Tag Archives: Languages

TALENT PICTURES “Alberto Profesor” Innovative Online Spanish Teaching

06 Sunday May 2012

Posted by in Business, Talent Pictures

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Today, in our Talent pictures Section, we will interview Alberto, Founder and Owner of “Alberto Profesor” an Online Spanish teaching project, based in Barcelona, but aimed to global students. With an experience based on over 3.000 hours of Spanish classes, Alberto Vara is a certified teacher of Spanish as foreign language, but also a passionate guy, that loves people, teaching and opening students the gates of Spanish culture and language.  He is continuously developing material for high quality Online Spanish learning and he works to the production of some Podcast series.

Let´s him explain his business idea with his own words.

What is your business about?

“Alberto Profesor” is a project that tries to connect a professional Spanish Teacher with individuals and companies interested in Spanish training. This means that money doesn´t get wasted in language schools or intermediaries, and that students can get 100% attention from their teacher. The lessons are held online, using Skype software, so time wasting is also dramatically reduced. Busy people, who haven´t time to go to normal classroom lessons, can learn Spanish from their homes or offices. As a result, students get great private Spanish teaching at lower cost and less time wasting than in a traditional language school. A perfect deal!  Alberto Profesor also offers a free Spanish blog, and some Spanish podcast that can help beginners to have their first steps in Spanish.

How did you get the idea of your business?

I was teaching Spanish for more than 4 years for different companies, until realizing that language teaching had to be done in a different way. During my experience as Spanish teacher, I met a lot of businessmen who complained about not having enough time to learn Spanish properly. They wished they could have lessons in their lunch time, or at home after they came back from work. Now, I work as a self-employed teacher, mainly using Skype and Internet resources. My teaching method allows people with little time to improve a lot their Spanish in a really fast way. Students don´t lose time, just learn. I´m also developing a great number of learning resources, such as different Spanish learning podcast and radio programs

What makes your business so special?

My lessons are interesting and engaging, and are focused on communication from the first second. I avoid too many grammatical terms or boring drillings. My lessons try to make a difference, and not doing what the student can do by himself The good thing is that it doesn´t matter if my student has to move to Madrid, London or Singapore, he can keep his Spanish studies using Skype.

What do you think your mission is?

My mission is to help people and companies to learn Spanish, and help them with any language related solution they may need. I like to have happy students, who don´t waste their time and money. Learning Spanish is easy if you put the effort and get the right teaching and method applied to you.

How did you start your business up?

After one of my lessons in the Spanish school a student approached me and told me that he had to come back to Poland, but he would like to keep having me as his teacher. I suggested Skype lessons… and it worked! He was the CEO of a big Polish company and asked me if I could train some of his workers, so that´s how I started developing my company and my Skype teaching system.

What were the main difficulties and best moments as a would-be entrepreneur?

The main difficulties are related with all the legal Spanish system, which I think is too complicated for entrepreneurs: too many papers to sign and it takes too long to start anything. Then, the best moment comes when you see how a guy who wasn´t able to speak a word in Spanish is suddenly having a 100% Spanish conversation with you.

Why did you choose Barcelona to develop your business idea?

Barcelona is a city with a lot of expats and foreign people who come here to start a new career. These people need to learn Spanish, and they want it to be fast and convenient. So I thought it could be a good idea to start here, and combine my Skype lessons with face to face lessons, to gain the trust of my students in the short distances.

Do you think that Barcelona is a good city to develop entrepreneurship?

Yes, I think so. Barcelona is such an international city, where anything you may want to sell will find someone willing to buy it. Furthermore, it is a really pleasant city to live, so it attracts all kind of people.

Would you recommend any mentorship program/resources for entrepreneurs in Barcelona to start a business up?

I found really useful to ask around the 22@ district, where the city government has its offices to help entrepreneurs .I would recommend anyone willing to start a business to go there and ask for help and information.

Want to know more about “Alberto Profesor”? Have a look at these links:

Main page: http://albertoprofesor.com

Blog:  http://albertoprofesor.com/blog

Podcast : http://albertoprofesor.com/free-spanish-podcasts

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/onlineSpanishTeacher

TALENT PICTURES: “Lost In Translation”? Ask Ontranslation!

