Employers encourage workplace Spanish p1 - Military Transition - Military Times EDGE

More employers, and many of their English-speaking workers, are showing an interest in learning Spanish customized to specific jobs, to help them communicate with Hispanic customers, suppliers or assistants.

The trend isn’t without controversy, as English-only proponents say it slows the assimilation of immigrants from Mexico and elsewhere. But others say teaching at least rudimentary workplace-Spanish skills is a necessity in some industries and reflects the reality that many immigrants, including some of those here legally, don’t have a good grasp of English.

Roughly 32 million people age 5 or older speak Spanish at home, and nearly half of these people say they don’t speak English very well, according to Census Bureau figures.

“Let’s face it, there are obvious demographic changes happening,” said Bonnie Wheeler-Nelson, a retired real estate broker in Surprise, Ariz., who owns rental properties and sits on the board of a homeowners association. “It’s wise to know what’s going on.”

Wheeler-Nelson and a dozen other Arizonans participated in a recent one-day “survival Spanish” session geared to apartment managers and others in real estate. Those who attended said an improved grasp of the language would help them do their jobs better.

Community colleges have taken a lead in teaching Spanish tailored to the workplace. For example, Phoenix College — a part of the Maricopa Community Colleges system — offers classes for workers in more than a dozen fields, including nursing, banking, firefighting and corrections.

The college has added more classes in recent years and has shifted the scope toward oral communication, faster results and more specific applications.

“We used to have a general customer-service course, but now we offer Spanish for auto-insurance representatives, tax preparers and apartment managers,” said Anna Lopez, director of the school’s custom training and education program.

Bashas’ Supermarkets, State Farm Insurance and BlueCross BlueShield are among the mix of Arizona employers that have sent students into the program, which is built around a minimum of 16 classroom hours over six weeks.

(Originally published Jan. 7, 2008)