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At Englishtown, talk is cheap

Actually, it's free. An English-language immersion program in Spain provides transportation, room and board for English speakers willing to chat with Spaniards all day.

By DORI SALTZMAN
Published January 1, 2006

By the end of my second day at Englishtown, I knew that Rafa was a fan of the band AC/DC, that Juan loved rock-climbing and his cat, that Olga had been to every continent and that Barbara worked for the Spanish National Securities Agency.

By the end of this week in Spain - and numerous one-on-one, 50-minute conversations - I knew much more about the 21 Spanish participants in the Englishtown program.

And most important, in my week in this special language-instruction environment, I learned more about Spanish people, culture and lifestyle than if I'd spent a month traveling through their country. That's because when traveling, the opportunities to spend time and have real conversations with the locals are limited.

But at Englishtown, that's all you do - have long, face-to-face conversations with the people.

And, the experience is free. In return for showing up and conversing with the Spanish participants, my room, board and transportation from Madrid and back were provided for me.

Englishtown is a program, not a place. It was begun by Richard Vaughan, an American, in 2001. Vaughan owns the English-language training firm Vaughan Systems, which teaches Spaniards to speak and, more importantly, to understand English.

Vaughan believes Spanish people have a hard time understanding English in the real world because its use there is quite different from the version taught in classrooms.

He created Englishtown, a low-key atmosphere in which the Spanish participants pay to be take part in conversational English.

A typical Englishtown week involves 20 English-speaking volunteers and 20 Spaniards from all over Spain and the Canary Islands.

The program is intense; English conversation begins at 9 a.m. with breakfast and ends with after-dinner drinks. In between for each participant are at least five one-on-one conversation sessions, plus one or more group activities.

The volunteer Anglos come from all over the English-speaking world. Most have no knowledge of Spanish. In fact, the Englishtown Web site discourages English speakers who are fluent in Spanish from applying.

That's because Vaughan's instructors want the program to be a Spanish-free week. Anglos who can speak Spanish promise not to do so during their stay. All Spaniards must pass a test proving they have basic English conversational skills, in order to participate in the program.

During my stay in September, there was only one Spaniard who had a low level of English, but with patience on both our parts and simple conversation topics, we did just fine during our one-on-ones.

These topics are entirely up to the Anglo. Some volunteers carry with them a list of conversation topics, while others let the conversations develop naturally.

The only rule Englishtown has about the conversations is that the Anglo is do more than half of the talking, so that the Spaniards can work on their comprehension skills.

In return for the teachers' time and effort, their room and board are provided free. In addition, their transportation from Madrid to the program's locations and back is also provided. Transportation to and from Spain, however, is the responsibility of the volunteer.

Anglos can choose from two locations:

The Valdelavilla program is located in a medieval village in Soria, about 120 miles northeast of Madrid. The venue consists of several stone houses with rustic but comfortable interiors. Programs at Valdelavilla are offered April through October.

The La Alberca program is located in Salamanca, which is about 215 miles west of Madrid in a mountainous region. It is the newer of the venues and offers a modern, four-star accommodation. Programs at La Alberca are offered 11 months a year; there are no programs in December.

There are also a handful of programs for teenagers during July and August. English- speaking teens are invited to spend time with Spanish teenagers in a chaperoned environment.

- Dori Saltzman is an American freelance writer based in Romania; she hopes to return to the Englishtown program.

To apply for the program or for more information, visit the Englishtown Web site, www.vaughanvillage.com The application questions are easy; the company only asks that you be outgoing and like to talk - a lot.

[Last modified December 30, 2005, 09:10:05]