Medical Spanish Workshop for Health Practicioners

“I’m a nurse, why do I need to know Spanish?” When you know Spanish, you increase your marketability if you are looking for work and your job security if you already have a job. For example, we conducted some research and found the following jobs that have Spanish preferred or required. For most of these jobs, you do not have to be completely fluent in Spanish; you just have to be communicative.

At our 2-day workshop, you will instantly increase your employability. We are offering a Medical Spanish workshop August 28-29 from 8:30-4:30 in Los Gatos, CA . Lunch and all materials are provided for the $195 registration fee.  At the workshop, you will learn how to:

• Conduct patient intakes
• Give treatment instructions
• Role-play typical scenarios
• Ask questions specific to your circumstances
• Use present, past, future and command forms of verbs

Certificates will be issued. Contact us for more information or to sign up.

Registered Nurse (RN):

1. https://jobs-genexservices.icims.com/jobs/4144/job?&sn=Indeed&?mode=apply&iis=Indeed&iisn=Indeed
2. http://hsccjobs.iapplicants.com/ViewJob-81579.html
3. http://career.staffingsoft.com/site018/asp/JobSeekerResults.asp?ClientId=ONL&sessioncompanyid=&refnumber=&id=84&Display=details

School Nurse:

1. http://edjoin.org/viewPosting.aspx?postingID=332483&countyID=43
2. http://edjoin.org/viewPosting.aspx?postingID=329697&countyID=44

Medical Receptionist:

1. http://www.hillphysicians.com/Providers/Pages/viewjobs.aspx?PageID=158
2. http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?ipath=EXIND&siteid=cbindeed&Job_DID=J8D5ZH73P7P96BXYW0F&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=566c12e3959845fc95b38ed0aad27745-333555041-R6-4
3. http://davita.taleo.net/careersection/10000/jobdetail.ftl?job=401020&src=JB-10382

Caregiver (CNA)

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?ipath=EXIND&siteid=cbindeed&Job_DID=J8H09Y70HPST8JQCH74

Medical Assistant

1. http://peoplemenders.com/SearchCareers/JobPostingDetails.aspx?id=7729&utm_source=Indeed&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Indeed
2. id=7729&utm_source=Indeed&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Indeed  https://sutterhealth.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=1156149&src=JB-15920
3. http://www.hillphysicians.com/Providers/Pages/viewjobs.aspx?PageID=143

Physician Assistant

https://www.healthcaresource.com/elcamino/?fuseaction=search.jobDetails&template=dsp_job_details.cfm&cJobId=949154&source=Indeed.com

Practice Assistant

https://sjobs.brassring.com/1033/ASP/TG/cim_jobdetail.asp?sec=1&partnerid=6495&siteid=5226&jobId=1148095&type=search&JobReqLang=1&recordstart=1&JobSiteId=5226&JobSiteInfo=1148095_5226&GQId=0&codes=IND

Practice the Spanish Basics

O.k. I don’t LOVE this, but it is kind of cool to be able to click on the words all in one place to hear the pronunciation. It is a little strange using children’s voices. And we do not use ordinal numbers for the dates of the month in Spanish – maybe in Spain they do. But it is good practice for the ordinal numbers nonetheless.  I think this is definitely from Spain, but you can still use it to practice some of the basics. For a really intensive, interactive workshop, contact us; we go over this content and more!

Speaking in Tongues – Award-Winning Documentary

“Speaking in Tongues” is an award-winning documentary that documents the journey of four children on their quest to become bilingual. Jason is a first-generation Mexican American whose family embraces bilingualism as the key to full participation in the land of opportunity. Durrell is an African American kindergartner whose mother hopes that learning Mandarin will be a way out of economic uncertainty and into possibility. Kelly is a Chinese-American recapturing the Cantonese her parents sacrificed to become American. And Julian is a Caucasian eighth grader eager to expand his horizons and become a good world citizen.

The film begins with an ordinary first day of public school kindergarten– except that the teacher speaks only Chinese. Most of her primarily White and Asian American students look confused but curious; a few nod accordingly. They are all in a language immersion class, where, from day one, they will receive 90% of their instruction in Cantonese. Remarkably, their school will test first in English and math among their district’s 76 elementary schools.

