A fun and useful activity for learning Spanish verb tenses; have Shakira help you out with planning an easy classroom activity: Spanish Teachers – Don’t let practicing Spanish verb tenses …
Shakira Teaches Spanish Verbs: Future Tense and Gerunds Read More »
Learning a new language can always be tricky; some of the most embarrassing scenarios include these common Spanish-English translation mistakes: Whether or not you travel abroad this summer, chances are …
One dust sandwich, please, discussing some common translation mistakes Read More »
Doing business with Latinos in another country or first-generation Latino businesses here in the States? Let’s talk about business and Latino culture: See if this scenario rings a bell: You …
Re: Still waiting for your reply…business and Latino culture Read More »
Having trouble motivating students? Getting ready to send your graduating Spanish students off to college and into the world – hoping that they’ll continue their language studies? For a lot …
Motivating students- Connecting to Spanish in the “real world” Read More »
Medical Spanish Commands: Getting the Imperative Right in a Medical Setting Ever found yourself fumbling for the right way to tell your Spanish-speaking patients to do something, and end up …
I’m going to study abroad in Latin America! What now? Once you’ve made the decision to study abroad, what you do in the months leading up to your departure can …
Top 5 ways to prepare for study abroad in Latin America Read More »
What the 2010 US census numbers might (not) mean… The 2010 US Census received a huge amount of publicity, and along with it, projections about the Hispanic population – the …
Making sense of the 2010 US Census: Hispanic population projections Read More »
Over the past six weeks, fifteen healthcare professionals from Colorado traveled to Costa Rica with Common Ground’s Spring 2010 Medical Mission. They lived with Costa Rican families, studied Medical Spanish, …
Notes from the field: Practicing medicine in Costa Rica Read More »
Use one of the easiest tunes to remember the tricky irregular preterite tense Irregular preterite tense can be difficult for many students. We all know that remembering the lyrics to …
Sing your verbs: Teaching the irregular preterite tense Read More »
Formal Spanish Greetings- Getting Started Whether you’re traveling to Costa Rica with us this summer or working with Latinos in your own community, properly greeting and conversing with the people …
Out of the classroom and into the world: Formal Spanish greetings Read More »
As the Latino population in the United States grows, no business, sector, or industry remains unaffected by this huge demographic. While many businesses are adapting to and marketing to Latinos …
Basics of medical Spanish: Why the names of medical professions can be tricky… One of the first topics we cover in our Medical Spanish courses is las profesiones – …
Medical Spanish Professions: Just call me Doctor Read More »
Spanish Immersion in Costa Rica and the 5 C’s of Foreign Language Education The 5 C’s of Foreign Language Education have been developed by ACTFL as the national standard for …
Spanish Immersion and the 5 C’s of Foreign Language Education Read More »
Informal Spanish greetings If you’re traveling to Costa Rica with Common Ground this spring or summer, you’ll be greeted a lot of different ways by Ticos (Costa Ricans). Greeting people …
Beyond Hola: Spanish Greetings in Costa Rica (and beyond) Read More »
Simplify your medical Spanish with these verbs! Medical parlance is laden with very specific, nuanced verbs, which often trip up our Medical Spanish students – even at the higher levels. …
Overarching ideas in Latino culture Whether or not you do business internationally, chances are you work with Latinos in some capacity, be they clients, employees, or colleagues, and therefore deal …
From Personalismo to Confianza: Building relationships and Latino Culture Read More »
The internet is full of Spanish teacher resources. Interactive quizzes and printable worksheets abound, but here are some of our favorites that serve 5 distinctly different purposes: 1. Word Reference.com: …
What’s in store for High School Spanish students who stick with the language…stay on that path bilingual students! Start studying Spanish in high school – and stick with it – …
Ok, so I take another grammar quiz…then what? Tips for aspiring bilingual students Read More »
In our Top 10 Beginner Medical Spanish Errors, we looked at some of the most common errors our students make at the Beginning I level. Here´s another round of common …
If you’ve ever had trouble saying “for” in Spanish, you’re not alone! Let’s talk about por vs. para: The key to understanding por vs. para is to think of the …
Let’s talk medical Spanish. What is the best word to use? There are many medical Spanish words and phrases that can stump a medical professional. Some words that have similar …
Can you help us help the under-served in Costa Rica for our medical missions? Each year Common Ground International leads a medical mission in Costa Rica for student and professional …
Spanish Resources Online: Supplement your Spanish Learning! Whether you want to follow international news, work on your pronunciation, or just find the right Spanish word, here are a few online …
Spanish Resources Online: Where to get your daily dose of Spanish Read More »
Day of the Dead- A celebration of loved ones who have passed on The Day of the Dead, El día de los muertos, is one of Mexico’s most important holidays. …
Abbreviations for texting in Spanish Ever wonder how to spice up your text messages with some Spanish abbreviations? Here are a few to help you stay on the cutting edge …
Medical Spanish Mistakes: Avoid these common Errors! Everyone makes mistakes, especially when learning a new language!Hopefully your Spanish mistakes have given you and your pacientes a few laughs.Here are the …
Cultural Values: Working with Latinos When we talked about agreeableness in the medical setting, we saw how the “cultural taboo against expressing negative feelings directly” translated into misunderstandings and ultimately, …
Making a connection with Latino clients and consumers Since we started our blog, we’ve addressed cultural issues that arise with both Latino patients and employees across many industries. We have …
Working with Latinos and how to be a successful manager: Over the years, we’ve spoken with a number of non-Latinos who manage Latino employees, but one of the most striking …
Have you lost touch with your Medical Spanish classmates? Find Common Ground on Facebook for information about upcoming classes, trips, social events, as well as cultural information, news from Latin …
Working with Latinos: Understanding Culture and High-Risk Industries Although workplace safety requirements are generally far more comprehensive in the U.S. than in Latin America, accidents still happen in high-risk industries …
Potential drawbacks of using bilingual employees as interpreters So far we’ve discussed the intricacies of working with Latino patients in the medical setting, but many of the same language obstacles …
Latino Culture- Personalismo Last week we explored the cultural basis of latino agreeableness and its effects in the medical setting. We mentioned that the rate of patient compliance can be …
Understanding Latino Culture: Agreeableness As with the cleaning staff manager we wrote about a few weeks ago, the topic of agreeableness comes up a lot with our Medical Spanish students …
Latino Culture and Agreeableness in a Medical Setting Read More »
Latino Patients: Understanding the Family and Latino Culture “Why are there so many people in the room?” is a question often asked by our medical Spanish students when talking about …
U.S. Latino, Chicano, Hispanic? Latinos are the second largest ethnic group in the United States, and about 61% of U.S. Latinos were foreign-born. This means that as of last year, …
U.S Latinos: Where does communication break down? Read More »
Cross-Cultural Communication with Latinos Having interacted with people of many other cultures, we’ve seen that often the true stumbling block in relating to people of another culture isn’t just lack …
Who is Common Ground International and what do we do? Common Ground International, LLC is a Colorado-based company that strives to provide high quality Spanish and English Language services to …
Welcome to the Common Ground International Blog! Read More »
