Might Enjoy This Class?

Prerequisite: students who have completed Italian Immersion - Level 3, Italian - Level 3, or comparable education (present and past tense at an elementary level).

• Italian langauge students interested in advancing their conversation, grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension skills and knoweldge
• Students interested in improving their language skills in a more immersive classroom experience and more familiar with Italian culture

Class Overview

Italian language students, continue learning Italian in this early intermediate class. Review previous grammar structures and gain an introduction to some of the uses of subjunctive. 

Enjoy casual conversation and learning cultural notes about Italy. Continue to improve listening and speaking skills, grammar, and vocabulary through conversation, reading, media, and practice.

Learning Objectives

• Review and expand on relative pronouns
• Review direct and indirect pronoun, and learn how to use combined pronouns
• Review and expand on the use of indicative and conditional moods
• Learn present and past of subjunctive
• Learn the present and past infinitive

Recommended Textbook

None. 

Who Might Enjoy This Class?

Prerequisite: students who have completed Italian Immersion - Level 4, Italian - Level 4, or comparable education (indicative and conditional moods at an elementary level).

• Italian language students who wish to improve their speaking, comprehension, and cultural understanding
• Students who enjoy a more immersive language learning experience

Class Overview

¡Hablamos español! Continue to develop your Spanish language skills and improve your speaking, reading and listening.

Focus on speaking in a culturally relevant context with other students who are also learning Spanish at a similar level. Build vocabulary that reflects a wide variety of useful and practical situations such as describing people, making and receiving phone calls, planning weekend activities, and ordering meals. Practice speaking and writing sentences using the present tenses and the future with the verb "ir".

Have fun advancing your Spanish language skills! 

Learning Objectives

• use new vocabulary
• say common expressions and phrases on familiar topics
• express more detailed information on familiar topics
• listening and read with better comprehension
• use more grammar correctly

Recommended Textbook

Como se Dice…?, 10th Edition. ISBN-13: 978-1111828585.

Who Might Enjoy This Class?

Prerequisite: One quarter (20 hours) of Spanish study or equivalent.

• This course is for people who wish to improve their basic Spanish skills who have studied Spanish for one quarter or the equivalent.

Class Overview

This is the essential course for anyone interested in becoming a professional translator or interpreter, and for people who work with them. In this beginning class, you will learn the basics of the translation of interpretation field.

Explore topics such as the roles of translators and interpreters, the process of translation and interpretation, different types of translation and interpretation services, important terms and concepts, and more. Explore the differences between machine translation, machine assisted translation, and computer aided translation tools. Become familiar with the field and prepare yourself for further study in translation and interpretation. 

This class is a great place to start to explore or begin an exciting career! It is part of our Tranlsation and Interpretation Certificate Program.

This class can also be a great way to learn about the field from a related role, if you work with translators and interpreters. 

Learning Objectives

• Define the difference between translation and interpretation
• Describe general knowledge, skills and abilities of translators and interpreters
• Know different types of translation and interpreting services
• Understand the important roles of professional translators and interpreters
• Be familiar with local and national professional membership organizations
• Understand the process of translation and interpretation
• Know the concepts of consecutive interpretation, simultaneous interpretation, and sight translation
• Analyze tone and register, and linguistic difficulties in written texts and spoken languages
   

Who Might Enjoy This Class?

Prerequisites: Basic computer skills and the ability to comprehend English and another spoken language at an educated near-native level. 

• People who are bilingual or multilingual who would like to pursue a career as a professional translator or interpreter
• Anyone who understands another language at a very advanced level (near-native to educated native level)
• People who work with professional translators and interpreters
• No previous translation and/or interpretation experience required

Free Info Session

Bring your questions and find out more about our Translation & Interpretation Certificate program in the Translation & Interpretation Info Session.