Back in the ’90s, when I started teaching English and Spanish as a second language, I became obsessed with the idea that no one could learn to speak a new language if they had trouble listening for understanding and speaking.
When I was 10 years old, my parents took me to a nursing home to meet my grandmother’s twin siblings. I remember I gazed upon them in bewilderment. They couldn´t speak a word and they only uttered inaudible sounds and expressed themselves through sign language, which obviously was impossible for me to decipher. Every time I asked my father why his uncle and aunt couldn’t talk, he would answer tiredly, «They are both deaf.» Although my father´s explanation seemed fair and reasonable, it wasn’t the kind of answer a 10-year-old could understand. For me, having a tongue was all they needed to be able to speak.
When I grew up and became an adult, I was able to understand the «blunt» explanation my father had given me so many times; there’s no way anyone can speak a word if they are hearing impaired.
The methodology we’ve used at ETC for more than 25 years is based primarily on reinforcing students´ listening skills to improve their speaking ability, which is intrinsically linked to our perception and reproduction of sounds. Through practical exercises and innovative automation techniques, ETC students are encouraged to enhance their listening performance to be able to speak English or Spanish accurately and fluently. Call us now. We’re waiting for you.