Professional Teachers’ Associations of Spanish exist in three States – Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. The Association for Iberian and Latin American Studies of Australasia (AILASA) was established in 1993 with several aims, including: to promote research into and the teaching of Iberian and Latin American Studies in Australasia to promote the professional development of […]
The Spanish Education Office in Australia and New Zealand
The Spanish Education Office in Australia and New Zealand offers support for the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language at all levels in both countries. This policy is part of a major initiative of the Spanish government to promote Spanish language and culture throughout the world. “The Spanish Education Office in Australia and New […]
Cultural and historical ties between Australia and the Hispanic World
Many are the ties between Australia and the Hispanic world. We could start by naming a few to bring both histories and cultures closer: History XVI-XVII century The Spanish set off from the American Pacific coast towards the South Seas in search of Terra Australis, which was believed to be in those latitudes. The Spanish were […]
Nobel Prize Laureates from Spanish-language countries
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Peace, 1980 Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (born November 26, 1931) is an Argentine human rights activist, community organizer, pacifist, art painter, writer and sculptor. He was the recipient of the 1980 Nobel Peace Prize. Bernardo Houssay, Physiology or Medicine, 1947 Bernardo Alberto Houssay (April 10, 1887 – September 21, 1971) was an Argentine physiologist who, […]
Memorandums of understanding with Latin America – 10 Reasons to Learn Spanish
Memorandums of understanding (MoU) in education and training are developed to formalise relationships between the Australian Department of Education (DoE) and education ministries in foreign countries. Areas of cooperation include: staff exchanges development of institutional links co-operation in research and development recognition of qualifications and credit transfer exchange of information on education policy, systems, curriculum development, […]
Spanish is the third largest language online – 10 Reasons to Learn Spanish
Internet usage by language December 2013 Footnote 1 Internet users in millions and percentage of world total Country Internet users by language (millions) Internet users % of world total English 800.6 28.6 % Chinese 649.4 23.2 % Spanish 222.4 7.9 % Arabic 135.6 4.8 % Portuguese 121.8 4.3% Japanese 109.6 3.9 % Russian 87.5 3.1 % […]
Spanish in Brazil – 10 Reasons to Learn Spanish
In Brazil, where virtually the entire population speaks Portuguese, Spanish has obtained an important status as a second language among young students and many skilled professionals. In recent years, with Brazil decreasing its reliance on trade with the USA and Europe and increasing trade and ties with its Spanish-speaking neighbours (especially as a member of […]
The University of Melbourne – 10 Reasons to Learn Spanish
Prepared by Professor Alfredo Martínez-Expósito, The University of Melbourne and Ana López, Honorary Consul of Spain in collaboration with the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain this website offers up to date facts and figures to promote a better understanding of the Spanish language in Australian schools. There are many sections to explore, including the… […]
November 2014 – 10 Reasons to Learn Spanish
Prepared by Professor Alfredo Martínez-Expósito, The University of Melbourne and Ana López, Honorary Consul of Spain in collaboration with the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain this website offers up to date facts and figures to promote a better understanding of the Spanish language in Australian schools. There are many sections to explore, including the… […]
Australian-Hispanic economic relations: Spain – 10 Reasons to Learn Spanish
In 2012, Spain was Australia’s 23rd largest merchandise trading partner. Trade in 2012 reached A$3.51 billion. Australian merchandise exports to Spain were around A$625 million, including coal, zinc ores and concentrates. Australian imports from Spain in 2012 stood at around A$2.8 billion, with the biggest import items being ships, boats and goods vehicles.1 Bilateral relations […]
International language – 10 Reasons to Learn Spanish
Spanish is one of the few truly international world languages, ie a language spoken in and recognized by a large number of countries, adopted by a significant number of international organizations, and taught/learnt in virtually every country in the world. Spanish is one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union, the […]
Trade – 10 Reasons to Learn Spanish
Spanish is a language of international trade. It provides access to the most important free trade zones in the world: through Spain to the European Economic Community (EEC), through Mexico to North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and through Latin America to Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). The Latin American region is the second fastest growing economy in the […]
Spanish is the official language of many countries – 10 Reasons to Learn Spanish
Location: Southern part of North America and Northern part of Central America. Borders with the USA Guatemala and Belize, coasts to the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Capital: Mexico City Area: 1,964,372 sq Km 117 million speakers (as of 2006)1 Spain Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean […]
Developing language skills as an investment for Australia – 10 Reasons to Learn Spanish
Developing language skills was recognised in the 1989 National Goals for Schooling, and re-affirmed in the 1999 National Goals, where the Languages Other Than English (LOTE) learning area was identified as one of the eight key learning areas, and one in which all learners are expected to attain high standards of knowledge, skills and understandings. The National […]