Spanish for Professional Purposes...

...for teachers and students who see the need for Spanish language and Hispanic cultures knowledge in professional contexts.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Spanish for the Professions at UNC-CH: By the Numbers

The minor in Spanish for the Professions at UNC-CH by the numbers:

8 semesters in existence

65 new students each semester = 520 students

7 courses rolled out (6 of them new starting from fall 2007)

4 profession-specific tracks: business, medical, journalism, law

3 service-learning courses offered per semester

30 hours of work in the community per student = 1,800 hours of community service per semester

2 minor programs served by the courses (students in the minor in entrepreneurship can take "Venture Creation in the Spanish-speaking World--SPAN 327--as their workshop course for that minor)

Friday, February 25, 2011

Spanish for the Professions: Past, Present and Future

PAST:

Over the course of 8 semesters the Department of Romance Languages at UNC-CH has rolled out 6 new courses to accommodate students in the new minor program in Spanish for the Professions.  Prior to fall 2007, the only course already in existence was the Business Spanish course (SPAN 320).

The program has been successful in accommodating the specific needs of relatively large numbers of students from professional schools (business, journalism, etc.) who were previously taking Hispanic studies courses in the department.

It took five semesters to roll out all the courses and adjust for student demand for the four different professional tracks: business, law, journalism and medicine.

PRESENT: 

This semester the focus has turned to better articulated the courses in the minor so that students can transition more smoothly through the three-semester sequence of courses.

To better prepare students for the rigors content-based profession-specific courses the first course, Spanish for the Professions (SPAN 265) is being taught with a significant grammar component for the first time this semester. The text "Manual de gramática" by Iguina and Dozier has been added to the curriculum.

To better prepare students for the research component of the third and final course in the minor, La comunidad hispana (SPAN 335), a research project has been added to Spanish for the Professions this semester.  Students must identify a professional field and geographic region (presumably aligned with their personal goals). Then they research the Latino demographics of that region, gather existing Spanish-language resources for clients and practitioners in that field, write an analytic essay comparing and contrasting the information they found so that they can identify an unmet need that they could potentially fill. That unmet need is their final presentation--presented in a poster session format as would be the norm at a professional conference.

To better integrate the service-learning component into the profession-specific courses (business, medical, law and journalism), we have added the only Spanish-language textbook on community service learning, Comunidades by Annie Abbott to those curricula.

FUTURE:

The minor will offer the entire minor--medical track only--in Summer School for the first time in 2011. This is to accommodate the exceedingly high demand for the medical track.

Aside from a few isolated courses (Spanish for the Professions in Seville, business in Madrid, medical in Guadalajara and Santiago de Chile), it is hard for students to complete minor courses abroad.  In the future, we would like to collaborate with UNC's Study Abroad office to offer more of the minor courses abroad in order to encourage more students in the minor to participate in immersion experiences.

The service-learning component of the minor continues to evolve as we seek to collaborate with organizations who can maximally use students Spanish-language and Hispanic cultures skills while providing students with opportunities to practice.  We strive to develop long-term collaborations that cross semesters and student groups, but it is always a challenge to complete meaningful community projects in semester-long chunks of time given the resources community partners, students, and professors possess.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Study on Dangers of Computer Translations

HealthDay reporter Dennis Thompson has written an article about the dangers of computer translations of instructions for use of prescription drugs.

This is an excellent example for students studying Spanish for the Professions--it highlights the need for bilingual and bicultural professionals and warns of the dangers of short cuts.

The examples of bad computer translations in the article include one problem made famous by an episode of the tv show "ER": the English "once" and the Spanish "once" could create huge problems on a prescription bottle since taking something once a day (in English) is completely different than eleven times a day (in Spanish)!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Pre-Resgistration for Fall Sections of Spanish for the Professions

Pre-Resgistration for Fall Sections of Spanish for the Professions (SPAN 265) will begin the week of April 4, 2011.

When the pre-registration form goes live on the minor website a blog post, Tweet and Facebook status update will be posted.  Because the posting of the form requires collaboration across departments (ie we submit a request to post the form and it is done asap), we cannot guarantee any exact day or time.

The posting of the pre-registration form will coincide with the registration date of rising juniors since current juniors and seniors cannot possibly start the minor (it requires a minimum of 3 consecutive semesters on campus to complete the minor).

Thursday, February 17, 2011

"Darse cuenta de que" = "to realize"

Remember to use the expression "darse cuenta de que" for the equivalent of the English "to realize something."

The verb "realizar" does exist in Spanish, but is used only in the sense of to realize a dream to to carry out a transaction.  Just one of the many "amigos falsos" to watch out for!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Private Language Immersion Abroad

CHICLE Language Institute, a private language school in Carrboro, N.C., offers language immersion programs abroad.  The trips are designed to be an alternative to university-sponsored study abroad trips,  designed for students who don't have time to spend a whole semester abroad and who want to focus on language immersion more than course credits and grades.

This is a particularly good fit with the minor in Spanish for the Professions program at UNC-CH.  Few of the required courses for the minor are offered through university-sponsored study abroad.  This means that students in the minor who do go abroad often cannot count much of that coursework toward the minor program.  However, immersion experiences are vital to language development and everyone who minors or majors in Spanish ideally should spend time abroad in a Spanish-speaking country. These short, immersion-focused programs are one possible middle ground.

The CHICLE program offers programs from one to four weeks in length in two places:     Academia Hispana Americana in San Miguel de Allende, México and Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (CPI) in Flamingo, Costa Rica with prices ranging from $1,200-$2,500 (not including airfare).   


For more information, visit www.chi-cle.com and go to "study abroad" (in purple box on right frame of website) to see the full-length brochures for both programs.  Or call 919-933-0398 or email chicle@chi-cle.com

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Premios...Awards

It's awards season throughout the world!

Last weekend was the Goya Awards ceremony in Madrid on the same night as the BAFTA awards in London.  The BBC covered the red carpet in Spanish. You will recognize all the same stars from the awards shows in the US, but be sure to read the captions in Spanish.

If you prefer music awards shows, look at these images and Spanish-language captions from the Emmy's (also on BBC's site).

Monday, February 14, 2011

Minor in Entrepreneurship: Interest Meeting Tuesday

UNC-CH's innovative Minor in Entrepreneurship will hold an interest meeting on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 in Gardner 209 at 5:00 p.m.

The Minor in Entrepreneurship overlaps with the minor in Spanish for the Professions, where the Venture Creation in the Spanish-speaking World course (SPAN 327) can count as the second workshop course in the Minor in Entrepreneurship or as the second profession-specific course in the minor in Spanish for the Professions (or both if you were minoring in both!)


Friday, February 11, 2011

Bilingual and Bicultural Ads Are Much More than Translations

An earlier post asserted that knowing how to conduct business in Spanish as well as English can give you access to a huge market segment in the US and abroad.

This week students in Spanish for the Professions looked at an even more nuanced aspect of bilingualism: accessing the huge segment of the population that is bilingual and bicultural.  The task: find bilingual and bicultural advertisements aimed at Spanish-English bilinguals in the US.

We start with the example of the "Got milk?" ad that features the Mexican legend of La llorona.  In order to really appreciate the ad:

  • you need to know the legend of La llorona (straight out of Mexican culture)
  • you need to be familiar with the Got milk? campaign (straight out of US culture)
  • you have to recognize the Spanish language on the cover of the book "La leyenda de la llorona" and understand the ghost saying "leche!"
  • you have to understand the English on the milk carton ("Milk") and the ubiquitous "Got milk?" black-and-white text.


From that starting point, students have found many wonderful bilingual and bicultural advertisements for everything from Hot Pockets to cars.  Many of the best ads can be traced back to one Miami-based agency, Zubi.  Their Chase Bank ad is an excellent example of gaining a competitive advantage by filling a previously unmet need--in this case, Spanish-language statements.  Ford is a long-time client of Zubi and the "Ready Pa' Tu Mundo" campaign targets a fully bilingual, bicultural, tech-savvy youth culture.

The ReachHispanic blog has recently praised Zubi and offered advice on successful (and accurate!) marketing to Latinos in the US.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

"¡Buenos días!" / "Good morning!"

"¡Buenos días!" is a great greeting to use--before noon!

Remember to switch to "¡Buenas tardes!" after noon.