While the kids grow in ease and skill with their second tnogue, the grownups argue about the issues surrounding bilingual language education, citing tax burdens, but Durrell’s uncle praises bilingualism, citing the needs of the global economy. Jason becomes the first in his family to read, write, and graduate elementary school; however, at a school enrollment fair, a Latino father asks where his daughter can learn more English. At another school meeting, an angry Chinese dad says, “We are in America! We need English!”

—Ilya Tovbis
San Francisco International Film Festival

How NOT To Be the Ugly American When Traveling

LEARN ABOUT SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL BEFORE YOU GO

Sustainable travel means acting as a conscientious tourist, careful with the environments you explore and respecting the communities you visit. Two overlapping components of sustainable travel are ecotourism and ethical tourism. The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)(www.ecotourism.org) defines ecotourism as respon­sible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. TIES suggests that ecotourists follow these principles: 

• Minimize environmental impact
• Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect
• Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts
• Provide direct financial benefits for conservation and for local people
• Raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climates
• Support international human rights and labor agreements

While much of the focus of ecotourism is about reducing im­pacts on the natural environment, ethical tourism concentrates on ways to preserve and enhance local economies and communities, re­gardless of location. You can embrace ethical tourism by staying at a locally owned hotel, shopping at a store that employs local workers and sells locally produced goods, and hiring a local guide whenever possible. Some other things to take into account are dress (in many countries, modest dress is important), behavior (asking permission before entering sacred places, for example), taking photos or video (always be sensitive and ask first), paying a fair price (not engaging in overly aggressive bargaining for souvenirs or short-changing on tips), and being careful about what you purchase (never buy crafts that may have been made from protected or endangered animals).

Responsible Travel (www.responsibletravel.com) is another good source of sustainable travel ideas. They even feature a carbon calculator on the site where travelers can calculate the carbon emissions from their flights and consider offsetting them by investing in carbon-reducing initiatives around the world.

–Taken from The Language Educator, October 2009, pages 16-17.

Habla Language Services’ Spanish immersion program to Costa Rica is ecofriendly. We really on locals for housing, cultural trips, and wherever else possible. Check out our page to find out more about learning Spanish in Costa Rica this summer!

Living and Learning the Language

This article was featured in the October 2009 edition of the Language Educator. It is by Janine Erickson, the President of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. She advocates for travel to a country where the target language is spoken to really live and learn it. Keep this in mind when considering our trip to Costa Rica in August 2010. Come join in the language and cultural learning experience!

“Learning a foreign language is by far the most culturally enriching prospect available in our education system. Traveling to a country that speaks that particular language opens our eyes to the world. Using the language in the country where it is spoken, being understood, and blending in with the people and culture of that country are all experiences that are truly priceless!

Few experiences in life rival the academic, career, intercultural, personal, and social benefits of studying abroad. Struc­tured foreign travel and study in another country can provide many extraordinary opportunities and prepare us for the demands of the 21^st century in our increasingly multicultural world. The chance to fine tune indispensable skills through language immersion; to experience a country’s vibrant history, art, and culture; and to develop a fresh perspective of the modern world are some of the greatest benefits of a travel/study abroad experience.

In today’s competitive job market, foreign travel experience on a resume can speak volumes. Both outside and within the education field, employers value qualities such as willingness and readiness to adapt to new environments, an ability to look at a project or situation from different perspectives, an understanding of diverse cultures, and an ability to take risks. Distinctive personal characteristics such as independence, flexibility, and adaptability are developed and expanded through study abroad experiences.

Foreign travel experiences also have a positive impact on globalizing the teaching of world languages. To enhance the delivery of a complete world language study program, language teachers at all levels must have strong proficiency in the language and knowledge of the culture in addition to professional teaching skills. Given the importance in today’s standards-based curricula, brief foreign visits are a practical answer to the higher proficiency expectations placed on world language teachers today.

As one of its 10 federal legislative priorities, ACTFL endorses immersion and language study abroad as a key compo­nent of a well articulated and continuous sequence of language study. In a position statement regarding Study Abroad and International and Community Experience (May 2007), ACTFL asserts that going beyond our borders is critical for all Americans but essential for teachers of languages. The statement further adds that an immersion experience that focuses primarily on measurable linguistic and cultural gains should be a requirement of language teacher preparation programs. Furthermore, ACTFL encourages language programs at all levels to secure financial support and seek international interac­tion between students and teachers abroad, participate in exchange programs, and design service learning opportunities for students to connect with other cultures in their own communities.

