Want to talk to friends in Venezuela

I am an american woman who would like to learn to speak to my friends in Venezuela. They were a wonderful part of my life years ago and I have finally found them, but we have trouble communicating. When I send them communication with a simple English to Spanish translation that you can find in any on line translator, they say I need to learn their dialect so that they can understand what I am saying (:

Understanding the Russian language is a passion that I would very much like to indulge in. I think the sound of it is very appealing. I would be willing to teach english to anyone who might be interested.