Let’s start by talking about the country. Bulgaria gave the Slavic world its alphabet and it throws one almighty party every year to mark the occasion, on Bulgarian Independence Day, on 22nd September. 

This occasion celebrates the moment Bulgaria officially waved goodbye to Ottoman rule for good in 1908, with marching bands, wreath-laying, folk concerts, fireworks, and church bells ringing out joyfully.

Moreover, you can expect to hear a variety of different languages cheering for the mother country. 

What Languages are Spoken in Bulgaria?

This is a consideration if you’re thinking about visiting, moving to or working in Bulgaria. Although it’s a solid catch all tactic to learn Bulgarian rather than get too provincial.

So, what’s the spread? 

• Bulgarian – The undisputed star of the show, spoken natively by around 85% of the population and written in Cyrillic, which the Encyclopaedia Britannica describes as the “writing system developed in the 9^th-10th century for Slavic-speaking peoples of the Eastern Orthodox faith, currently used exclusively or as one of several alphabets for more than 50 languages, notably Belarusian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Russian, Serbian, Tajik, Turkmen, Ukrainian, and Uzbek”.

• Turkish – The largest minority language, spoken by roughly 8-9% of the country.

• Romani – Another rich linguistic thread spoken by about 4%.

• English – The popular second language for younger Bulgarians and people working in the tourist industry.

• Russian – Still widely spoke, especially by seniors who grew up with it in school.

There’s no shortage of language options to go at. But what about learning Bulgarian specifically? Is it a good move?

Why Are Brits Choosing to Learn Bulgarian?

 Unsurprisingly, it’s rarely a random decision. People typically learn Bulgarian for the following reasons:

• Relationships and family – A Bulgarian partner, spouse, or in-laws who deserve more than Google Translate over Christmas dinner.

• Property and holidays – Bulgaria’s a key hotspot for British property developers, in addition to the country’s ongoing tourist trade.

• Relocation and work – An emerging tech scene is luring digital brains. And you’d presumably rather not mime your way through the supermarket if you’re one of them?

• Cultural appeal – Folklore, cinema, cuisine, and Cyrillic script. Irresistible if it’s your thing.

Plus, there’s an added bonus. The Bulgarian language is a cheat sheet into the wider Slavic language family. Think of it as a friendly warm-up if you’re planning to tackle Russian, Ukrainian, or Polish down the line.

Why Now?

Chasing romance?

Relocating?

Want to earn yourself Cyrillic bragging rights?

At la Academia, you’ll discover in person and online tuition options to learn Bulgarian your way.

Get in touch and tell us what you want and need.

The colourful festivities begin just before midnight on the eve of Mexican Independence Day on 16^th September.

Melia Hotels’ Mar Bauza sets the scene in her The Grito: Mexico’s Independence Day article: “The most awaited moment arrives when the president appears on the main balcony of the National Palace, takes the flag of Mexico, rings the bell and ends with the well-known ¡Viva México! ¡Viva México! ¡Viva México!”

Now, consider what really drives the fiesta energy. Language.

This is why it’s practically impossible to immerse yourself in Mexican culture if you don’t learn Spanish first.

Mexico is One Nation with Many Voices

Surprisingly, Mexico doesn’t have an official language written into its constitution.

So, what’s going on in terms of who speaks what?

• Spanish dominates as the go-to language of government and daily life.
• It shares the spotlight legally with 68 indigenous languages, which are all recognised as equally valid as Spanish.

As a result, Mexico is a linguistic fiesta in its own right, although it’s most typical to learn Spanish for integration into the fabric of everyday work and play.

Think about it:

• Over 90% of the Mexican population speaks Spanish on a day-to-day basis.
• Mexico is home to more native Spanish speakers than any other country on earth, even Spain itself.

So, learning Spanish is basically learning Mexico’s mother tongue.

Why the Decision to Learn Spanish is Transformational for Your Mexican Experience

 Every “Hola” feels more meaningful when you understand the legacy.

