Reasons not to learn Spanish

[Caitilin]

I :001_wub: Ester Maria.

 

The article is racist and laughable.:confused::lol::glare::confused::lol: :glare:

 

That's all.

[arghmatey]

Offensive and ignorant.

 

I'm Mexican-American and live in Texas. Spanish is at the bottom of our language list, but it's still on the list. It will be studied as intensely as all other languages in our school.

[pbt1294]

I have heard that to be more competitive in the world at large that Chinese would be more beneficial to learn than say, Spanish, but this dude is NOT RIGHT IN THE HEAD!:001_huh:

[Mimm]

Spanish is an inflected language.

 

Right, someone else pointed that out. :) I was mistaken.

[msk]

I live in Arizona too, and I just wanted to mention that every Spanish speaking immigrant I have ever met would LOVE to speak English fluently. Everyone knows it opens doors to better jobs and more opportunities. I have met six-year-olds who were the primary translators for their families, and those families were PROUD of them. Those parents knew that without English their own opportunities were limited; they were so, so happy their kids were getting a chance at a better life, and speaking English was a big part of that.

 

Many people can't afford to pay for English classes, or the time off from work and family obligations to attend. The jobs one can get in the US without speaking English do not pay well, and many people desperately want to send money to needy family members back home, so they don't have extra money for things like classes. I have never met a Spanish speaking immigrant living here who "didn't feel like" learning English, but have met MANY who would probably give their right arm to do so.

 

That website is stupid and racist. Maybe if more of us learned Spanish, we'd actually be able to talk with our Spanish-speaking neighbors and find our way out of some damaging stereotypes.

[Sevilla]

I can speak directly to the issue of immgrants learning English. I teach English to immigrants and let me tell you their issues (many of which we do not acknowledge as significant barriers to learning):

 

1. They are working hard at 1-2 manual labor jobs (long hours/tires out the body) PLUS have families with spouses and children (their children learn English and are fluent in it - and also encourage their parents to learn it better).

 

2. IF their job has consistent hours (and many don't - the hours vary each week which makes attending classes challenging), it is an additional burden on them (and time away from their children/spouses) to come to school a few days a week for classes, not to mention finding the time to complete homework for them. My students are physically and mentally tired by the time we're out of class at 10pm at night, and that is after they put in a full day's work in their regular jobs. They're working 40-50 hours a week plus 6-8 hours of class a week - that is a lot to manage. And learning English takes a solid 3-5 years of classes. How many adults do you know who can put kind of time and effort in consistently for years at a time? Do any of you remember how fatiguing intensive language study is (I certainly do - and I did it as a full-time student).

 

3. Barriers to learning even when they can overcome the two prior issues: Two significant issue:

A. Their education in their home country was less than stellar. Many have an 8th grade education. The weakness in their educational skills makes learning English 10x as hard as for my students who are immigrants with a college education (who generally pick up the language quickly and advance to fluency quickly). The difference in proficiency between educational levels is readily apparent. I have seen many students who had to leave school 20 years ago in their home country as a 13 year old b/c their family couldn't afford school fees, or the teacher wasn't paid and left, or b/c they couldn't get transportation to the school that was miles away, or they had to work to support their family, or they were married at age 15 and started having babies, etc... Losing years of educational training we take for granted stunts your future educational prospects, b/c you have to make up the lost gaps (or don't even know you have them in the first place).

 

B. Limited contact with the native American community. American culture is generally not open to foreigners relationally. We'll smile and say 'hi', but we don't talk to our neighbors beyond that. If you don't speak English already, you're probably not going to be working with other English speakers - you'll find a job in your native language, which keeps you in the 'only speak your native language' loop. I have heard my students talk again and again about how challenging it is to meet friends who are English-speaking when they're not b/c of the cultural differences. If you don't get opportunities to practice your language, you won't grow in it. But finding opportunities can be challenging, especially when you don't know it to begin with. It becomes a self-reinforcing cycle. Have any of you been expats in a foreign country? How often were you with the expat community vs. immersed in the native culture? If you don't have an organization introducing you to it, it's difficult to break into IME.