22 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in Business, Networking, Talent Pictures

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Today, in our Talent Picture Section, Oscar Nogueres CEO of Ontranslation, will explain us his vision about Translation and Interpretation Project Management.

Ontranslation is a hub of multilingual and multidisciplinary professionals that network to respond quickly and effectively to communication needs. They manage and execute multilingual translation and interpretation projects, to facilitate communication among people, with special attention to both linguistic and cultural aspects.

Barnatalent: What is your background?

I would use just two words: teaching and translation. Both almost happened at the same time. Teaching took me to talent and people management plus translation to translation management. However, if there is something that links both worlds together, is my passion for communication and team-building.

I studied English philology, because I was rejected from Translation and Interpretation due to my unacademic English, then a postgraduate in Translation and IT – I reckon that my English sounded more university-like type of English, then e-learning, human resources management and nowadays I’m trying to finish my psychology degree from the Open University in my “free” time.

Careerwise, I first started working as a teacher in academies and businesses, then I was offered collaboration with a museum to translate art catalogues which I obviously accepted and have been doing for more than 8 years, then I turned into teacher coordination, kept on translating as a second job, director of studies, more translation job in my free time, general manager of a training and language centre… Nowadays I combine my training and development consultant job with managing Ontranslation, a multilingual communication agency.

Barnatalent: What are you passionate about?

I love communication between different cultures, people coordination, training, translation… I also like literature and cinema, and really enjoy contemporary art. (I would tell you a secret: I sometimes spend my Saturday afternoons doing collage that I give to my friends for Xmas or for their bdays).

Barnatalent: What is Ontranslation?

Ontranslation or Ontrans, as we sometimes call it in the office, is a multilingual communication agency that facilitates communication among people. We manage and execute translation and interpretation projects with special attention to both linguistic and cultural differences. We specialize in marketing and communication, urbanism, innovation and biomedicine. We offer help with internationalization processes of companies that try to make business worldwide.

To illustrate what we do, we have a video mkt campaign called “No es lo Mismo” (It’s not the same) that tries to explain our services in a funny peculiar way. They triggered different reactions, especially one… It’s four 22-second videos about our most relevant services. The campaign ends with a fifth one-minute video entitled “No somos lo mismo” (We are not the same) that talks about us. Have a look and tell me what you think!

Barnatalent:How did you start your business up?

Ontranslation is a spin-off. It comes from a department of translation and interpretation of a training company I was managing a couple of years ago. We had quite an important portfolio of clients that had been trusting our team for four years. When I decided to leave the company, the owners didn’t want to keep on with the translation business so I decided to set it up independently… New brand, new ideas, and make it grow. However, most of the translators and collaborators that were working then, are still working with us nowadays.

Barnatalent: What is the profile of your customers?

We have a variety of clients. Most of them are marketing and communication agencies, web design studios, some big governmental institutions, but also small and medium companies and also individuals who look for sworn translations.

Barnatalent: What is your favourite motivation motto?

It’s quite difficult to choose one… I think it depends on the day… Maybe one of them could be Jeffrey Gitomer’s “Create a story of WOW that will be retold.” 

Barnatalent: What are the opportunities for start-ups n Barcelona?

To tell you the truth, I have not yet gone to any of the governmental or state programmes for start-ups. I’m planning to, though. I have to find the time to sit down, study the possibilities and go for it. I think your blog is a good starting point to see what Barcelona has to offer in this sense. Lately, there are lots of networking events that we try not to miss, and many other free socializing venues that can make it easier for entrepreneurs and start-up companies to meet and exchange ideas on their businesses.

Barnatalent: How do you see the development of your business?

We are growing slowly but steady. Rapid and uncontrolled growing can be fatal. I don’t like doing things in a rush. We are now planning to expand to UK markets. Let’s see how it goes!

