Reasons not to learn Spanish

[stripe]

Yes, google.

I meant a class. A dictionary would also be a substitute for knowing another language, except that it's not really.

 

Actually, a two week crash course in CR is not that expensive, because of cost of living.

I meant, some of us have small children and/or other obligations and would prefer something local. However, maybe there are community resources in some areas.

[mommaduck]

I meant a class. A dictionary would also be a substitute for knowing another language, except that it's not really.

 

 

I meant, some of us have small children and/or other obligations and would prefer something local. However, maybe there are community resources in some areas.

I would contact the local community colleges in your area. Maybe even post an ad at the college for someone that is a native Spanish speaker and taking nursing courses ;)

[kalanamak]

I meant a class. A dictionary would also be a substitute for knowing another language, except that it's not really.

 

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Yes, there are USian classes in medical Spanish. Google medical spanish courses and the state you are interested in. E.g.

 

http://www.medspanish.org/courses.php?pick=1&&where=USA

[stripe]

I have to say, I am not actually needing to take a Spanish class. It was more an observation that this is a useful thing, for adult to learn languages. I am working on two other languages right now, and my career is not in the medical field.

[Lovedtodeath]

 

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.

That is my main problem. I can pretty much figure out how to say something, because I can take my time, but understanding someone else, especially when I really believe that they speak even faster than most english speaking people... that I have never been able to do.

[HS Mom in NC]

My kids did Rosetta Stone, but there isn't anywhere to use it here, and I live in a high Hispanic population.

 

I've lived in the PHX area my whole life. I grew up in rural areas where immigrants (both legal and illegal) were always around us. My public HS had a nearly 50% Mexican population. I used to follow the hired man next door who ran the goat farm-a Mexican immigrant-around when I was a kid.

 

Unless you have a career where you work with non-English speaking immigrants, there is absolutely no need to learn Spanish. In the 38 years I have lived around Mexican immigrants, I have twice needed Spanish, but was not taught the phrases I needed in my Spanish classes in ps.

 

Situation #1

 

10 years ago, when the landscaping crew was working on my backyard, the English speaking foreman was not here. The directions I gave the foreman, "I want a couple of gently rolling hills in the backyard." had apparently not made it to the non-English speaking work crew. I had no idea how to say, "That looks like a bad boob job. I want rolling hills." They didn't cover that in class.

 

Situation #2

 

My suburban neighborhood borders The Gila River Indian Reservation, a few agricultural propterties that have not sold to development (including a goat farm similar to the one next door to my childhood home) and a retirement/golf community. On the way home from the neighborhood grocery store, driving by the goat farm, I noticed a goat out running down the highway. I stopped to let the owner know and knew they probably did not speak English. I didn't know how to say, "There's a hole in your fence and your goat got out." I'm sure the nice Mexican lady had a funny story to tell about the yammering white woman pointing, making goat ear gestures and pointing to the fence.

 

Situation #3

 

Our church was headed to a mission to Baja Mexico a few Springs ago. (A family emergency stopped us from going to the mission, but we took the cultural and preparation classes.) They let us all know that the Spanish we took in HS would be absolutely worthless down there. The American missionaries living there explained that even people taking Mexican Spanish through college could not communicate very clearly with the locals. Only native speakers could.

 

If your child is expecting to 1) stay in a Spanish speaking area and 2) interact with non-English speaking Hispanics on a regular basis, then it makes sense. Otherwise, it's just a hobby. If your child is planning a medical career with non-English speaking Hispanics, then I assume there are specialized classes for that. Asking medical questions has to be very precise I assume.

 

My kids' ped. is Mexican and a native speaker. So are a couple of his nurses and front desk staff. My kids' ped. dentist has several front desk staff who are native Guatemalan Spanish speakers and native Mexican Spanish speakers.

[Lovedtodeath]

I live in a high Hispanic population.

Great post.:thumbup:

[pfamilygal]

Great post.:thumbup:

 

Yes, how do you know they are high? Isn't that making a pretty big assumption?:lol:

[Sputterduck]

They let us all know that the Spanish we took in HS would be absolutely worthless down there.

 

This is so true. I had Spanish in school from K on through college and I couldn't communicate at all when I got here. The accent they teach in American schools is completely unintelligible to people in my area of Mexico.

 

In addition to that, I couldn't "hear" what people were saying because they don't strongly pronounce vowels like American Spanish teachers push for.

 

Please if you are teaching Spanish do not teach your kids, "HolA. cOmO EstAs" Slur everything together. Big favor to your kids in the future.

[Matryoshka]

In addition to that, I couldn't "hear" what people were saying because they don't strongly pronounce vowels like American Spanish teachers push for.

 

Please if you are teaching Spanish do not teach your kids, "HolA. cOmO EstAs" Slur everything together. Big favor to your kids in the future.

 

Ew. You had a bad Spanish teacher. I was never taught that (nor had any trouble understanding native speakers). I have heard Americans speaking Spanish like that, but I'd always assumed it was because they had non-native teachers with bad accents and no proper model to emulate.

[Sputterduck]

Ew. You had a bad Spanish teacher. I was never taught that (nor had any trouble understanding native speakers). I have heard Americans speaking Spanish like that, but I'd always assumed it was because they had non-native teachers with bad accents and no proper model to emulate.

 

To be fair to my former teachers, a lot of the trouble is with the particular dialect where I am. I can understand people in Tijuana and I can understand Mexican Americans very easily. But here, in this lovely sleepy town in which I live, nobody enunciates. At all.

 

I have found that if I keep my face very still and barely move my mouth when I talk, they can understand me a whole lot better. :lol: It took me months to figure that out. They tell me now that my accent is very good.

 

Also, a lot of people here, mostly the younger crowd, pronounce the ll as a j, instead of the y that I was taught in school. Now I eat pojo on a tortija and have a gajeta for dessert. It works better than pollo on a tortilla with a galleta. :tongue_smilie: