If your company is considering Spanish classes, I have a small homework assignment. Before we talk about a textbook, write down a few things your team wanted to say in Spanish this week.
Maybe a supervisor needed to explain a schedule change. Someone wanted to welcome a new coworker. A manager had a question about a delivery and couldn't quite get the conversation started.
Bring those examples. They give an instructor much more to work with than a request to teach ‘business Spanish.’
A few real conversations
Start with ordinary exchanges that happen often. Who is speaking? What do they need to explain? What might the other person ask in return?
For example, announcing that a meeting has moved is only half the exchange. The employee may need to ask where it will be, whether the time has changed, or who should attend. A useful lesson gives people practice on both sides of that conversation.
This is also where listening practice matters. Learning to say a sentence is encouraging. Understanding the reply takes practice too.
The words your company actually uses
Bring a blank form, a photo of the work area, or a short list of department names and common terms. Use materials that are appropriate to share with the instructor and leave out confidential employee or customer information.
A word that looks obvious on paper can mean something very specific at your company. Your instructor needs that context. If everyone calls a particular area ‘the annex,’ the lesson should help participants recognize and use the term they'll hear at work.
A small set of useful materials is enough to begin. You don't need to send over the entire operations manual.
An honest starting point
Some participants may remember Spanish from school. Others may use a little every day. Some may be starting with hello.
Let the instructor know. Placement and early practice help us understand what people can already do, where they need help, and whether the group belongs together. Nobody benefits from sitting through a class that's too easy or feeling lost in one that moves too quickly.
It's also worth asking people what makes them hesitant to speak. Pronunciation? Following a quick reply? Not knowing how to ask someone to repeat something? Those are useful things to work on.
Room on the calendar
Choose a time participants can realistically attend, whether the class is onsite or live online. Then make room for a little practice between sessions. A supervisor who learns a greeting on Tuesday should have a chance to use it before the next class.
Keep the expectations sensible. A beginner course can help with familiar, everyday communication. Completing it doesn't qualify someone to interpret a sensitive conversation or handle every question that comes their way.
At Workplace Languages, we build Spanish classes around the people attending and the work they do. If you're thinking about a course, send us a few examples of the conversations you'd like your team to have. That's a very good place to start.
