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Why Colombia is the perfect place to learn Spanish
Colombia is often said to be a dozen countries in one, because its regions have such distinct identities. Modern Colombia was born with indigenous tribes, European conquerors and West African slaves, all of whom brought their own cultures to the mix. Tha
By 2050, Spanish will be the most spoken language after Mandarin.
In Colombia, Spanish in Colombia was born, a promotional strategy developed by the National Government to make Colombia the leading destination to learn Spanish in the world.
The teaching of the Spanish language in Colombia is led by the Caro y Cuervo Institute, an institution that, over its seventy years of history, has received multiple recognitions, such as the Prince of Asturias Award in 1999 for the Dictionary of Construction and Usage of the Castilian Language; the Bartolomé de Las Casas Award in 2001; and the Elio Antonio de Nebrija Award in 2002, among others.
The initiative also involved the efforts of the Inter-Institutional Coordination Board for ELE (Spanish as a Foreign Language), made up of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Education, and Culture, Proexport, Fiducoldex, Marca País Colombia, Icetex, APC, and the Caro y Cuervo Institute.
Learn the Best Spanish in the World in Colombia
To learn the most appreciated Spanish in the world, Colombia has internationally recognized and accredited universities, including five among the top 38 best-rated universities in the QS Latin American University Rankings 2013.
According to SICELE (International System for the Certification of Spanish as a Foreign Language), in Spanish-speaking America there are 77 institutions recognized for their tradition in ELE teaching with active and regular courses, 34 of them located in Spain. Of the remaining 43 located in Latin America, 20 are in Colombia — nearly 50%.
The quality of Spanish in Colombia is reflected in facts such as the country having more than 1,400 public libraries, over 800 museums, a Nobel Prize in Literature, and internationally recognized grammarians, writers, and authors such as Álvaro Mutis (Cervantes Prize and Neustadt International Prize for Literature winner), Fernando Vallejo and William Ospina (Rómulo Gallegos Prize winners in 2003 and 2009 respectively), and Laura Restrepo and Juan Gabriel Vásquez, winners of the Alfaguara Novel Prize, among many others.
Bogotá, the Perfect City to Learn Spanish
Bogotá became famous for the purity of the Spanish spoken in the capital, as locals have clear and distinctive pronunciation. For this reason, many linguists have declared this country, and specifically this city, the best place to learn “the best Spanish in the world.” More than 2,000 people travel each year to learn Spanish in Colombia and take courses at the country’s best universities. The most popular choice is Bogotá, as prestigious universities such as the National University, Los Andes University, La Sabana University, and Javeriana University offer excellent programs to learn the language effectively.
Learn Spanish and Enjoy the Colombian Caribbean
Many foreigners prefer to learn Spanish on Colombia’s coast, surrounded by palm trees and some of the best beaches in the world. Many head to Cartagena de Indias to study at the Technological University of Bolívar, the University of the North, or Simón Bolívar University—excellent options to learn the language while enjoying the rhythm of the waves.
Travel Across Colombia and Practice Your Spanish
Moreover, Colombia offers cultural, festive, and joyful settings to practice what has been learned—attending exhibitions, concerts, book presentations, conferences, congresses, and symposiums, or traveling throughout the country to the rhythm of the more than 700 festivals held nationwide, enjoying beautiful beaches bathed in sun and sea. In this way, and with the support of the communication strategies of Marca País Colombia, foreigners will be able to confirm and share with their friends what Colombians have always known: that to learn the best Spanish in the world, the answer is Colombia!
Foreigners seeking more information about learning Spanish in Colombia can visit www.spanishincolombia.gov.co and follow on social media via Twitter @SpanishinCO and Facebook SpanishinColombia.
Interesting facts about Spanish:
• By 2013, the Spanish language had become the second most important language in terms of the number of native speakers and its reach in international communication.
• Nearly 18 million speakers have learned or are currently learning Spanish as a second language or cultural language.
• Twenty-two countries in the world have Spanish as an official language, either constitutionally or de facto.
• Latin America concentrates 90% of native Spanish speakers, while the remaining 10% are increasingly concentrated in the United States rather than in Spain.
• If current trends continue, by 2030 there will be over 535 million Spanish speakers, representing 7.5% of the world’s population. By 2050, the United States will be the world’s largest Spanish-speaking country.
• By 2013, Spanish had risen to become the third most used language in online communication and information exchange, after Chinese (second) and English (first).
• Facebook.com reports that Spanish speakers make up its second largest linguistic group in the world, now surpassing 90 million users.
• In 2012 alone, 62,293 people—mostly Europeans and North Americans—requested DELE certification (Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language, a Spanish proficiency certification issued by the Cervantes Institute).
• It is estimated that more than 1,000,000 people began learning Spanish as a second language both in Spain and in the Americas. This upward trend has continued since 2009 and is expected to persist.
