Not only is it frustrating, but the time lost and energy expended to keep everyone on the same page certainly takes its toll on morale and efficiency on the job. Speaking English well enough to understand and perform job functions is essential.

Many workers speak English on some level already because they are living and working in an English environment. However, the everyday mistakes they make in both reading and speaking English continue to interrupt daily work functions. You would never know because what you observe are signs of understanding (like nodding heads) that on the surface make you think that everyone knows what they have to do on the job. In reality, many of your international workers may need help communicating with their supervisors the problems and questions they are experiencing.

Most professionals and laborers could benefit greatly from a workplace English class because they are designed specifically to improve their English on the job and help them speak English in their workplace setting. Here are just a few reasons why an English literacy program could be beneficial for your company:

• English continues to be our primary language, and the ability to speak English properly is crucial for the well-being of any company employing people from different areas of the world. This is particularly true as we move further into the world of technology.
• Misunderstandings among employees and supervisors can cause strife, open the door for workplace accidents, and stir up needless labor problems.
• Personnel lacking English language skills can cause critical losses of time, money, and worst of all, YOUR CUSTOMERS!

Customers tell us all the time that they are a company that does “x”, they’re not a language school. This is 100% true, and this is exactly why they love working with Common Ground for their professional English classes. We don’t approach language like a college class, and we don’t think your staff needs to be fluent in English to do a good job at work.

We specialize in helping your staff improve their practical English skills and to speak English with enough proficiency to get the job done well. We customize our professional English classes. We tend to recommend 30hr courses spread out over 3-6 months time so that classes are not burdensome.

Contact us! We’d love to hear about your business and how we can help you.

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Every language student wants a good resource for that quick translation to help you communicate your thought perfectly.  The good news is that there are plenty of options. Unfortunately the go-to resource for may people is an online translator.

Much more than a dictionary – this is the ultimate reference tool!

Instead of a translator, probably what you’re looking for is a solid dictionary.  While online translators like Google Translate are getting better, they tend to miss out on the context that you’re speaking in – which can make a big difference.

 

It would be a mistake to assume that English terms that fit a variety of unrelated contexts will necessarily translate to 1 term in Spanish as well. Consider the word “back” in English.   We use “back” in a variety of contexts (body part, part of a chair, a location within a room or space, etc.).  A translator doesn’t ask for context – it just gives a translation.  In the case of “back” it could produce espalda, respaldo, fondo, etc.  A good dictionary will provide great contextual clues to help you select the right word for your context.  To be fair, Google Translate is providing some additional words, but the context in English is weaker than some others.  

Here is our list of the best free Spanish/English & English/Spanish dictionaries online:

1. Wordreference
2. SpanishDict
3. Larousse

If you’re looking for a traditional Spanish dictionary (to provide definitions in Spanish), try out this resource:

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It’s important to get your Spanish translation right the first time.  Since your document is a representation of you or your company (and you can’t personally vouch for the Spanish version of your document), it’s a good idea to make sure that your Spanish document is translated correctly by a qualified Spanish translator.  Here are 3 tips to help you have a successful Spanish translation:

1. Know who your target audience.  Often it’s easy to forget about your target audience when you’re focusing on conveying the information that you want to get across, but it’s important.  A professional translator will translate your document in the same register (or “language level” – which relates to educational level) that your source document is written.  If your target audience for your English document is the same demographic as your target audience for your second language document, then you’re fine.  If not, you’ll want to revise your English document first before contracting it out to be translated.
2. Never rely on bilingual office staff.  Unless you’re translating a personal note or non-business related document, never use your bilingual office staff.  Professional translation is a combination of extremely high language skills and the art of negotiating meaning in two languages.  Translating is a professional skill that few people do well.  Being bilingual is definitely a requirement of being a good translator, but bilingualism certainly doesn’t qualify someone to translate for you.  We see interesting translations all of the time, many of which were completed by a bilingual “friend,” and not a professional.  If your document is important enough to have been edited and proofread in English – you probably need a professional translator.
3. It’s always a plus if the person managing the project for you has some experience with the target language and culture.  This helps keep you well informed on the project, and they can help educate you of any possible cultural considerations with respect to your document.

Common Ground International has a team of certified translators ready to work on your next Spanish Translation project.  We offer great customer service at competitive rates.  Learn more about working with Common Ground on your next translation project.

Contact us for a quote on your next Spanish translation project!

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The Winter 2013 Intermediate Medical Spanish class schedule for Colorado is set – classes begin the week of January 28, 2013!

Find the level and schedule of courses that best fits your needs!

