Houston Language School
BE BILINGUAL LANGUAGE SCHOOL SERVING HOUSTON SINCE 1989
Be Bilingual gives you access to the right tools, resources, and expert instructor’s all-in-one. We have personalized, and in-depth to help your study, work abroad, or master a foreign language for the thrill of it. Our Houston Language school provides introductory courses to help you get started on your goal to learn Spanish.
Since 1989 we have established ourselves as the go-to service to learn language effectively and use them for everyday conversation. Over 17K students have gained mastery through proprietary conversational methods, flexible and convenient lessons, and individualized learning from our Houston Language School.
Houston Language School
Be Bilingual combines quality content with intelligent technology to deliver practical lessons so that you’re confident applying your skills in real life. We create a learning solution centered around you and adjusted to your learning pace, teaching until you feel confident speaking with new words. We teach them how to express themselves in a natural way as they would speaking their native language. Our proven learning method is great for those who want to learn Spanish from scratch or simply improving.
Be Bilingual Houston language school helps individuals and business professionals to learn Spanish according to their learning styles. We are available in 50 states and worldwide, delivering language lessons and corporate group classes in Spanish, English, Italian, German, and Portuguese. We cover corporate training to employees from numerous fields for languages and accent reduction.
Learn basic Spanish conversations, grammar, vocabulary, common words, phrases, and more with Bite-sized lessons. Start learning how to write and speak with online courses short enough to complete daily but long enough to actually get something out of.
Our instructors are native speakers and college graduates with decades of combined experience teaching and guiding learners. Each member of our Houston Language School team is a certified pro. Expert linguists and native-speaking instructors craft and refine each course and ensure every lesson is culturally relevant, grammatically correct, and conversationally accurate.
17k+ |
200+ |
30+ |
| Students | Corporate Clients | Years of Experience |
OUR COMPANY
Be Bilingual, Inc. is your most experienced and trusted language instruction provider in Houston
Be Bilingual, Inc. was founded in 1989, by Elizabeth Thrush Alatorre. Since then, we have been dedicated to the continuance of improving our services to better satisfy our customers . We offer our proprietary conversational method (Spanish), competitive prices, a flexible and convenient schedule of lessons as well as individual attention to learning needs.
We continue to serve our students, now with online lessons in all 50
states and worldwide.
WHAT WE DO
Our services
Be Bilingual offers private language lessons and corporate group classes in Spanish, English, Accent Reduction, Italian, German, and Portuguese. We don’t fit you in a “same for all” course: we personalize our conversational method to fit you and your goals. We work at your pace, for you.
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February 9, 2012
My teen-aged boys are taking Spanish III as freshmen in high school, but it was clear that since this class would meet their language requirement for graduation, neither...
Read MoreFebruary 9, 2012
My teen-aged boys are taking Spanish III as freshmen in high school, but it was clear that since this class would meet their language requirement for graduation, neither of them were going to continue studying Spanish. They just didn’t enjoy the language. I thought that if they could build up more confidence in their speaking ability, they would come to enjoy the language and would continue beyond this year. So, I thoroughly researched language institutes and even considered having them attend a language institute in either Mexico or Guatemala over the Christmas break. In the end, I selected Be Bilingual here in Houston. I was impressed with both the time that they had been in business and their long list of corporate clients.
Once enrolled, their instructor tailored the lessons to their specific needs. Originally, we thought that they would take their hour and a half lessons together, but the instructor quickly realized that wasn’t the best arrangement for them. She then started teaching them separately in 45-minute sessions. What a difference that made! By the end of their eight lessons over the Christmas, they were excited about speaking Spanish at home with me and were so much more comfortable expressing themselves in Spanish. As for whether they’ll continue, one of my sons will definitely enroll in Spanish IV (Yay!!) and the other one is at least considering it. A burst of intensive one-on-one instruction was just what they needed. At the same time that my sons were taking lessons, I also enrolled in one-on-one instruction. I lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina for two years almost 20 years ago. I worked hard at learning Spanish at that time and had a pretty good grasp of the language when I came back to the States. Because of my current work, I had a particular need to improve my language skills. My Christmas present was Spanish lessons. I have been extremely pleased with the progress I’ve made.
