Success Lifestyle Magazine Issue 6- October 2019 | Page 27

Rhody-Ann Thorpe
Using Language to Create a Borderless World
Her smile lights up the room. An exciting glow illuminates her skin as she sits at the table beaming with pride about her language
travel business, Languesol International. Her passion is contagious and speaks volumes of her journey from hating French to being
bilingual (she is fluent in both French and English).
Meeting Rhody-Ann Thorpe, founder of
Languesol International, for this interview
forces me to reflect on how far Jamaican
businesses have come. Her business
extends far beyond Jamaica’s borders to the
following countries: China, Brazil, France,
Guadeloupe, Martinique and Panama. The
Netherlands will soon be added to the mix.
When did your love for French begin?
She shared her journey with me and her I actually had a rocky start with French.
The language was introduced to me in my
first year at St. Hugh’s High School and F
was my first test grade. My primary
thought was, “Why is this so hard?” But,
then it hit me. Other girls in my class
were grasping the language and doing
well. Why couldn’t I do the same? So, I
intense desire to provide Jamaicans with changed my approach and mindset. My
opportunities to experience other cultures. grades improved and I began to love
French. In fact, I majored in French
during my first year at UWI (Mona) and
then participated in the French exchange
program between UWI (Mona),
l’Université des Antilles (Martinique) and
Sciences Po (Bordeaux). The outcome
was a Masters degree in Politics and
International Cooperation.
" I actually had a rocky start with French."
Languesol (short for Language Solutions)
International was birthed from my desire
to see more Jamaicans experience foreign
language learning and my vision to make
Jamaica a destination for language travel. I
first got started in language travel
consultancy in 2012 when I was living and
studying in Martinique. I had assisted in
organising a language stay for over 25
students to go the USA. As a Jamaican and
native English-Speaker, I thought it was a
pity that our fellow French Caribbean
nationals had to travel all the way to
North America while Jamaica and other
English-speaking islands were “nearby”.
When I left Martinique, I continued to do
some research and partnered with a
few entities there to organise a language
Issue �: October ����
first pilot and air traffic controllers from
the French Antilles! So, the language
immersion experience is not restricted to
Jamaicans; it is open to all nationalities!
What word would you use to describe
Languesol International? Why?
Ambitious. The name of the company is
Languesol International. We want to
ensure that Jamaicans experience the
world and that Jamaica becomes a
language travel destination.
limited to) a combination of any of the
following:
language lessons
Internships
Volunteering opportunities
Excursions
The aim is to ensure that our clients are
not just travelling for vacation; we want
them to
also have a meaningful
experience and raise their levels of
professionalism.
What services does Languesol
International provide? How do you make language travel
affordable to clients yet profitable
for your business?
The main service provided is programme
designing
and
consultancy
for
international mobility projects. Broadly,
this entails putting together immersion
programmes comprising of (but not Travel is expensive. Therefore, our
programmes are so comprehensive that
our clients have little to worry about after
they register. In fact, our programmes can
be personalised to the tastes and desires
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