Ontranslation

Balmes 167, 3-2

08008 Barcelona – Spain

http://www.ontranslation.es 

http://www.linkedin.com/company/ontranslation

http://vimeo.com/ontranslation

http://www.youtube.com/user/MrOntranslation  

https://twitter.com/#!/on_translation

https://www.facebook.com/ontranslation  

Expand Your Network In Barcelona

10 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in Events, Networking

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Networking events have been booming since 2007 in Barcelona. Expand its network has become not just trendy, but a priority for many and everyone’s need. Whatever our interest is, changing our professional situation, find customers, investors or simply meet new friends in a new city or people with our same passions, it is important to learn about the existing events in Barcelona and to better choose.

Here are some resources to expand your network in Barcelona:

Aprenem: Improve Your Language Skills by Learning about Different Cultures

09 Thursday Feb 2012

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The world is a mosaic of visions and each vision is encapsulated by a language… Every time a language is lost, one vision of the world disappears.“ Davis Crystall 

When we learn a new language, you learn more than words, the language has grown and nurtured with the collective experience of people throughout its history.

Aprenem is a group of people whose goal is to encourage the social use of Catalan while learning other languages. They facilitate language learning process organizing reading and conversation workshops in Barcelona capital city and surrounding areas.

The innovative methodology of Aprenem is based on a natural process of language exchange: you will learn languages on the basis of group reading exercises by reading and speaking, teaching your language and learning another one, without any grammar or test.

So Catalans teach Catalan and learn English, English teach English and learn Spanish, Italians teach Italian and learn Portuguese, etc.  Every week the participants are given a reading schedule and guide and prepare the texts prior to each session to work it in small groups during the workshops.  Each group includes a volunteer who leads the workshop, resolves doubts, coach the group and focus on reading fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, and conversation on various topics.

Aprenem methodology has been included the database of the International Center for Best Practices Linguamón-House of Languages. To learn more, click here

Workshops are open to all, free, adapted to different levels and are organized in public spaces such as schools, libraries, community centres, etc. Here is the list of all workshops in different cities at different hours. There must be one in your town or neighborhood.

Also, learning and teaching in the workshops enforce the cohesion and social and integration between new comers and old citizens. By giving and receiving, people learn languages ​​and cultures together and discover that they have many things in common. Aprenem is more than just practising languages: people get to know each other and they organize social activities, such as World Bread making workshops. 

Personal Coach Sophia Blasco Castell is founder and coordinator of Aprenem project since 2005.  She is interested in languages and PNL and she studied medicine and food nutrition. As a coach, since 2004 she has carried on a series of activities in collaboration with local town councils and public administration and with private sessions to help people improve their emotional wellbeing.  She is author of  a free e-book about the impact of stress and how to prevent it  in Catalan only) “L’estrés a ratlla” and  She  contributes  to “Jornal.cat“  and  to “Des de la Mediterrània”. To learn more about her actvities, here is her blog.

Finding A Temporary Job In Barcelona

15 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in Business

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If you just landed to Barcelona you might be interested in finding a temporary job. This will help you  not only to make money to pay your bills, but also to improve your Spanish, get used to rules of local Job Market, improve your résumé, gain experience and make contacts.

People from all over the world are constantly coming in and out of Barcelona. It can also make it a very transitory place to live – students come here for one year to study, travelers come here to settle for a few time before moving, etc. However, all of this can make finding a part-time or temporary job quite difficult in such a small place.

Having said that, it is possible to find work in Barcelona, even with the current credit crunch affecting jobs here too. Unemployment is high, but that does not mean that there aren’t jobs out there, it just means that you have to look a little harder and probably for a lot longer than before.

Being a foreigner is either an advantage or disadvantage depending on the sector you seek to enter. If you’ve just arrived, you’re looking for work but you only have a minimal understanding of Spanish, the job opportunities available range from bar and restaurant work, retail, multilingual customer service/ IT Help Desk / sales in English and/or another European language, “aupair” work, language teaching, and some receptionist jobs.

Here are some website to find a job as au pair in a family in Barcelona:

If teaching English is what you’re looking for, there are several ways to find these jobs.