See 2013 class schedule

The post 2013 Intermediate Medical Spanish Classes appeared first on .

The Winter 2013 Medical Spanish schedule for Colorado is set – classes begin the week of January 28, 2013!

Find the level and schedule of courses that best fits your needs!

See 2013 class schedule

The post 2013 Beginning Medical Spanish Schedule appeared first on .

A large majority of the Spanish-speaking population around the world celebrates Navidad (in lieu of Hanukkah or Kwanzaa) – but for many it is a very different celebration that what  you might expect.  It turns out that your Christmas traditions might be more culture-specific than you think!

…..

Christmas Tradition #1: Las Posadas

Basic Facts:

Las Posadas is a 9-day tradition (remembering 9 months of pregnancy) that remembers and reenacts that night in Bethlehem when Mary and Joseph were looking for a place to stay and there was no room for them anywhere in town except that humble stable.  Una Posada is an inn or lodge in Spanish.  And if you’re pidiendo posada, you’re looking for a place to stay – lodging.

Las Posadas is celebrated by Spanish speakers in Spain and all over Latin America. Neighbors get together every evening in the streets and form a procession while singing and knocking on neighbor’s doors.  Each neighbor answers their door and turns them away until the final house realizes that they are the holy family and accepts them in with excitement. Conveniently, this is the house in the neighborhood that is hosting the party as well.

Christmas eve is the final Posada reenactment which is followed by midnight  mass and Christmas on the next day.

Decent Resources:

Good YouTube video for young children (in English):

Good YouTube video for the Posadas Song sung during the reenactment (video and lyrics in Spanish):

…..

Christmas Tradition #2: Los Tres Reyes

Basic Facts:

El día de los 3 Reyes Magos is celebrated on January 6th every year.  This is the traditional gift giving time both in Spain and Latin America, and coincides with the idea that the 3 Wise Men came to worship baby Jesus and give him gifts after he was born.

The Santa Claus tradition is gaining ground of course, and there is currently a shift in culture to celebrate Christmas day instead of 3 Reyes, but 3 Reyes is still central to the Christmas holiday in Spanish speaking countries.  Much like North American children writing letters to Santa, children in Spain and Latin America write letters to the 3 Wise Men, or their favorite one: Gaspar, Melchor, or Baltasar.

Decent Resources:

• Inside-Mexico: Background information on 3 Reyes
• Historia y Festejo en yaia.com

…..

Christmas Tradition #3: Tamales

Basic Facts:

What do you eat at your Christmas dinner?  Maybe turkey, ham, prime rib, lamb?  All throughout Central and South America, people eat tamales.  North and south of the tropics, tamales tend to be wrapped in corn husks, but in the tropics they’re wrapped in banana leaves.

Tamales in banana leaves

Tamales in corn husks

Decent Resources:

Here are some recipes: Mexican Christmas recipes, Kids recipes, Spanish Christmas Recipes.

¡Feliz Navidad!

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Our online Spanish tutors are ready to work with you!

Common Ground International has recently invested in an online Spanish tutoring system to provide extra contact time with professional Spanish instructors from Central America.

The benefits are obvious:

1. Convenience:
   • You don’t need to drive anywhere
   • No one has to come into your home
   • You can schedule your sessions when they fit your schedule
   • You can log in from your computer, smartphone, or tablet
2. Professional Instruction:
   • All of our tutors have worked with Common Ground International in the past – some of them even teach at our Spanish Immersion Programs in Costa Rica
   • Common Ground makes sure that our tutors are familiar with the latest trends and teaching methodologies and curricular goals for Spanish students
3. Affordability:
   • It’s very difficult to find a high quality Spanish tutor for $20/hr in a live session.  Part of the reason we started this service is that we can’t meet with someone personally for less than $50/hr – and this just isn’t affordable for the bulk of our clientele.
   • What you can probably find for our $20/hr rate locally is a person who you don’t know (who is probably very bilingual) and who may not be well trained in teaching Spanish as a 2nd language.
   • We are super excited to offer high-quality instruction to our clients at such an affordable rate!