So why not join us, at la Academia, to take your Mexican adventure to a completely different level? 

• SPANISH – Complete Beginners 1

The Upper Room, Cheadle
Starts Wednesday 23rd September
7.00pm – 9.00pm for six consecutive weeks
Only £120.00 for the FULL course

• SPANISH – Complete Beginners 2

la Academia with Andrea
Starts Monday 28th September
9:30am – 11:00am for six consecutive weeks
Only £120.00 for the FULL course

Get in touch to learn Spanish and the history, identity, and the mother of all parties behind the words.

Why so? Well, the likes of French merci, German schadenfreude, Italian amore and Japanese ikigai have wormed their way into everyday British chat.

But you could say Portuguese has sat waiting on the sidelines, while steadily making its way up the queue over time.

So, here’s why the time is right to learn Portuguese now, in 2026-27.

Why Learn Portuguese?

Hands up if you’ve binged a Brazilian telenovela or hummed along to fado on the radio.

Anybody?

It’s not your fault. The thing is, Brazilian culture is brilliant, but it’s mostly contained within Portuguese speaking countries. For this reason, it doesn’t flood UK screens like French cinema, Italian opera and Scandi noir.

This is just one of many reasons why learning Portuguese is so exhilarating. It equips you to paint your own picture first hand.

But this doesn’t mean it lacks real substance. On the contrary, take a look at what the numbers demonstrate:

• 265-270 million speakers across four continents – This is global powerhouse level rather than a niche hobby

• Official language of burgeoning economies like Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde and Mozambique. The University of Leeds Portuguese course information explains why Brazil is an especially big deal: “Brazil is one of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) ‘powerhouse’ economies and the reputation of Portuguese speaking countries continues to grow on the world stage”.

• Named by the British Council as one of the languages most vital to the UK’s future prosperity

All the same, it’s churlish to underestimate the cultural richness of the bossa nova, fado, and a literary tradition you’ve never had the chance to discover until.

Right, Let’s Get You Speaking Portuguese

At la Academia, we’re launching our new season Portuguese Complete Beginners course this September:

• Where: la Academia, Cheadle
• When: Starts Friday 25th September 2026 for six consecutive weeks, with teacher Eulalia
• Time: 1.00 – 3.00pm
  Cost: £120.00 for the full course

A bit further down the line than a beginner?

Intermediate

• Saturdays 12.30 – 2.00pm with teacher Eulalia
• Cost: £90.00

Get in touch to learn Portuguese or fine tune your existing Portuguese skills, for career, travel, heritage, or sheer curiosity.

Well, Italian is the language of gelato, opera and, according to Rat Pack crooner Dean Martin, the times “when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie”.

It’s always been a main character energy.  And it’s always a sassy choice to learn Italian for your career, learnability, and holiday plans.

1) Learn Italian for Career Fluency

In terms of popular modern foreign languages, everyone and their nonna seems to learn French or Spanish. But not so many learn Italian. This works in your favour for the following reasons:

• More demand, less competition – Fewer UK students study Italian. So, you’ll stand out from the crowd.

• Made in Italy, sold in the UK – Italian fashion houses, automotive design studios, luxury retailers, and gourmet food brands have deep commercial ties with the UK. And no surprises they’d rather deal with someone who doesn’t need Google Translate.

• Opens EMEA job doors – Learning to speak Italian can make you the no-brainer candidate for job roles in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

2) Cognitive Cheat Code

Italian and English share a Latin family tree. This means:

• You’ll recognise more words than you might expect from your very first lesson.

• Pronunciation is refreshingly logical because it’s mostly spoken the way it’s spelled.

• Grammar quirks aren’t soul destroying, which can be a real kicker with some other languages.

3) Aligns with the Finer Things in Life

• Ordering the right wine?
• Haggling at a Sicilian market?
• Understanding your waiter’s eye roll when you ask for Hawaiian pizza?

Learning Italian is a career strategy. But it’s also your not-so-secret weapon to living a little more dolce.

Why Bother Learning Italian in 2026?

Roughly 85 million people worldwide speak Italian. But truthfully, you’re not going to sign up for Italian lessons to pad out stats.

You’re doing it for the good stuff – the food, the wine, the art, the history, and the wonderfully animated people who talk with their hands as much as their mouths.

At la Academia, our students have a blast in the classroom when they learn Italian. Will you be joining them?

NEW Complete Beginners Italian

• Start: Wednesday 23rd September 2026 with teacher Guido
• Time: 7.00 – 9.00pm
• Duration: Six weeks (same day and time weekly)
• Cost: £120.00

Intermediate

• Fridays 10.15am – 12.15pm with teacher Guido
• Cost: £90.00

Italian isn’t the obvious choice, which is rather the point. So, get in touch to book your place in the cool class.

The truth is French has stubbornly refused to budge from its spot as one of the top three languages UK adults want to learn.Pourquoi? Let’s take a closer look.

Learning French Isn’t Starting from Scratch

Chances are you didn’t subconsciously blank from memory everything you learned in your school French lessons.

So, half-remembered vocabulary and verb tables hiding in your head make learning French friendlier than wrestling with a brand new alphabet. 

You Can Use French – a Lot

The many and varied benefits of learning French are proof of why it continues to entice UK language learners. For example:

• France is a neighbour – France, Belgium, and Switzerland are a short hop away, making them ideal for holidays, second homes, emigration or retirement.

• French a career flex – French pops up everywhere in fashion, aerospace, hospitality, tourism, food, finance, and diplomacy. For this reason, it’s handy to learn French if you want to sound sharp at an international event, meeting, or on a Zoom call.

• It trains your brain younger – French classes are a workout for your mind, besides the sheer satisfaction of nailing a tricky tense and gradually increasing your fluency over time. 

Even royalty and rock stars are on board. 

Famous Brits Who Speak French

King Charles has been chatting away in conversational French for decades on official duties, while his son Prince William holds his own in French during royal tours.

And rock icon Mick Jagger is fluent enough for French interviews and owns a 16^th century château in the Loire Valley.

If it’s good enough for them…

Parlez Vous Francais?

At la Academia, we’ve got courses for every level to learn French at our Cheadle school with tutor Elisabeth: 

NEW Complete Beginners

• Starts: Monday 28th September 2026, 1.00pm – 3.00pm
• Duration: Six weeks (same day and time weekly)
• Cost: £120.00

Conversation course

• Tuesday, 11.00am – 12.00pm
• Cost: £70.00

Intermediate

• Monday, 7.00 – 8.30pm
• Cost: £90.00

Get in touch to book your place. Allez!

But things can get lost in translation once the final whistle blows. This is when teams and staff are faced with things like press conferences, contract negotiations, even going out for a meal in a new city.

English has become the dressing room lingua franca at top clubs. But it’s not unusual for a single squad to speak a dozen different mother tongues.

Additionally, not every star signing, coach, or agent arrives fluent.

For all these reasons, languages for football have become a reliable set piece off the pitch for many clubs.

Languages for Football Kick Off Multiple Benefits

Language links the whole team in many and varied ways you might never have even thought about. For example, it:

• Cultivates team spirit – One Premiership manager wanted his whole squad speaking the same language, figuratively and He achieved this by arranging lessons club-wide, ensuring a multilingual dressing room was a united one.

• Aids international signings – A Spanish manager threw himself into six weeks of intensive English coaching as he settled into UK life and became a press conference pro.

• Clears the Home Office hurdle – Football icons aren’t exempt from the official exams need to work on UK soil. As you can imagine, a red card isn’t an option.

• Supports the next generation – Young players, apprentices, and players’ children often need extra help with GCSE and A Level tuition in English, Maths and Sciences as they acclimatise to their new home.

