Fluent Season: Group Help for Learning Languages Express from The Washington Post, DC - 12 hours ago But by searching for "Italian language groups" on the Internet, the Bethesda resident found an informal, no-cost alternative: the Montgomery County Italian Language Meetup Group, hosted by Meetup.com. She registered with the Web site (for free) and RSVPed for a bi-monthly meeting. Soon, Rabbin found herself in a Starbucks, practicing her "ciaos" and "come vas" (How are you?) with new "amici" (friends) over "caffe" (coffee) and "dolci" (desserts)…

"Experts say language skills, whether gained through meetups or formal classes, can be a particularly valuable leg up in the competitive working world. So, learning and practicing a new vernacular — or even brushing up on that rusty high school French — is a smart idea."