Source: Pixabay
Hello everyone :-)
We are now 5,000+ Spanish learners. How cool is that? With this announcement, we wish to provide an overview of what the Spanish community is all about to our new members. ¡Vamos allá! :-)
OLS Spanish is not (only) a package of courses...
...nor is it (just) a language assessment. It is a community where, besides finding formal teaching materials, you can read blog posts about the Spanish-speaking world, participate in thematic forums, and (hopefully soon) take part in online workshops and exciting contests.
How to get started?
First things first: you need to complete the language assessment to determine what your level in Spanish is. Once done, the platform will recommend the course (A1, A2, B1, B2) that is best suited to your needs. You can explore additional didactic materials by using the "Curriculum" tab, which is located right under the language assessment.
*Certificate available: we have good news! You can now get a certificate of the Spanish language assessment, which can be downloaded as PDF after the test. You can also retrieve your results/certificate whenever you want via your Dashboard, in the "My achievements" section.
Engage in the forums
This community has three main forums, where, among other things, you can ask questions, connect with your peers, practise your language skills and share your experiences abroad. These are:
The “Ask the Community” forum;
The “Practice your Spanish” forum; and
The “Living abroad” forum.
While the community manager (myself, until further notice) is here to stimulate discussion and facilitate participation, feel free to create your own threads and discuss whichever subject interests you. But first, why don't you start by telling us where you are heading to in 2023 with your mobility programme and why you decided to study Spanish?
Read our blog posts
We publish articles pertaining to Spanish-speaking countries and language learning in general on a regular basis. Some are in English, others in Spanish. We aim to create useful and interesting content for everyone, regardless of their language level. So far, we have released 8 blog posts, which are available in the “Resources'' section, below the forums. We advise you to open them in a new tab or window, otherwise you will get an HTML document in which neither the images nor any other multimedia feature will be displayed. We are currently working to resolve this technical glitch. Apologies for now. You can also find them in this discussion topic.
Our last article is an interview with a young YouTuber from Equatorial Guinea, the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa. We hope you enjoy it. If you have any ideas for potential topics, please let us know here. We are all ears :-)
Have fun and BE RESPECTFUL
In this community, everyone is welcomed. Our only request is that, whatever is said, it is done with respect. If you respond to an opinion that is not compatible with your own, do so with consideration. If you find an error in one of the articles, please point it out gently. If the platform experiences any problems, let us know politely. A small ray of positivity and kindness goes a long way! And we definitely want a welcoming and joyful space. More information on the house rules can be found here.
On that note, we wish you an inspiring and fulfilling journey with us, here, at OLS Spanish :-)
Always at your disposal,
Bernat, OLS Community Manager – Spanish