Just as in English, the use of "¡Buenas noches!" can vary--some people would use it late in the day (for example, when leaving work and you know you won't see the person again until the next day). Others might find that use odd because they only use it at bedtime.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Understanding the Competition in a Bilingual and Bicultural Context

As part of the unit on business & entrepreneurship, students in the Spanish for the Professions course at UNC-CH read an article about the importance of access to financial institutions for immigrants (both so the immigrants can use the goods & services offered by the institutions and so that the institutions can increase their client base--a real win-win)

In class, students quickly realize how complex it can be to understand competition. When you ask "for a financial institution that wants to attract new clients who are immigrants, what is the competition?", the first thing that comes to mind is obvious: other banks. But dig a little deeper and you find that the competition is complicated and closely tied to culture.

For financial institutions trying to attract immigrant clients, the competition might be the coffee can under the kitchen sink where all money is kept in cash. It might be the family in the home country where a lot of earnings are sent by money transfer. Bad experiences with financial institutions in the home country might be a deterrent.

If you want the competitive edge, you have to dig deep and understand the underlying cultural factors that affect your customers' behavior:

how do you overcome the concerns that drive someone to keep all their money in their home in cash?

are you going to offer competitive wire transfer services?

how are you going to attract someone with an inherent distrust of financial institutions in the first place?

Combine this approach to understanding your customers with business savvy and you will have a winning combination!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

UNC Alum's Start-up Now Hiring Spanish-speakers

Cupondia is an early-stage, NYC-based start-up focused on providing the Hispanic market with a targeted, relevant collective purchasing offering. We offer consumers discounted deals on goods and services from local businesses (similar to Groupon) in cities with prevalent Hispanic populations. Cupondia is currently in the process of launching in NYC, and planning to expand to cities across the U.S. during the first half of 2011.


Those interested in the following positions should contact Nick Miller: nick@cupondia.com. 973-769=8875.


------------
Marketing Intern:

Job Description

Intern will work directly with Cupondia’s Director of Business Development to manage our direct and grassroots marketing. Intern will be given significant responsibility, including day-to-day management of Cupondia’s direct marketing campaign and will also work with the CEO and marketing team to develop and implement creative grassroots campaigns in conjunction with our customer acquisition and PR efforts.


Qualification

Cupondia is looking for an enthusiastic and talented individual that is excited about working at a young start-up and having a significant impact on the direction and day-to-day activities of our marketing efforts. Ideal candidates will be conversational or fluent in Spanish and preferably will have marketing experience at a start-up or small, B2C company (though this is not a requirement).


There is potential for optional travel to work on the ground as Cupondia launches in more cities across the US.



           Approximate hours per week: 40


Salary: Negotiable


Start date: Summer 2011


------------
Social Media Intern:

Job Description

Intern will work directly with Cupondia’s Director of Business Development to manage our social media presence. Intern will be given significant responsibility, including day-to-day management of Cupondia’s presence on Facebook, Twitter, and blogosphere media/PR, and will also work with the marketing team to develop and implement creative marketing campaigns via social media in conjunction with our customer acquisition efforts.


Social Media Intern can work from anywhere in the US.


Qualification

Cupondia is looking for an enthusiastic and talented individual that is excited about working at a young start-up and having a significant impact on the direction and day-to-day activities of our marketing efforts. Ideal candidates will be conversational or fluent in Spanish and preferably will have experience with social media marketing or an individual presence on social media sites (Twitter, blogs, etc.).


Approximate hours per week: ~10


Salary: Negotiable


Start date: ASAP


------------
Content Editor:

Job Description

Content Editor will manage creation of daily deal descriptions to convey the value proposition of featured businesses in an accessible and engaging way for Cupondia’s customer base. Editor will initially be responsible for writing NYC daily deal descriptions for distribution via email & social media sites (Facebook, Twitter), with potential to take on an editorial role overseeing a team of writers as Cupondia expands to other cities across the U.S. Editor will also work with Cupondia team to update content on website, with significant input on the tone of the existing website and any future updates.


Content Editor will report directly to Cupondia’s CEO and will work closely with Cupondia’s business development and merchant relations teams.


Cupondia is open to hiring for this position on a part- or full-time basis, depending on candidate.


Qualification

Cupondia is looking for an enthusiastic and talented individual that is excited about working at a young start-up and leading our efforts to develop a unified public persona for Cupondia through our website and daily offer descriptions. Ideal candidates will be fluent in Spanish and will have experience in writing and/or editorial roles with a focus on writing copy for marketing purposes. Candidates should be able to demonstrate ability to engage readers with appealing descriptions of products and businesses.