My instructor has been terrific at identifying the areas where I needed the most work, pulling instructional materials from multiple sources. It is difficult to correct errors that I have repeated for almost 20 years, but I am so glad to have them identified. I took lessons almost daily over the Christmas holidays and have continued with lessons biweekly since then. Between my instructor’s excellent skills and my commitment to do at least something in Spanish every day, my confidence and skills have substantially increased over the last two months. Whether you’re a beginner or want to take your current Spanish skills to higher level, I highly recommend Be Bilingual.
Dr. Nanda Duhé Kirkpatrick
Spanish Lessons
We have created a conversational method that allows you to engage in dialogue from the first class. Our teachers are native speakers who customize each language lesson according to interests and/or professional area : medical, IT, engineering, etc
Choose from individual lessons, small group, online or preferred location. Decide your schedule and length of study commitment, whether one hour or the Immersion program of 6 hours, 5 days a week.
Be Bilingual offers one-on-one instruction customized to the students’ specific needs and schedule. Our conversational method focuses on speaking Spanish from the very beginning, working at your own pace and preparing you to build up fluency and achieve effective communication in Spanish. Be Bilingual instructors will tailor the vocabulary needed for your occupation or specific goals (traveling, volunteering, medical, sales, etc.). Our individual lessons are customized for you and your level of proficiency: if you have previous knowledge of the language, we will conduct a short oral evaluation (can be online or in person) to determine your current skill level. As a result, you will be placed in one of our levels of instruction, ranging from Basic to Advanced. We offer a flexible and personalized schedule: You set your own class schedule and frequency (we recommend at least two 90-minute sessions per week to maximize retention). Courses can be held online or our instructors can work with you in your home or at your office for a small trip fee.
Be Bilingual offers the same customized and personalized instruction in a semi private setting, two people taking a lesson together and sharing the cost of an individual lesson.
Students must be at the same level of proficiency (if they have previous knowledge) and must coordinate their schedule.
Courses can be held online or our instructors can work with you in your home or at your office for a small trip fee.
Be Bilingual designed the Immersion program for students wishing to increase their level of proficiency in
Spanish. With our Be Bilingual Method©, students explore the depth of conversational skills through an
intense schedule allowing them to establish fluency, and preparing them to communicate more effectively in
business, travel or when relocating to a new country.
Be Bilingual has been offering Spanish lessons for corporate employees and instructors for workplace training since
1989. We are proud to help companies in the Houston area increase their business opportunities. Our corporate lesson packages include individual or group lessons tailored to your company’s specific needs and interests . Instruction proceeds at the class’s rate of learning. We offer flexible scheduling and lesson options.
Classes take place on-site at the company.
English Lessons
Our teachers customize one-on-one, and corporate English instruction according to the expressed goals of clients. Years of experience teaching international clients guide instruction.
Choose individual online instruction or agreed-upon location. Decide your schedule and length of study commitment, whether one hour or the Immersion program of 6 hours, 5 days a week.
Our teachers customize one-on-one English instruction according to the expressed goals of clients. Years of experience teaching international clients guide instruction.
Whether your goal is to improve your grammar, increase your vocabulary, develop conversational skills or prepare for the TOEFL® test, our native-speaking English instructors are experienced in assessing skill levels and will customize a lesson plan that will enable you to meet your specific goals. Lessons are a mix of conversation, reading and writing with an emphasis on correct pronunciation and grammar.
We offer a flexible and personalized schedule: You set your own class schedule and frequency (we recommend at least two 90-minute sessions per week to maximize retention).
Courses can be held online or our instructors can work with you in your home or at your office for a small trip fee.
Be Bilingual offers the same customized and personalized instruction in a semi private setting, two people taking a lesson together and sharing the cost of an individual lesson.
Students must be at the same level of proficiency (if they have previous knowledge) and must coordinate their schedule.