  1. Several agencies are set up to be the intermediary between English teachers and perspective students. As a teacher, applying through one of these agencies is a less painstaking way to find students. Agencies may also require you have some sort of qualifications such as an education degree or at least one year’s teaching experience.. One agency is the British Council. Check out also the Wall Street Institute School of English.
  2. You can apply to English schools in Barcelona. As the turnover of English teachers is important, you should have good chances to be considered for a position. Here is the list of private schools offering English courses in Barcelona.  You can also find them searching on Google with key words “academia ingles Barcelona”.
  3. Another possibility is to teach English privately to children or adults at home. This is the preferred methods of university students looking for a little extra cash in their pockets. Typically finding this type of job is done through word of mouth or advertisements posted in university billboards or on signs on the street. The best method is usually through word of mouth.  Depending on the age of the child, most parents may prefer girls to teach because younger children may require certain babysitting duties, like picking the child up from school. Parents will usually be quite explicit about what they’re looking for.
  4. Many job offers are advertised through Internet. Here are some Websites that publish vacancies related to education sector:

Here are some useful resources to find a job as English teacher:

For more information about part-time and short-term jobs, you can have a look to the article of Barcelona Connect How To Find a Part-Time or Short-Term Job in Barcelona and to other articles on our blog:

TALENT PICTURES: Fernanda Pavan Founder of Tardear Explains Us How We Can Live From Our Passion

05 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by in Business, Networking, Talent Pictures

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So many times I have heard “These are such so tough times to run a business, you are going to fail….”  or “ If I were you I would rather give up with your business idea,  there  are no more opportunities  for new entrepreneurs”,  and many other comments that are all except an encouragement to entrepreneurship.     But do you really believe that today it is still possible to start a business up in Barcelona?

Today, In Talent Pictures section, we will talk about Tardear  and its founder, Fernanda Pavan.   She was motivated by her passion about event planning, meeting new people and networking and last year she made up her mind to start a business up based on her passions.  She is a self-learner that reoriented her career (she was specialized in International trade) after she followed training programmes for entrepreneurs in Barcelona Activa and she relied on the collaboration of Tania Tirado and Laia Hernandéz Almirón for the web design.

 
Barnatalent:  Fernanda, could you please tell us more about “Tardear”?

Fernanda Pavan: The web page Tardear http://www.tardear.com  was created in September 2011 to show the activities that you can do in Barcelona in the evening during the week. In a big city it is a normally to feel lost with so many things that the city has to offer; this is one reason Tardear has been created.
Also Tardear  has been created to promote the restaurants, bars, hotels, stores, places with activities. All these activities are after work; it’s perfect for you because you can do the activities during the week. You can see the calendar of the events  where and when to find the activities.

 
Barnatalent: What is the kind of people who join the activities?

Fernanda Pavan: This web page is mostly for people living in Barcelona, but also these activities are perfect for tourists and business travellers. What we want is that all the who join us, get to know more about Barcelona and meet new people of different background and culture.
What makes Tardar different  from the other web pages about events are our kind of activities : language exchanges, beer, wine , sushi tastings, Workshops,  Courses,  After Work,  Networking and Family activities . 
Tardear is also present in social networks; such as Facebook,  Twitter,   Foursquare  and Google+

 
Barnatalent: How it is like to run a business such as Tardear?

Fernanda Pavan: The thing I like the most about working to Tardear  is that it is an entrepreneurial project where you can connect with people and be what you like. Also, you meet people who are willing to make new friends and connections as they enjoy their free time with the nice and enjoyable activities that Barcelona has to offer.
The difficulty to create a new business is to have the funds for the first investment but I think that with time and gradually changes in your business activity it is possible to find a way out.

 
Barnatalent: What are your plans for the future?
Fernanda Pavan: For this year we want to add more events on the website and to explore a new market in Madrid.

Feranda Pavan
Founder of Tardear Website: http://www.tardear.com

“Tardear” (from Spanish tarde = evening) what does this word mean? Is it a new verb? Definitively yes, “tardear “means to spend hours of the evening in a creative way, because there is more life after a day at work. Do you go straight home from your office? Barcelona offer s you thousands of activties to do and from Tardear  we want you to have your agenda updated  Because only if you “tardeas” ( go out in the evening) you can meet people with same interests than yours, network, and  have fun ( join cultural events, tastings, workshops, courses,) where you invest your time in a creative and way . With so many ideas you won’t see the time pass by. Would you like to “tardear”?”