A Final Score You Can Reliably Predict

At la Academia, we’re here to make sure nobody, from managers to midfielders and mothers, is left on the touchline by language barriers.

Get in touch with your questions about learning languages for football and score yourself a guaranteed home win.

Their language learning frenzy started in February with Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance. And it’s continued to soar ahead of his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS World Tour dates, with Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the only UK venue on 27^th and 28^th June.

Correspondingly, fans are going feral to speaks the same language as their idol.

Tap Into the Zeitgeist of the Super Bowl and Spurs

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio did something revolutionary when he took to the Super Bowl stage earlier this year.  He performed entirely in Spanish. And it transformed one of the biggest TV moments into a celebration of Latin culture.

Language Magazine article Spanish & Sign Language Take Center Stage reported Bad Bunny telling a press conference, “This moment, the culture – that’s what makes these shows special.”

Colonies of fans worldwide are feeling this, social media is exploding, and you don’t have to scroll far to discover lapine activity such as:

• Non-Spanish speakers selling out Spanish courses – The desire to deeply understand his lyrics is feral

• Puerto Ricans breaking down his slang – There’s layers to this man’s lyrics any self-respecting fan needs to know about

• Everyone else scrambling to catch up before the tour arrives 

Bad Bunny Has Spoken. Now It’s Your Turn to Learn Spanish

Want to sing along at Spurs? Hold your own on a Spanish holiday? Understand the music living rent-free in your head?

At la Academia, no previous experience is needed to learn Spanish in a relaxed, friendly, and high impact environment.

Available formats include:

• Beginner through to Advanced levels – face to face in the Cheadle school
• Intermediate levels available on Zoom
• Spanish Conversation Class to use it so you don’t lose it

Selling fast… our next legendary NEW Spanish Complete Beginners six week courses:

• Wednesday 23^rd September, 7.00 – 9.00pm weekly, £120 at the Upper Room Café, Cheadle

• Monday 28th September, 9.30 – 11.00am weekly, £120 at the school with Andrea

Get in touch to start your Spanish era here.

You can expect the Prime Minister’s speech, parades, concerts… and, more often than not, inclement weather.

“Icelanders like to joke that it is always raining on this national holiday. Unfortunately, this weather is all too often in the forecast, with some towns having moved festivities indoors to local sports halls,” Visit Iceland’s Icelandic Independence Day article explains.

“The tradition of soggy celebrations began with the very first ceremony in 1944, remembered for its pouring rain.”

But a spot of rain won’t deter you from falling head over hiking boots for the Icelandic language.

Why Iceland Is Cool in More Ways Than the Weather

Are you one of the increasing number of Brits choosing Iceland as your next holiday destination? Well, Iceland already had main character energy long before you booked your flight.

It’s blessed the world with:

• Erupting geysers and jaw-dropping Northern Lights
• Skyr (Nordic style thick, tangy yogurt)
• Adorable puffins waddling around like little tuxedoed reps
• Musical legends Björk and Sigur Rós
• The thriller series Trapped, followed by what feels like exponential amounts of home-grown Scandi noir

It’s little wonder learning Icelandic is also on an upward trajectory. 

Reasons to Learn Icelandic Right Now 

It might not be top of your language wish list to learn Icelandic. But it should be.

The Icelandic language is fascinating, rewarding, and you’ll wonder why you ever hesitated once you start. Here’s why people are obsessed: 

• Linguistic time travel – The Icelandic language has barely changed in a thousand years, meaning you can read original ancient Norse sagas. No translations needed.

• Locals will warm to you – A little effort goes a long way. Expect heartier welcomes, better tourist tips, and quite possibly even a homemade meal.

• Brain workout – Complex grammar and archaic roots make for a satisfying challenge your neurons will appreciate.

Don’t Just Visit Iceland, Speak Iceland

At la Academia, learning Icelandic opens up a world of fire, ice, and literary heritage.