Understanding the relationship between language, culture, and society in the teaching process is indispensable. Living the language through a study abroad program develops increased self-confidence in using the target language, helps us better understand our own cultural values and beliefs, influences interactions with people from different cultures, and reinforces our work as world language educators as it opens the doors to new ideas and philosophies.

Although you have just begun your school year, it is not too soon to include a study abroad experience as part of your professional development plan for next summer! Read what your colleagues have to say about their own experiences abroad and its impact on their approach to language teaching in the “So You Say” section in this issue of The Language Educator on page 56.

There is so much we can learn from the world around us. If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to take advantage of any opportunities for extended study in a country where the language you teach is spoken natively. It will change your life and add to your teaching experience by shaping your own cultural identity and your view of the world. You will no doubt find yourself a more effective intercultural leader in our increasingly interconnected society.” -Janine Erickson, the Language Educator, October 2009, page 7.

Texting in español

R U 1 of those peeps who ♥ text shortcuts? How do U do it in spansh? Click here to find out!

An Interview with the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan

“Studies have shown that students who learn foreign languages in school actually realize other cognitive benefits that can make a difference in their academic career.” Arne Duncan is a proponent of language learning and exchange programs. Click here to read his interview with the Language Educator Magazine.

For Young Children, Two Languages Are as Easy as One

This article was featured in the October 2009 issue of the Language Educator. There was no autor cited (page 11). Consider teaching your child early. The more education your child receives between the ages of 0-5, the more brain development you promote.

European researchers are contesting the assumption that bilin­gual toddlers have more trouble learning language skills than children who know just one language.

“While the remarkable performance of children acquiring one lan­guage is impressive, many children acquire more than one language simultaneously,” says study author Agnes Melinda Kovács, a research fellow at the International School for Advanced Studies, in Trieste, Italy. “As bilingual children presumably have to learn roughly twice as much as their monolingual peers [because they learn two languag­es instead of one], one would expect their language acquisition to be somewhat delayed. However, bilinguals pass the language develop­ment milestones at the same ages as their monolingual peers.”

The finding, which appeared in Science magazine in print and online in July (www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/325/5940/ 611), resulted from a test of the responses to verbal and visual cues from 64 babies who were 12 months old. They came from monolin­gual and bilingual families, although the study did not specify which languages the families spoke. The toddlers were exposed to two sets of words that had different structural characteristics. After each word, the children viewed a special toy on either the left or right side of a screen, depending on the word’s structure. They then were pre­sented with words they had never heard before but that conformed to one of the two verbal structures. No toy followed.

Researchers determined whether the infants had learned the word structures by measuring the direction of their gaze after hearing each new word. Judging by their eye movements, the bilingual kids did better in recognizing words than their monolingual peers.

“We showed that pre-verbal, 12-month-old, bilingual infants have become more flexible at learning speech structures than monolin­guals,” says Kovacs. “When given the opportunity to simultaneously learn two different regularities, bilingual infants learned both, while monolinguals learned only one of them.”

This means, she says, that “bilinguals may acquire two languages in the time in which monolinguals acquire one because they quickly become more flexible learners.”

According to the study, the cognitive pathways developed during the learning of two languages might make bilingual children more efficient in acquiring new information.

Language Learning on the Job – Language Educator August 2009

Because of the services that Habla Language Services offer, the Language Educator was interested in hearing more about how Habla LS reaches corporate America in their quest to learn Spanish. Click here  for the August 2009 edition featuring “Language Learning on the Job.”

Habla Language Services also offers ESL (English as a Second Language) for businesses and individuals.

Habla Language Services Featured in the Language Educator Magazine

My goal is to post weekly on Wednesdays. Sorry it’s been a while since my last posting. Sometimes life just happens. I will have a stock pile of postings to take us through to the end of the year. Make sure to share this blog with others interested in best practices for language learning and reaching the Hispanic market.

Click here for the April 2009 edition of Language Educator Magazine featuring “Using Languages in Health Care” and how Habla Languages Services helps chiropractors and others do that.

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