TO LEARN ITALIAN it is equally important to understand the country's rich culture. Indeed, according to The Italian Cultural Society of Hong Kong, culture and language are one and the same. 'The programmes offered by the society are based on the principle that language is culture and culture is language. Without knowing the culture it's not possible to be proficient in the language,' said Zeis Chan, the society's secretary. With a mission to promote Italian language, the society provides a range of courses taught by qualified native speakers that emphasise a culture-based, communicative approach to learning Italian. 'The overarching organisation of the syllabus reflects the goal of introducing Italian life and culture in conjunction with the basic components of linguistic expression and language. Students gain a complete perspective of the richness and variety of Italian culture and customs through learning the language,' Ms Chan explained. The society offers beginner, intermediate and advanced classes which involve both written and spoken components, with the content based around real-life situations so that students communicate naturally and realistically. The majority of the society's current students are taking these courses for business reasons. 'We currently have 140 students - approximately 70 per cent of these are learning Italian for their job. For example, some students are working for Italian banks while others are working for fashion houses,' Ms Chan said. The remaining 30 per cent are there for pleasure: be it a love of all things Italian, an upcoming vacation in Italy, or simply the desire to learn another language. To stimulate learning, the society relies on audio and visual activities as well as group discussion and role play. 'Different topics are introduced each lesson and participants learn how to deal with most situations that are likely to arise while travelling or working in Italy,' said Ms Chan. Advanced students can also enrol in a proficiency course, which expands understanding through reading longer text passages and uses Italian magazines and newspapers as learning aids. Ms Chan said learning Italian took much patience and effort. 'It is not easy in the beginning. With its basis in Latin the grammar can be difficult - it takes time.' The only course conducted in English is the two-part food and culture appreciation programme, which delves deeper into the history and tradition of Italian food. The first course focuses on the ingredients, while the second highlights the cuisine; each class includes a tasting session. The fees for language courses range from $2,700 to $3,000, each involving a total of 30 hours over 12 sessions. For the two food and culture courses the cost is $600 per course for six hours over four sessions. Call 25730343