 

Just some thoughts... My great-grandparents spoke broken English, but they made sure their children spoke proper English. They lived in ethnic enclaves, but their children moved into mainstream American society. Do you seriously know 2nd generation immigrants who do not know English? I don't - it's generally only the parents who haven't learned it or those who immigrated as teens. It just so happens that we have a lot of 'first generation' immigrants in our society right now which skews perceptions a bit IMO.

Edited April 1, 2011 by Sevilla

[Ohdanigirl]

Yuck.

 

I don't even want to say all the other things that are rolling around in my head.

 

Danielle

[iona]

I can speak directly to the issue of immgrants learning English. I teach English to immigrants and let me tell you their issues (many of which we do not acknowledge as significant barriers to learning):

 

 

 

thanks for sharing your insight:)

 

and Esther Maria, thanks for ripping the article in question apart:D

[helena]

Yuck.

 

I don't even want to say all the other things that are rolling around in my head.

 

Danielle

 

:iagree:

I keep typing things up and then erasing them. I'd like to say a few things in English and Spanish, all of which would probably get me banned!!

What a pig-

Edited April 1, 2011 by helena

[helena]

Personally, I am for learning a foreign language (ANY foreign language). HOWEVER, in the Southwest here, and evidently more and more throughout the US, we, as an English-speaking nation, seem to be bending over backward to coddle those Spanish-speaking immigrants who refuse to learn the native language here. And I do not agree with that! Do you see the US bending over backward to make sure that everything, every label, includes not only the notes in English but in French/German/Gaelic/Dutch/Russian/etc? You get my point. If we were to immigrate to another country, in order to carry on day to day activities, it would behoove us to learn the language of that country.

 

It seems that the author(s) of that site do have a bit of a skewed perspective. However, I can understand the frustration of dealing with people on a daily basis who refuse to learn the native language!

 

(Stepping off of soapbox now . . . )

 

A bit skewed??

[JadeOrchidSong]

As a Native American I would object to English, Spanish or both being adopted as official languages.

 

Until people can speak Cherokee, Algonquin or Sioux I really don't understand the complaints about offering some materials in other languages.

Good point!!!!

[laundrycrisis]

Maybe if more of us learned Spanish, we'd actually be able to talk with our Spanish-speaking neighbors and find our way out of some damaging stereotypes.

 

This is exactly why I want our kids to become comfortable with Spanish, even though I can only read a little of it myself, and not converse (but I want to). We share a community with people who are more comfortable with this language. Wouldn't it be nice for us to be able to talk with them ?

[stripe]

I have never met a Spanish speaking immigrant living here who "didn't feel like" learning English, but have met MANY who would probably give their right arm to do so.

People are under the impression that:

1) All illegal immigrants are Mexicans who crossed over the border. Not those who, say, overstayed their tourist visas.

2) Immigrants (legal) are showered with free goodies by the US. I've read this in several threads.

3) No one in other countries speak a word of English. Let me assure you, MANY people in very isolated locations can speak at least a little, to carry on a brief conversation.

4) Americans have a reputation for learning languages wherever they move?

5) Isn't the reason Mexicans speak Spanish to begin with, a sign that their ancestors were willing to learn another language? Indians who speak English, Cote d'Ivoirians who speak French, and yes, Mexicans who speak Spanish are all billboards for the idea of cultural accomodation on the part of people from less wealthy nations.

6) Almost everyone on earth besides a segment of English speaking Americans understands that you really can learn another language without giving up your own identity or ceasing to be a native speaker of your mother tongue. It's really okay to learn Spanish. Nothing awful will happen to you.

 

For God's sake, some of the most racist people on earth have learned another language, to better facilitate their ideas of dominating and conquering other people. People in times past marched to very isolated parts of the world to preach their religion. English is spoken in many places by many people. We are not under linguistic threat!

