Harper College’s Corporate Services Department will introduce employers on Friday to its new program for teaching workplace Spanish skills.
Command Spanish focuses on the language needed in specific lines of work, said Marti Rizman, manager of the Palatine community college’s Workforce English as a Special Language and Basic Skills program.
“You’re not learning [the names of] fruits and vegetables unless you’re a grocer,” Rizman said. “It’s a customized program where you learn the relevant vocabulary you need to get the job done.”
Rizman said the course was developed by two PhDs “who were fed up with traditional foreign language methodology because people studied Spanish for years and were still not able to speak it at their jobs.”
Command Spanish Inc., with headquarters in Petal, Miss., is a leading provider of customized Spanish language and cross-cultural programs, Rizman said.
The classes are taught on-site, and schedules can be tailored.
The seminar, Command Spanish Training, will focus on four areas: law enforcement, education, health care and the hospitality industry.
For public safety personnel such as police and firefighters, Rizman said, these skills can help save lives. In the private sector, they help businesses appeal to a growing Spanish-speaking market.
The seminar will be held from 8 to 11 a.m. in the Student and Administration Center of Harper College, 1200 W. Algonquin Rd., Palatine. The cost is $25.
For more information, call 847-925-6701 or 847-925-6703, or e-mail Rizman at mrizman@harper.cc.il.us.