Courses can be held online or our instructors can work with you in your home or at your office for a small trip fee.
Be Bilingual designed the Immersion program for students wishing to increase their level of proficiency in English. In this program, students explore the depth of conversational skills through an intense schedule allowing them to establish fluency, and preparing them to communicate more effectively.
Our Immersion program is a week of intensive language classes. Students can opt for either a full day schedule (6 hours per day/30 hours per week) , or a half day schedule, (4 hours per day/20 hours per week).
Be Bilingual requires Immersion students to be at an advanced-beginner (or higher) level of fluency to be considered for the Immersion program.
Be Bilingual customizes our immersion program to the student’s personal needs and at their learning pace, so every experience is unique. Our immersion training engages the spoken word at least 50% of the time, and increases a student’s cultural knowledge and awareness.
Courses are held online.
Be Bilingual has been providing Corporate English language classes since 1989. Classes can be held onsite for convenience, with course content focusing on vocabulary and language most used in your particular industry sector.
Accent Reduction Lessons
There are small things that you don’t know about your English-speaking skills until you talk to a native speaker. For people who move across national borders, English lessons for accent reduction are becoming increasingly popular.
Accent-reduction courses sometimes called accent softening, help people express themselves more fluently and improve their communication skills for non-native speakers. For non-native speakers tired of being singled-out for the way they speak with questions of where they’re form, accent-reduction courses make them aware of the mistakes they make during speech and they become more articulate and clearly enunciate their vowels.
Accent Reduction classes are taken by many professionals working in an English-speaking environment. Lessons include how to reduce unclear sounds and safeguard against mispronouncing words. If changes in speaking are practiced, significant improvement will be noticeable during conversations.
To maximize improvement of your accent, lessons should be, at least, two times per week, requiring approximately a three-month commitment.
Additional sessions can be purchased to supplement further success in accent reduction.
Prices of packages vary according to the number of lessons purchased.
On the other hand, an accent can change only subtly over time. For those who learn English as adults, it’s nearly impossible for a non-native accent to entirely disappear after such a course, even after years of practice. Subsequently, small improvements with focus on the glaring issues like repeated patterns of error in speech can boost self-confidence and make you sound less foreign.
Notably, developing habit formation allows students to self-correct after the lessons are done. Unsurprisingly, many non-native speakers still have problems with English intonation, and the pitch level of the voice. English lessons on accent reduction bring improvement with their pronunciation and the rate of speech.
Also, most courses are designed to cover all areas of pronunciation difficulty. Some courses are tailored to the student’s first language. Therefore, someone from China will study different English Pronunciation lessons to someone from India or France. Establishing a routine after the initial accent-reduction course can be the biggest challenge. With practice, skills quickly learned in class will ultimately become second nature.
Our Accent Reduction program features identification and correction of pronunciation issues that interfere with speech patterns. Specific challenges are isolated and correction techniques are taught to instill independence when speaking. Focus is given to the natural rhythm of spoken English with emphasis on individualized vocabulary building.
As with all Be Bilingual programs, instructors tailor our Accent Reduction course to the students’ needs and flexible schedules.
Courses can be held online or our instructors can work with you in your home or at your office for a small trip fee.
We do not offer accent reduction group classes to the general public, due to the differences in accents.
Provided that all students speak the same native language, our Accent Reduction program can be taken in small groups. This program features identification and correction of pronunciation issues that interfere with speech patterns. Specific challenges are isolated and correction techniques are taught to instill independence when speaking. Focus is given to the natural rhythm of spoken English.
Classes can be held onsite for convenience.
Italian, Portuguese, German Lessons
Our native-speaking teachers create conversational lessons customized to meet individual goals at an appropriate pace of learning.
Choose your individual lessons to be online or at your place of preference. Decide your schedule and how many hours you want to study.
Our native-speaking teachers create conversational lessons customized to meet your individual needs and learning pace.
We offer a flexible and personalized schedule: set your own class schedule and frequency (we recommend at least two 90-minute sessions per week to maximize retention).
Courses can be held online or our instructors can work with you in your home or at your office for a small trip fee.
