Unique method based on 20 years’ experience
Handy, easy-to-use phrases, savvy goal-setting and reasonable expectations are at the heart of SP’s unique approach to Indonesian as a foreign language.
We have experience coaching a wide range of Indonesian learners, from young children to executives working for multinational companies. Recently, SP instructors have been active in training foreigners from Central Asia and the Middle East in Indonesian. This learning cohort is under the protection of the UN, as refugees, while preparing for resettlement in the West.
About Indonesian
Formal, written Indonesian is not the easiest thing in the world to master. But winning the trust of people in Indonesia doesn’t require mastery of Indonesian. What it requires is about 200 modular phrases that can be used again and again, with slight modifications, to fit the circumstances.
Indonesian is a utilitarian language, used for day-to-day communication among a 175 million person community. Most Indonesians speak Indonesian as a second language, after mother tongues such as Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese and so on.
People in Indonesia are patient interlocutors. They usually reward your attempts to speak the language and making “mistakes” is not a big deal.
Did you know that, for the most part, Indonesian has no articles, plurals, or verb tenses? And there’s not even a word for is. If you’re hungry you say “me hungry.” If you were hungry yesterday you say “me yesterday hungry.” Once again, if you’re trying to write a novel in Indonesian, good luck. But if you just want to make a lot of friends, this is gampang (easy).
SP Indonesian Program
One-on-one learning
There’s no doubt you can break through to a new level of competency in Indonesian culture. No matter what stage of Indonesian study you’re at, we can help you come up with a plan to take your abilities up a notch. Each course is individualized to fit your goals and your opportunity to study. You can study at the office, at home or at one of the SP basecamps.
On most engagements we adopt a team-teaching approach, relying on non-native speaker — who actually remember what it’s like to learn Indonesian — for goal-setting, learning hacks, and overall cultural fluency, while native speakers lead the learning as far as language structure, vocabulary and conversation practice.
Indonesian Language & Culture (ILC)
This 10-week, seminar-style learning product for four to eight persons presents an opportunity to “debug” your understanding of Indonesian culture in an enjoyable way.
It’s a chance to learn some slang and share a few laughs with your classmates. So if you have a lot of questions about Indonesia, please make a list!
Without leaving the classroom, you will hear from Indonesians from many walks of life address a range of topics with respect to Indonesian culture, including ethnicity, religion and law.
Aside from providing a low-risk environment for testing your culture skills, learning participants will learn how to independently employ basic ethnographic methods to gather, interpret and apply social data.
The primary language of instruction is English, however, each module is accompanied by a glossary of key terms in the target language. As always, we can tailor this product to the needs of your group. For example, Indonesian culture for business, Indonesian culture for athletes, or Indonesian culture for refugees.
In-company Indonesian
SP has experience providing a range of language services to large and small companies, from translation and editing, to in-house training and company manuals. Once we know more about your language and communications environment, we can recommend a solution that includes a combination of these approaches.
Multinational companies doing business in Indonesia sometimes encourage their expat workers to learn Indonesian in order to adjust faster to the local culture, including the business culture. Indonesian study may also be motivated by foreign investment policies of the Indonesian government that link Indonesian language skills to work permit eligibility.In-company Indonesian is a bespoke SP product whose features vary in accordance with the learning objectives of the employer and the profile of the learner(s).
While expat workers who speak fluent Indonesian are the exception not the rule, certain tech startups, NGO’s, and media companies, actually do need some of their their foreign workers to speak good Indonesian. This need may arise in connection with product design, content development, customer support, entertainment, or other business functions.
Indonesian for families
Language study is a means to many ends. Even if you don’t plan to remain in Indonesia for the long-term, your children may benefit enormously in terms of cognitive abilities, social skills and emotional maturity, from studying Indonesian.
Also, kids learn very fast. Tag along and see if you can keep up. The learning coordinator for our Indonesian or families product — known as Fun-Two-Three-Four — is Vada Morgan, age six.
Fun Two Three Four is a home school-style experiential learning product emphasizes peer-led learning and is suitable for ages three and up.
How do three-year olds study Indonesian? Through play, of course, including songs and games. Learning sessions take place in the home or on the playground, with optional field excursions to the public library, Kidzania, Phinisi, etc.