Get to know our online Spanish tutors:

Nathalie:

Nathalie has extensive experience teaching Spanish as a foreign language for more than 9 years at all levels from beginners to advanced students. She has taught at many leading Spanish schools in Central America (mainly Costa Rica and Belize, but also in the USA) and has years of experience with students wishing to learn Spanish for leisure or business purposes. Nathalie is used to teaching both groups and privately as well.  She has a college degree in Education, and since graduating she has continued her professional education to ensure that she is up to date on the latest and most effective language teaching methods; which has helped her become a fabulous Spanish teacher.  Here is brief message from Nathalie:

“Once I started teaching I discovered what’s really important for communication: talking and interaction. I realize that many teachers and schools add a lot of grammar subjects, but it doesn’t always help you to communicate. So I decided to be part of this new course online with the SpanishTutorNetwork.  If you are studying and you need to learn Spanish quickly, you don’t have to travel a long distance or waste a lot of money, you can learn with me now online from the comfort of your own home!  I specialize in helping people learn quickly and efficiently so you can master the Spanish language; and my students love me.  I hope you’ll join me for an online Spanish class soon!”

Rosben:

Hi!  My name is Rosben and I am originally from Mexico City. I was born and raised in the big city but at 20 years old I moved to Xalapa, Veracruz which is where I call home. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to many countries in the world throughout my life as student and as a professional. I found traveling a very fascinating activity, which has given me the chance to meet interesting people and see interesting places while learning about other cultures and languages. I am a very easy-going person and enjoy whatever life has to offer. I also like reading and writing, going for walks, watching movies and above all spending time with good friends. I also have a great love for music and I’ve been able to take singing classes and participate in amateur choirs. I love music because I believe it gives us strength and nurtures our soul.

I studied languages and technology education and I have been involved in exchange programs and the teaching of ESL and SFL and Mexican culture for 8 years. These are activities I enjoy doing and hope to continue doing them for a while. I’d love to work with you – book a session with me!

Ana Lorena:

My name is Ana Lorena.  I live in Costa Rica, Central America.  I studied at the National University in Heredia, Costa Rica, and got my degree as a teacher in English and Spanish as a second language.

I have experience teaching for 20 years in both languages.  I enjoying meeting different cultures around the world and getting to know many different people. I love to read a lot, listen to music and walking in the mountains.  I also like to enjoy a cup of Costa Rican coffee.

My methodology is teaching conversational language to bridge communication, without leaving behind the grammar as the basis of learning.  I’d love to be your teacher, share my country, our language, culture and customs with you – maybe even in person someday!

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Practical and low-hassle Spanish class activities

Whether you’re a Feliz Navidad or Felices Fiestas person, it’s nice to do some special activities around the holidays in your classroom; the trick is pulling it off in a meaningful and low-hassle way. 

Christmas Spanish Class Activity 1: Las Posadas

Basic Facts:

Las Posadas is a 9-day tradition (remembering 9 months of pregnancy) that remembers and reenacts that night in Bethlehem when Mary and Joseph were looking for a place to stay and there was no room for them anywhere in town except that humble stable.  Una Posada is an inn or lodge in Spanish.  And if you’re pidiendo posada, you’re looking for a place to stay – lodging.  Las Posadas is celebrated by Spanish speakers in Spain and all over Latin America. Neighbors get together every evening in the streets and form a procession while singing and knocking on neighbor’s doors.  Each neighbor answers their door and turns them away until at the final house realizes that they are the holy family and accepts them in with excitement. Conveniently, this is the house in the neighborhood that is hosting the party as well.  Christmas eve is the final Posada reenactment which is followed by midnight  mass and Christmas on the next day.

Decent Resources:

Good YouTube video for young children (in English):

Good YouTube video for the Posadas Song sung during the reenactment (video and lyrics in Spanish):

Spanish Classroom Activity:

Have your students study the lyrics, practice singing it, and reenact Las Posadas in your classroom!  Maybe some of your other colleagues will want to join in the fun and you can have a joint class party after you’ve paraded down the Spanish hall at school knocking on classroom doors and getting turned away.

Christmas Spanish Class Activity 2: Los Tres Reyes

Basic Facts:

El día de los 3 Reyes Magos is celebrated on January 6th every year.  This is the traditional gift giving time both in Spain and Latin America, and coincides with the idea that the 3 Wise Men came to worship baby Jesus and give him gifts after he was born.  The Santa Claus tradition is gaining ground of course, and there is currently a shift in culture to celebrate Christmas day instead of 3 Reyes, but 3 Reyes is still central to the Christmas holiday in Spanish speaking countries.  Much like North American children writing letters to Santa, children in Spain and Latin America write letters to the 3 Wise Men, or their favorite one: Gaspar, Melchor, or Baltasar.