[Lovedtodeath]

Día de tontos de abril? Por favor? Tengo la esperanza.

[unsinkable]

As a Native American I would object to English, Spanish or both being adopted as official languages.

 

Until people can speak Cherokee, Algonquin or Sioux I really don't understand the complaints about offering some materials in other languages.

 

Just curious...so do you think the U.S. should not adopt an official language?

[AmericanMom]

 

I lived in Germany for 3 years. It was VERY difficult for me to find someone to speak German with me. I wanted to learn, but all my neighbors just wanted to speak English with me. They did not want to deal with my painfully slow, butchered German! I would go into a store and try to speak German and they would take one look at me and say, "I speak English, how can I help you?" It was really frustrating. And, except for a few handy phrases and words, pretty much everywhere I went I was given the option of English: banks, offices, stores, etc. It's hard to learn a language, even when you want to, when your own language is all around.

 

I guess I'm just saying, it isn't just Americans! And it did make me think twice about automatically addressing someone in another language. Maybe they want to learn English but everyone is speaking Spanish to them, so how can they, without taking classes they may not have time or money or transportation for?

 

Just another perspective. And I didn't read the link, but the quotes alone are enough to let me know to stay away!

[stripe]

I lived in Germany for 3 years. It was VERY difficult for me to find someone to speak German with me. I wanted to learn, but all my neighbors just wanted to speak English with me.

Yes, the only ones of my in-laws who speak to me in their language are the ones who don't know English. Many people also want to talk to my bilingual kids in English. People just address me in English as a courtesy.

 

Maybe there should be a Latin-only homeschooling convention?

[Rivka]

Someone showed up on one of my e-mail lists recommending that website and asking if there were any others like it. Then she stayed around saying increasingly more blatantly racist things about Spanish speakers until she was banned. People on the list did some sleuthing and discovered that she, and the website, were linked to white supremacist groups.

 

This was a big tipoff right here:

Today only a small minority of Spanish speakers are European or of the European Diaspora. Most Spanish speakers today are Amerindian, Mestizo or Mulatto

 

"Don't learn Spanish because most people who speak it aren't white!" Niiiice.

 

As far as Spanish-speakers in the US and their English skills, everything that's said about them was said about my German- and Yiddish-speaking ancestors a hundred years ago. Right down to the part about having lower IQs. A hundred years ago, every major US city and a lot of the minor ones had at least one German-language newspaper, and there were hundreds of Swedish-language newspapers and magazines in the Midwest. There was a complete Yiddish theater district in New York City, and the New York Public Library had whole sections of Yiddish and Hebrew books.

 

People who had been here longer wrung their hands and worried about all these Germans, Jews, Swedes, Italians, etc. who weren't assimilating and wouldn't learn the language. Their complaints were exactly the same as the complaints we hear today.

[zookeeperof3]

I lived in Germany for 3 years. It was VERY difficult for me to find someone to speak German with me. I wanted to learn, but all my neighbors just wanted to speak English with me. They did not want to deal with my painfully slow, butchered German! I would go into a store and try to speak German and they would take one look at me and say, "I speak English, how can I help you?" It was really frustrating. And, except for a few handy phrases and words, pretty much everywhere I went I was given the option of English: banks, offices, stores, etc. It's hard to learn a language, even when you want to, when your own language is all around.

 

I guess I'm just saying, it isn't just Americans! And it did make me think twice about automatically addressing someone in another language. Maybe they want to learn English but everyone is speaking Spanish to them, so how can they, without taking classes they may not have time or money or transportation for?

 

Just another perspective. And I didn't read the link, but the quotes alone are enough to let me know to stay away!

AmericanMom, I had the exact same experience in Germany.Everyone wanted to practice their English on me! Even the menu's would have English side bars! Now France was another story altogether.