Salary: Negotiable


Start date: Spring or Summer 2011

Friday, February 4, 2011

Spanish for the Professions Programs: A "Build It and They Will Come" Scenario

Looking for a way to get more students through a Spanish program while using fewer resources?

Worried about enrollment?

A Spanish for the Professions program could be the answer.

The minor program in Spanish for the Professions at the University of North Carolina started in the fall of 2007 as a way to relieve some of the pressure on the department's limited resources while also meeting high student demand for Spanish classes.

The minor in Spanish for the Professions consists of three core courses, each with two major components and a fourth "allied course"(50% of course content related to Spanish-speaking world) from another department.

Students take a fifth semester Spanish for the Professions course that includes a significant grammar component in addition to the survey of professional areas & practical workplace skills.

The second course is a profession-specific course with a service-learning component that allows students to apply what they are learning in the real world. The profession-specific courses offered at UNC are business, medical, journalism and law (corresponding to the most popular majors among students in the Spanish program at the time the minor was started).

The final core course has a significant research component as students study "La comunidad hispana," focusing on US Hispanic communities.

In the spring of 2006, we spent a lot of time visiting fourth semester classes to promote the minor and recruit students.  By the spring of 2007, we were experiencing such overwhelming demand that we had to turn students away and carefully screen to make sure we were getting even enrollments in the various profession-specific tracks.  The medical track is the only one for which we can never come close to meeting demand and it seems as if this is also a new demographic of students (ie they would not be majoring or minoring in Spanish absent the specialized minor).

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Say "Gracias, muy amable!" When Given a Compliment

An appropriate response when given a compliment in Spanish, is "Gracias, muy amable!"

This is especially important if someone compliments your Spanish language skills. You don't want to sound arrogant (as in "yes, I know!") so adding the "muy amable" softens it.  You are letting the person know that they are nice--and perhaps even generous--for paying you the compliment.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Tweak Your Spanish for Professional Contexts

It seems that everyone with a beginning foundation in Spanish language skills would like to be able to tweak that Spanish for the workplace context, but too often there seems to be a gap between the Spanish one has learned and the Spanish one seems to need in the professional context.

For example, everyone learns numbers and letters in the first days of studying Spanish.  But then those building blocks are too often discarded as "basic" and never revisited after those first days of Spanish class.

However, imagine all you could get done in a work place if you really know how to manage the simple building blocks that are numbers and letters:


  • you could take accurate phone messages
  • you could provide addresses and phone numbers
  • you could spell the names and talk about dosages of medicines
  • you could make sure important forms (taxes! birth certificates!) are filled out accurately
  • you could ask for spellings of words you are not understanding when spoken
  • you could "talk money"--asking for and giving prices, totals, offers and counter-offers
  • you can talk about time in increments of hours, days, weeks and months.


Here are some ways to maximize your knowledge of letters and numbers in Spanish:

First, practice to make sure to know all the letters and at least the numbers 0-9.

Then develop strategies for getting and giving information in a form that you can understand.  For example, it is sometimes useful to give an honest assessment of your Spanish skills: "no hablo mucho, pero puedo escribir un mensaje."

Concentrate on making very specific requests and asking specific questions:

Número por número, por favor.            One number at a time, please.
¿Lo puede deletrear, por favor?            Can you spell that, please?
Más despacio, por favor.                        Slower, please.
Le voy a repetir la información…         I am going to repeat that back to you...   

Avoid asking for general repetition using "¿Qué?" and "¿Cómo?" That tends to frustrate both parties and cause the communication to break down rather than improving the exchange of information.

Try this at work!!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

email etiquette

An earlier post covered the appropriate greetings and closing for business correspondence in Spanish.

But before sending a business email to ask someone for information, STOP and ask yourself, "is there another way I can get this information?"

Is it online?

Is it in a document you have or have access to?

Will you see a friend or colleague in the near future who can give you that information?

In a professional context, an employer won't want to walk you through every single task--especially if it involves information that is readily available elsewhere precisely because so many people need that information so often.

Likewise, an employer isn't going to want to work side-by-side with you on everything, thus burning two man hours for every task that only requires one.