TALENT PICTURES: Ariadna Vide “Passionate about Languages and Education”

03 Tuesday Jan 2012

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Today, in our Talent Pictures section, we talk about Ariadna Vide Uceta, passionate about education that after several years experience as a Spanish, Catalan and Italian teacher  decided to start her own business up : BcnBabel a language training solutions company.

“I am a philologist, since childhood I’ve loved languages, but it was not until I went to college when I realized that my vocation was to become a teacher. After I graduate I started working as a teacher with teenagers, with adults   and I collaborated with public administration, private and public language schools.
I’ve always loved this work and I have always had students.

A year ago, a good friend of mine and I decided to have our own project, a language training company to make the difference with many other companies of this industry  in Barcelona that we knew well because we worked for them.  We wanted to emphasize the development of the student, the real concern for their learning. Full of enthusiasm we have created BcnBabel.

In BcnBabel we really believe that in this society of new technologies in which we live the teacher remains the cornerstone for the success of language classes. The motivation is essential to achieve the communicational objectives proposed and on this path to success the teacher should be able to act as a good guide. An excited teacher, who likes to teach, is the essential starting point to ensure that students are able to communicate in the language they learn.

Unfortunately this is an industry where many people work, so to speak, because they cannot find another way out: unprofessional teachers, underpaid, who are hired to teach with little experience, teachers who do not know the methodology and have no enthusiasm for the job.

This is the reason why in BcnBabel we stress the importance to select teachers with real passion for teaching and for this reason also we believe in a remuneration policy that values their professionalism.
I think this is and will be our differential value and a key to our success.
Globalization has put the world at our disposal, communication with other countries is becoming easier, and it is clear that knowledge of other languages will be essential to build relationships. Helping people to communicate is our goal, we believe in the project and we are persuaded that it will work for us.”
Ariadna Vide Uceta
BCN Babel

Wesite:www.barcelonababel.com

Networking Events in Barcelona For Every Taste

04 Sunday Dec 2011

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Here is a selection of miscellaneous networking events in Barcelona that I have prepared hoping that you will find the one that best fits to you….

  •  Monday Reading Club  is a reading club about marketing on-line. Meetings take place every first Monday of the month.
  • Chil Laus  conferences, seminars and workshop are aimed to design professionals organized by Designers Association of Barcelona.
  • Foment Treball  organizes forums, conferences, seminars and workshops aimed to entrepreneurs and professionals about hot topics of different industries: Economics, Finance, Law, Work, Environment, Logistics, New Information Technologies, International Marketing, Starting a Business up.
  • CINC “Centro Internacional Negocios Cataluña” (International Business Center of Catalonia) organizes business networking events for entrepreneurs and professional of all industries.
  • ESADE Business School has a wide agenda including seminars, workshops and conferences, free for ex-alumni. All people can attend paying fees shoes amount depends on the event.
  • Excellence bookshop in Eixample, organizes networking events, training, conferences, workshops and seminars about self-development, creativity, innovation.
  • Pecha Kucha Night   are creative interdisciplinary meeting where around 15 speakers (students, professors, professional, entrepreneurs, etc.) present in public 20 slides about their project in 6 minutes and 40 seconds ( that is 20 seconds per slide) .  The concept started in Japan and spread to other countries.
  • During “Speed Networking Talent©” meetings, job seekers have 3 minutes to self-market to potential employers but they do not know if the person they are talking to is an HR professional or another candidate.  Rosaura Alastruey, pioneer of networking in Spain and author of successful books about Social Media and Networking, founded the enterprise ProyectosTic that organize the event. Before you join the event you have to follow 4 hours free seminar at Barcelona Activa about how to market yourself in 3 minutes taught by Monica Mendoza Psychologist specialized in Marketing and Sales.

And, last but not least…Have you ever considered that improving your Spanish or any other language could it be an opportunity to meet new people in town?  English Oasis Café  and Tardear organize language interchange every week and many other social activities such as visits to Catalonia, photo contests, tastings, pastry workshops, after work, etc.  Aprenem  are free innovating workshops  based on reading, speaking and learning about new cultures in small groups.  Now you have  no excuse, even if you hate networking, you have a good reason to make new friends….