[mommymilkies]

I will limit my comments to saying I find that unbelievably racist and classist. I would not buy anything from them.

 

:iagree: That said, we've never encountered a situation where we need Spanish, but as we have plans to travel to France and Canada, French takes precedence for us.

[Lovedtodeath]

As far as Spanish-speakers in the US and their English skills, everything that's said about them was said about my German- and Yiddish-speaking ancestors a hundred years ago. Right down to the part about having lower IQs. A hundred years ago, every major US city and a lot of the minor ones had at least one German-language newspaper, and there were hundreds of Swedish-language newspapers and magazines in the Midwest. There was a complete Yiddish theater district in New York City, and the New York Public Library had whole sections of Yiddish and Hebrew books.

 

People who had been here longer wrung their hands and worried about all these Germans, Jews, Swedes, Italians, etc. who weren't assimilating and wouldn't learn the language. Their complaints were exactly the same as the complaints we hear today.

Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

[mommaduck]

Oh. my. word! I'm just gobsmacked!:glare:

 

I will limit my comments to saying I find that unbelievably racist and classist. I would not buy anything from them.

 

:iagree:

[mommaduck]

Personally, I am for learning a foreign language (ANY foreign language). HOWEVER, in the Southwest here, and evidently more and more throughout the US, we, as an English-speaking nation, seem to be bending over backward to coddle those Spanish-speaking immigrants who refuse to learn the native language here. And I do not agree with that! Do you see the US bending over backward to make sure that everything, every label, includes not only the notes in English but in French/German/Gaelic/Dutch/Russian/etc? You get my point. If we were to immigrate to another country, in order to carry on day to day activities, it would behoove us to learn the language of that country.

 

It seems that the author(s) of that site do have a bit of a skewed perspective. However, I can understand the frustration of dealing with people on a daily basis who refuse to learn the native language!

 

(Stepping off of soapbox now . . . )

 

Yep, just like the English speakers came here and were "coddled" instead of learning the Native Languages here :glare: Hiwonihi Tsalagi?

[amey311]

Día de tontos de abril? Por favor? Tengo la esperanza.

 

Buena suerte. /sarcasmo

 

As Rivka pointed out - it's "fear the brown people!" We have a healthy dose of that mentality here in the Southwest. :glare:

 

I wonder if the people behind the website care about how much "white" European blood might be in all those brown people, but that's never how it works, is it? The fact that so many people (those Amerindian, etc they mention) can trace their lineage back to Spanish and Portuguese explorers is irrelevant. They've got a drop of brown, so they're eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil. Nevermind that skin tone shouldn't factor into it at all.

 

I wonder how they feel about people learning Arabic?

[mommaduck]

As a Native American I would object to English, Spanish or both being adopted as official languages.

 

Until people can speak Cherokee, Algonquin or Sioux I really don't understand the complaints about offering some materials in other languages.

 

:iagree:Wado!

[mommaduck]

5) Do we study a language because it's useful or because we want to be like those who speak it? These seem totally separate and contradictory to me. (What's next -- don't study Greek, you'll turn gay?

 

:lol: No, you'll starting dancing in circles, fall in love with spanikopita and baklava, and open a restaurant or law firm ;)

[mommymilkies]

:lol: No, you'll starting dancing in circles, fall in love with spanikopita and baklava, and open a restaurant or law firm ;)

 

Yay! I just started learning Greek! :lol:

[mommaduck]

Did anyone read the disclaimer? I guess we are only supposed to study "our own" history? What if we are multi-ethnic (gasp! I'm guessing that's a sin to this guy?) But if "western" (aka white) history is "superior", then he wants one of two things...either keep others in ignorance or make them "white" (any Native American Boarding School horror stories coming to mind? Kill the Indian, save the man?)

