((L-R) Yu Teshima, Silvi Galmozzi and Christina Cappy | Photo courtesy of Bend Language Institute)
Bend Language Institute (BLI) has recently opened in our community. The institute was founded by Christina Cappy this past August in order to bring together members of our diverse language communities in Central Oregon. It offers classes and activity workshops in a range of languages, including Spanish, Mandarin, Italian, Japanese, French, German, Russian and ESOL.
“The idea is that you don’t need to go online or to a big city to learn another language,” explained Cappy. “Language learning needs to be interactive — and fun — and that is something that we can do right here with our neighbors in Central Oregon.”
Cappy also discussed the importance of learning languages, such as Mandarin or Spanish, for business purposes. “Speaking even a little bit of another language when working with citizens of another country or travelling on vacation is a sign of respect. It shows that you are willing to take the extra step to learn what is polite or kind, or to show an interest in another person’s way of life.”
Spanish teacher Silvi Galmozzi further highlighted the importance in-person classes to learn about body language. “You can also get so much more into the culture of the language that a person is learning, including understanding body language cues and the significance of gestures. When you are teaching in-person you can really bring this into the room.” The Mandarin teacher, Yu Teshima, echoed her opinion describing that face-to-face learning “is more engaging and more efficient.” Both teachers are looking forward to meeting more members of the Central Oregon community.
In addition to eight-week courses, BLI teachers also offer private tutoring and interactive workshops. Through these workshops people can learn about the history of Italian winemaking in Italian, practice yoga in Spanish, make sushi in Japanese, or paint matryoshka (Russian nesting dolls) while speaking Russian. Cappy hopes that these workshops will help bring people together to enjoy practicing different languages.
Bend Language Institute is celebrating its Grand Opening on Friday, September 27 at 5pm at 416 NE Greenwood Ave with food, drinks, language teachers and community members. Cappy would like to invite everyone from the Central Oregon Community to stop by to share their interest in language learning and spend the evening together.