Decent Resources:

• Inside-Mexico: Background information on 3 Reyes
• Historia y Festejo en yaia.com

Spanish Classroom Activity idea:

Have your students write a letter to one of the 3 kings presenting their wish list for Jan 6th.  Here are some things you could include:

• Of course proper letter formatting would be part of the assignment
• They can plead their case for how good they’ve been (using present perfect to make general statements and preterit to give specific examples of how good they’ve been)
• They can use quisiera as an alternative to me gustaría
• They can use some si clauses with subjunctive to talk about what they would do with this new item they’re requesting

Christmas Spanish Class Activity 3: Tamales

Basic Facts:

What do you eat at your Christmas dinner?  Maybe turkey, ham, prime rib, lamb?  All throughout Central and South America, people eat tamales.  North and south of the tropics, tamales tend to be wrapped in corn husks, but in the tropics they’re wrapped in banana leaves.

Tamales in banana leaves

Tamales in corn husks

Decent Resources:

Here are some recipes: Mexican Christmas recipes, Kids recipes, Spanish Christmas Recipes.

Spanish Classroom Activity idea:

1. Okay, so this one clearly doesn’t meet the low-hassle Spanish class activity test – but it could be yummy!  MAKE TAMALES!
2. A little more manageable maybe – have them cook something at home and throw a lunch fiesta in class!  Could be a great extra credit class activity?
3. A little less exciting maybe, but if you’ve been studying food, (or have any need to give your students practice with the folleto tipo de texto) have your students put together a Christmas Menu.  You could make them go as deep as you like (down to nutritional content of the meal, etc).

As winter break approaches, don’t forget to make some time to aprovechar the season and integrate culture into some of your Spanish class activities.

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A brief excerpt from Wikipedia:

Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it is a national holiday, and all banks are closed. The celebration takes place on November 1, in connection with the Catholic holidays ofAll Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave possessions of the deceased.

To view the full post: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead

Review some Day of the Dead key vocabulary & watch this video in Spanish!

Preguntas de comprensión y/o conversación:

1. ¿Quién celebra el día de los muertos? ¿Por qué se celebra?
2. ¿Cómo se celebra?
3. ¿Cómo son las imágenes de la muerte (las calacas y las calaveras)?
4. ¿Qué es una ofrenda? ¿Para qué se ponen?
5. ¿Qué hace la gente en el cementerio?
6. ¿Si tú celebraras día de los muertos en tu familia, a quién recordarías y qué pondrías en la ofrenda?

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For the past 10 months Common Ground has been evaluating its international medical work in Costa Rica. Our self-evaluation started as we came across some interesting articles on the ethical challenges of providing medical care abroad. While we feel good about our record of medical care and outreach in Costa Rica over the years, it’s been rewarding to research current ethical standards, evaluate our programs, and project forward to define the nature of our medical work in Costa Rica for the long run.

We’ve landed on 3 essential components of responsible and ethical medical work abroad, and we will use these principles to guide our international medical work in the future:

1. Preparation: it seems obvious, but the more prepared you are before embarking on international medical work, the less likely you are to create risks for yourself and your target population.  This includes proper preparation for all aspects of your medical work abroad.  Some of the most important categories of preparation for our programs are:
   • Sharpening your own Spanish language skills (and your understanding of the local culture)
   • Gaining an understanding of the target community’s unique situation, health and healthcare priorities and unmet needs
   • Understanding the standards of care, available treatment options, and the “realities” with respect to follow-up and access to care
2. Integration: the nature of short term medical work abroad is that you have a team of people providing services infrequently throughout the year.  We have to be integrated into a current system or at least be collaborating with a local organization that has a year-round presence in the target community to provide continuity for the population we are working with. Medical work performed apart from local organizations who can work with our patients when we’re not present will leave patients without proper follow-up care.  This idea of integration necessarily includes:
   • Proper supervision by local professionals
   • Taking into consideration the local treatment norms and options when counseling patients
   • Evaluation of the outreach activities from the local organizations we partner with to make sure that our activities help support the larger goals for the community
3. Respect for Individual Patients: medical work and community outreach abroad require the same level of respect and professionalism as outreach and care you provide back home. Some specific examples for our programs in Costa Rica include:
   • Always using appropriate medications (must be within their expiration date and indicated for a current problem)
   • Never practicing without supervision (for students and trainees) nor outside of one’s competence
   • Focusing on the patient with the well known patient-centered care principles that include confidentiality, respect and humanism.

The goal of our Medical Spanish Immersion Programs are to improve our participants’ Spanish language skills while we responsibly meet the needs of certain marginalized populations in Costa Rica.  It requires strong partnerships in target communities and careful planning to ensure that our short term medical work is both helpful and sustainable.

For a more in-depth view into our guiding principles for medical work abroad, read our full Mission Statement.

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