 

Disclaimer: We respect diversity and the rich tapestry of various traditions. This is an occidental curriculum, highlighting the ancestral traditions of Europeans or those of the European Diaspora (e.g. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, U.S.A., etc.). We do not claim these this curriculum is necessarily the best, but merely the unique tradition of Westerners. For non-Westerners, there are other great-books curricula available. For example, for Asians, there are various Asian great-books programs; for people with ancestry from the Middle East and North Africa, various Arabic/Persian great-books programs; for Hispanics with ancestry from Mexico, and Central & South America, various Amerindian/Mestizo great-books programs; for those of African heritage, various African great-books programs; and for people with ancestry from India, various Indo-Dravidian great-books programs; etc. We leave it to others to develop non-Western classical curricula.

[Violet Crown]

 

Did anyone read the disclaimer? I guess we are only supposed to study "our own" history? What if we are multi-ethnic (gasp! I'm guessing that's a sin to this guy?) But if "western" (aka white) history is "superior", then he wants one of two things...either keep others in ignorance or make them "white" (any Native American Boarding School horror stories coming to mind? Kill the Indian, save the man?)

Yes, I actually found that final disclaimer far more revealing than the earlier racism. I know quite a few people who, quietly or out loud, share the site's views on Spanish/Spanish-speakers; but the "racial heritage is all" thing really narrows it down to a certain subset of scum.

[chiguirre]

This guy sounds like Samuel Huntington who conveniently forgot that Latin America is firmly part of the Western World no matter what color skin predominates or what economic development level has been achieved. When I studied philosophy in Venezuela, we read Plato and Aquinas (and Wittgenstein) just as you would in the US. When we studied literature, we started with Homer and the Bible. Spanish is just a highly evolved form of Latin and the vast majority of Latin Americans are Christian. How much more Western could you get?

[msk]

Someone showed up on one of my e-mail lists recommending that website and asking if there were any others like it. Then she stayed around saying increasingly more blatantly racist things about Spanish speakers until she was banned. People on the list did some sleuthing and discovered that she, and the website, were linked to white supremacist groups.

 

Thanks for posting this, I was really wondering where that site came from. A lot of what was written there (like the creepy "disclaimer" at the end) makes perfect sense now... Shudder...

[elegantlion]

Did anyone read the disclaimer? I guess we are only supposed to study "our own" history? What if we are multi-ethnic (gasp! I'm guessing that's a sin to this guy?) But if "western" (aka white) history is "superior", then he wants one of two things...either keep others in ignorance or make them "white" (any Native American Boarding School horror stories coming to mind? Kill the Indian, save the man?)

 

:svengo: Wow, we've really veered off tangent this year with our Asian Studies then.:tongue_smilie: No, Asian blood on either side of the family. I feel like such a rebel. :glare:

[stripe]

Chinese, Italian, German, Scandinavians, Polish, Japanese, and Irish as well, in generations past.

 

Not to mention the stuff with unnecessary commentary about black people (both Africans and African Americans) and Native Americans. Stuff which is still popular among some homeschoolers, because "we can explain that those people aren't really like that" (what happens if you ARE "those people"?) but anyway.

 

Yesterday I passed over an old book about Australia due to the weird discussion of "blackfellows." Yikes.

 

Fairly generally, Negro and Mexican children are assigned to the oldest school buildings. They are given the slimmest share of equipment and are often assigned to teachers who feel that having to work with them is an insult and an affront.

 

To such indignities are added open and subtle slurs encountered on the printed page.

 

Sara, poring over a story, reads about "little black Henry who took a watermelon from Farmer White's patch every day." Bill, engrossed in a tale of the South, reads of how Mandy says that "Uncle Joe was allays off by hissef, drinkin' cohn licker like all the other dahkies who were his frien's."

 

Textbooks in many schools contain distorted and stereotyped pictures of Negro life and character. Negroes are depicted as simple, childlike, and shiftless. The part they have played in American life is, on the whole, omitted, and their contributions to the arts, to the sciences, and their achievements in the professions are widely ignored.