Get in touch to learn Icelandic in person at the school, or remotely on Zoom or Teams. Gangi þér vel.

This summer’s tournament is once again proof the beautiful game is a universal language, spanning iconic powerhouses to exciting debut nations.

48 teams are heading to the United States, Canada, and Mexico. So, fans will hear a colourful mix of languages echoing through stadiums, fan zones, bars, and city streets.

Play with a World of Words

 The teams competing represent more than 40 different languages, reflecting a phenomenal linguistic melting pot.

Intrepid first-time qualifiers include:

• Jordan – Primary language = Arabic
• Uzbekistan – Primary language = Uzbek
• Curaçao – Primary languages = Papiamentu and Dutch
• Cape Verde – Primary languages = Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole

Elsewhere, familiar faces are making a long-awaited return:

• Scotland – Primary languages = English and Scots
• Norway – Primary language = Norwegian
• Haiti – Primary languages = French and Haitian Creole

And then, there’s the many teams whose mother countries are home to multiple languages.

Take One Team with Four Languages

 Most countries rally around a single national language. But Switzerland likes to keep things interesting.

Depending on where you are, you’ll hear:

• German
• French
• Italian
• Romansh

“Thus, there are different versions of the salutation you’ll hear the most when following the Nati: Hop Suisse/Hopp Schwiiz/Forza Svizzera/Ancora Svizra,” explains the New York Times Athletic’s The Language of Soccer series. “They all mean the same thing – ‘Go Switzerland!’”

Kick Off with Host Languages

 The tournament’s 16 host cities mainly speak the following languages:

• USA host cities – English
• Canadian host cities (Toronto and Vancouver) – English, plus French also an official language nationally
• Mexican host cities (Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey) – Spanish

At la Academia, you don’t need any excuse to experience new cultures, hear new languages, and realise passion for the game sounds similar everywhere.

Get in touch whether you’re cheering in Spanish, Arabic, Norwegian, French English… or just the language of football.

Think military parades in Rome and Frecce Tricolori jets painting the sky red, white and green. Oh, and did we mention Italians in their hordes raising a glass of something divine.

It’s a feast for the senses that really makes you want to go all in and learn Italian. 

Italian is More Than a Numbers Game 

“It is the second most widely spoken native language in the European Union with 67 million native speakers. About 13.4 million EU citizens speak Italian as their second language,” according to the World Population Review’s article Italian Speaking Countries 2026. “Including all Italian speakers around the world, the total number of Italian speakers is about 85 million people.” 

But truthfully, going with the flow isn’t why anybody falls in love with it.

You learn Italian because of:

• The food and wine – Yes, it’s world class to savour and quaff. And then there’s knowing what you’re actually ordering.
• The culture – Italy invented the Renaissance, after all.
• The people – Italians are known for being warm, passionate, and genuinely delighted when you try speaking to them in the mother tongue.

And then there’s your career prospects going up a notch or several.

Learn Italian for Work? Assolutamente! 

Italian business language training for corporate clients is also on the rise.

A case in point is the UK arm of a major Italian pharmaceuticals company in Cheshire. They work with a leading local language school, (that would be us, at la Academia). And we bring more to the festa than learning a language.

Moreover, real business savvy and cultural know-how are vital for business Italian. This is what equips staff at every level to get more confident, communicative, and productive when working with their Italian colleagues.

But today’s busy professionals don’t take too receptively to the dry teaching methods that used to send you to sleep in the school classroom. Instead, it’s kept engaging and fun with elements like:

• Role play
• Listening exercises
• Real life scenarios
• Popular culture 

Who Else Wants to Be La Bella Lingua Ready?

 Republic Day might just be the sign you need to learn Italian for business, pleasure, or both.

At la Academia, we’d love to hear from both total beginners and rusty returnees.

Get in touch about our beginners courses, private tuition, or a FREE try before you buy business Italian taster session at your office.