Spanish is now the second most widely spoken language on the planet.

SARASOTA, FL, UNITED STATES, February 8, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- It's with this in mind that Miami businessman Erik Agazim plans to provide a 3-day Spanish language course for locals who wish to polish up on their Español.

"Miami is largely dependent on both Spanish and English," says Agazim. "Being fluent in both languages is a massive benefit, both in business and more generally."

Phillip Carter, a linguistics professor at Florida International University, agrees.

In a recent interview with The Atlantic, Carter says, "Miami is a bilingual city with an economy that is dependent on both languages."

He continues, "The economy in Miami evolved naturally to thrive with a bilingual population. But to sustain that, interventions are required. If Spanish-language education isn't harnessed, then it puts Miami's place as a bilingual economic hub at risk."

Agazim reiterates this, pointing out that in many areas of Miami, Spanish is now, in fact, the predominant language.

A recent report by the makers of language-learning app Duolingo corroborates this.

The report found that almost half of the app's Miami-based users are Spanish speakers learning English. Meanwhile, under 25 percent of the app's users in Miami are teaching themselves Spanish.

Speaking of the report, Duolingo spokesperson Michaela Kron says, "We think this is indicative of immigration patterns and large numbers of native [Spanish] speakers living in Miami."

She continues, "Interestingly, our data reveals that not only are Spanish speakers in Miami assimilating by learning English but also that many English speakers in Miami are learning Spanish in order to better communicate with native speakers in their city."

Erik Agazim agrees. "I think people are keen to learn, but it's about making time to do so," he says. "What's more, I think many people struggle to learn from an app, instead preferring face-to-face lessons in a classroom environment."

He continues, "I want to make the 3-day course as accessible as possible. We'll host it across 2 or 3 weekends, to appeal to as many people as possible, and if it's a success, we can look into repeating it. I'd love to offer a similar English language course for Spanish speakers at some point, too."

"I want to benefit the community, and in Miami, being bilingual, speaking both Spanish and English, is one of the best skills a person can have," concludes Erik Agazim, adding, "and the course will be free, and open to anyone who wishes to attend, so what's to lose?"

Eric Ash
Web Presence, LLC
941-266-8620
email us here