 

Contacts with books, however, are cold compared to contacts with people. What friends, teachers, and parents say is far more intense and penetrating than what books say. But the most lasting impressions of all come from behind words -- from the undercurrents of how people feel.

 

From Dorothy W. Baruch, Glass House of Prejudice, 1946.

[kalanamak]

Ah, someone opposed to intellectual miscegenation. Just when you think you've seen it all ....

 

And just as a slight thread hijack, "casual Spanish", the kind I use at work, is really fun. It is a pleasant, relatively easy language to pick up the day to day words and grammar for, and my co-worker who are from south of the border are such friendly people, it is a pleasure to speak Spanish with them, and they are so happy to help me with errors, and happy to learn more English words, it is a win-win situation.

 

More than once, stuck down at the end of the hall with a suddenly agitated patient, breaking into their native tongue has mollified them and helped get them to not react violently to the psychotic voices in their heads. Spanish is my friend.

[stripe]

Plus Spanish soap operas are great. I learned a lot of Spanish in college ONLY from these. And "news" coverage of the Chupacabra.

[mommaduck]

Yes, I actually found that final disclaimer far more revealing than the earlier racism. I know quite a few people who, quietly or out loud, share the site's views on Spanish/Spanish-speakers; but the "racial heritage is all" thing really narrows it down to a certain subset of scum.

 

You know, when I finally clicked on the site (after reading the thread), I recognised it. There is a certain subset of Reformed that are Kinists. That is where I had seen this before...some kinist I ran into on a Reformed board had linked to it :glare: I have no tolerance for those kinds of people.

[Lovedtodeath]

Textbooks in many schools contain distorted and stereotyped pictures of Negro life and character. Negroes are depicted as simple, childlike, and shiftless. The part they have played in American life is, on the whole, omitted, and their contributions to the arts, to the sciences, and their achievements in the professions are widely ignored.

 

Contacts with books, however, are cold compared to contacts with people. What friends, teachers, and parents say is far more intense and penetrating than what books say. But the most lasting impressions of all come from behind words -- from the undercurrents of how people feel.

 

From Dorothy W. Baruch, Glass House of Prejudice, 1946.

Great post. I noticed that about some of the older books I used to have as a child. It is a good reminder on a classical education board, I think, that not all older books have value.

[helena]

Sounds like those that run clssicalcurriculum are first class racists and idiots. The sad thing is that they probably have a big following.

Hasn't anyone noticed the flow of bigotry thru-out the years? When I was young, it seemed to be Puerto Ricans were vilified. Then later it was the Haitan "boat people" then Vietnamese. Now it's wavering betwen Muslims and Mexicans. We all know how the early immigrants were vilified...some things never change.

 

Oh rats! I'm Mexican and Muslim. :tongue_smilie:

Sometimes when people are rotten I want to whip out a picture of my blond, blue eyed, Irish mom, and say HA!!

[JadeOrchidSong]

I think we are all wasting our precious time discussing whether we should learn Spanish or not just because some ignorant person posted some reasons we should not.

It is really not worth our attention, is it? We are all adults and can make our own judgment. When something is really off, we can smell it 100 miles away. Let's simply put a "STOP" sign for this nonsense.

[pfamilygal]

Well, we live in Texas. So the reason you should learn Spanish here is so you aren't me. I took 3 yrs of Spanish in high school and spent a summer in Venezuela (living with Americans though). And my Spanish is terrible.

 

I work in the Emergency Room as an RN. I am constantly pantomiming and using terrible, unconjugated Spanish to communicate. It is ridiculous, really. I wish I'd paid more attention and forced myself to practice conversational Spanish when it was fresh.

[mommymilkies]

Well, we live in Texas. So the reason you should learn Spanish here is so you aren't me. I took 3 yrs of Spanish in high school and spent a summer in Venezuela (living with Americans though). And my Spanish is terrible.