Be Bilingual has been providing Corporate language classes since 1989. Classes can be held onsite for convenience, with course content focusing on conversation and customized vocabulary most used in your particular industry sector.
Employee Language Lessons
We have decades of experience providing corporate training to employees from the Oil and Gas Industry, Information Technology, numerous medical fields.
We provide the most experienced teachers who teach and motivate students to achieve the expressed goals of your company.
Be Bilingual, Inc. was founded in 1989, by Elizabeth Thrush Alatorre.
Along these many years we have successfully served more than 17K students, including employees from Corporations from the Oil and Gas industry, Human Resources, Medical field , IT, customizing our lessons to their needs and making them available online, at residences or office locations.
Preferred Corporate Provider
Be Bilingual, Inc. became the preferred language school provider for 5 major oil companies in Houston during the 1990s.
Due to the high demand for individualized language instruction and our extremely high standards for instructors, Be Bilingual continues successfully to teach language skills to students of all levels and walks of life.
Innovating Online Language Learning
During the last 5 years, Be Bilingual Inc. has been providing online lessons to meet client needs when traveling or vacationing. Therefore, our teachers have years of experience guiding students in the classroom and online. In fact, Be Bilingual has used online teaching before it became popular.
INSTRUCTORS
All of our instructors are native speakers. They are all college graduates and have years of experience teaching and guiding students to achieve their goals effectively in the classroom and online. In addition, our instructors pass rigorous training before qualifying to teach at Be Bilingual
WE ARE PROFESSIONALS
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TIPS & NEWS
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We are here to help you through the wonderful journey of learning a second (or third?) language. Come explore with us the interesting world of new languages and the cultural awareness they bring to enrich your life.
If you are not a native of the United States but wish to be understood better, our accent reduction course is for you. During the sessions, you learn to pronounce American English as a native American would speak.
Firstly, spelling in English does not give you a clear indication of how a word is pronounced. For example, there are five vowels in English – a, e, I, o, u– but 22 distinct vowel sounds. There is a difference in how the vowel a is pronounced in the following: apple, ate, father, above, and so on. Such differences are noted and practiced with accent reduction until the student is fluent in making the distinctions.
The same is also true for the consonants. There are over 20 consonant sounds. The accent reduction classes stress how each is pronounced despite the spelling of the word. For example, the words, “word”, “when”, “quick”, and “away”, all have the same consonant sound despite the spelling.
English has specific stress in making words as well. We put words together to make sentences and stress the correct syllable in each word. Through accent reduction practice, this becomes second nature to the student. The phonetic alphabet is a tool used when making these stresses.
Specifically, how to pronounce “ED” and” S” word endings are discussed in detail in these accent reduction classes. For instance, the word “naked” has two syllables, but “baked” has only one. Another example is the word “friends.” This word ends with a “z” sound while the word “books” ends with an “s” sound. The rules behind the pronunciation of these words are taught and practiced in our accent reduction classes.
Several accent reduction textbooks and CDs are utilized as well as teacher imitation in order to practice what you have learned. Furthermore, improvement is measured by taking a speech sample at the beginning of the accent reduction course and a speech sample at the end.
The accent reduction sessions are highly interactive with practice being a key element in learning. The position of the lips and tongue are discussed in making each sound. For example, should the lips be rounded, relaxed, or spread? Intonation — do we rise or fall at the end of a sentence — is the final topic covered in the accent reduction classes.
Ultimately, the goal of the students and the teacher in the accent reduction classes is to make the sounds as correctly in American English as possible. Therefore, we seek the non-accent accent of the northeastern United States as the model for speech. The accent reduction student is encouraged to review what he or she has learned every day so that fluency can be obtained and the student is more readily understood.
Contact
Our director, Elizabeth Thrush, will answer your questions and provide further information.
If you are interested, please fill in your personal information.
Hours of Operation
Monday-Friday: 7:30am-7:30pm
Saturday: 9am-3pm
Accepted Payment Methods
Check, Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Discover
(713) 789-6338
languages@bebilingual.com