 

I work in the Emergency Room as an RN. I am constantly pantomiming and using terrible, unconjugated Spanish to communicate. It is ridiculous, really. I wish I'd paid more attention and forced myself to practice conversational Spanish when it was fresh.

 

This is the big reason I will take Spanish someday. I want to become a midwife when my kids are old enough. I really want to reach out to the Spanish speaking populations as they are not treated well where I have lived, and seem to be taken advantage of as far as their birth rights and breastfeeding support.

[DarlaS]

Is that even a real website? It strikes me as one of those kinds of "informational" sites search engines turn up.

[stripe]

I work in the Emergency Room as an RN. I am constantly pantomiming and using terrible, unconjugated Spanish to communicate. It is ridiculous, really. I wish I'd paid more attention and forced myself to practice conversational Spanish when it was fresh.

I wish there were more options for adults to have a crash course in practical language speaking skills (not so much for travel). I think you've identified a real niche need.

[pfamilygal]

I wish there were more options for adults to have a crash course in practical language speaking skills (not so much for travel). I think you've identified a real niche need.

 

That would be awesome! I mean, I'm great at ordering hamburgers or talking about zoo animals in Spanish. Not so great at asking "Have you had your gallbladder removed?" or "When was your last BM?"

[kalanamak]

That would be awesome! I mean, I'm great at ordering hamburgers or talking about zoo animals in Spanish. Not so great at asking "Have you had your gallbladder removed?" or "When was your last BM?"

 

 

Take a look at the rather reasonable courses of medical spanish in Costa Rica. You live with a family, and take conversational and medical spanish. A google will find you several schools.

[stripe]

Are there any such things in the US? Not everyone can go overseas for some time (I couldn't). I've learned my husband's language very slowly, but I have impressed my in-laws with the variety of my vocabulary about vomiting and BM varieties (diarrhea, constipation, and so forth). Yikes.

 

I've seen some "emergency questions for medical staff" type of websites. I just found these: "Speedy Spanish for Fire & EMS Personnel" and"Medical Spanish Pocketcard Set" for sale.

 

And this 77 page PDF booklet from the California-Mexico Health Initiative and others looks promising

http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/enforce/usmexbrd/bpdocs/engspdict.pdf

Edited April 3, 2011 by stripe

[Melinda in VT]

I wish there were more options for adults to have a crash course in practical language speaking skills (not so much for travel). I think you've identified a real niche need.

 

My husband has had great luck arranging private Spanish lessons with native Spanish speakers, even in states not known for their large populations of Spanish immigrants. Keep an eye on bulletin boards at libraries, post offices, etc., and check the classifieds for native speakers advertising lessons.

[Melinda in VT]

That would be awesome! I mean, I'm great at ordering hamburgers or talking about zoo animals in Spanish. Not so great at asking "Have you had your gallbladder removed?" or "When was your last BM?"

 

I experienced the flip side of this--a non-Spanish speaker trapped in a hospital in Costa Rica. (Trapped by my circumstances, not by the hospital.) My Spanish is extremely limited, and didn't include any of the words I needed ("Internal bleeding" and "spleen" would have been helpful, to start with.) I came away with a lot of sympathy for new immigrants or visitors who are trying to seek medical care.

[pfamilygal]

Yeah, and even when I figure out how to ask my questions, there's the flip side: understanding the rapid-fire answers with unfamiliar words. I muddle through, but it's often quite funny.

 

I think some of the issue with foreign language is getting over yourself. Once I stopped being scared of making mistakes and just tried it got easier. Most folks are flattered that you are even attempting their language and will be quite gracious if you screw up. And the more you practice the more you improve.

 

I should get a book for medical Spanish. It would probably help. But it's honestly pretty far down on my priority list right now.

[kalanamak]

Are there any such things in the US? Not everyone can go overseas for some time (I couldn't).

 

Yes, google. Actually, a two week crash course in CR is not that expensive, because of cost of living. There are weekend retreats in Cailfornia and the SW, but I'd try to get some grammar under your belt before going.