I majored in Language & Culture Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz and received honors. I took many Spanish courses including the path for native speakers. However, I learned Spanish as a 2nd language, so I know what questions and doubts you may face when trying to make sense of all the grammar. I can help with communication as well. Contact me. I have a reduced rate if you come to the Habla Language Services classroom. Or, May 6-24, I can come to your home or study area.

I also have a Master’s Degree from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Hispanic Studies and worked as an interpreter for the U.S. Department of Justice.

I served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Costa Rica for 2.5 years and also studied in Mexico and Chile. When you hire me as a tutor, you are getting an expert in language and culture.

• Beginning Spanish Class tentatively planned for Mondays between 10 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
• Intermediate Spanish Class: Tuesdays at 2:30, but somewhat flexible.
• Advanced Spanish Class: Mondays 2-3 p.m.
• ESL Adv. Beg: Mondays 6:30-7:30 p.m. (may add or switch this)
• Medical Spanish Workshops: Feb. 25-26 and March 10-11; 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

I have kept my Thursdays free so that I can go out and meet with various business contacts to discuss teaching either English or Spanish. I work with your schedule and venue. If you’d like me to come to your place of work to teach either English or Spanish let me know. I have experience teaching English to restaurant servers and will be working on getting certified for CE units for Spanish for Chiropractors and Medical Spanish workshops. I also have experience in many more areas, so contact me and let’s see how I can meet your English or Spanish needs.  I continue to work at bridging the language gap between English and Spanish speakers.

We are looking at doing Costa Rica July or August 2013 and will be updating the website soon.

Also, I am giving it to you in MS Word form so you can edit it according to your needs. Please remember to give me credit (I inserted my name in the footer). Have a fantastic Spanish Heritage Month!!

Please note that prior to the film festival, I sent home permission slips to their parents. For those that did not want them to see certain movies, I gave them alternative research assignments. They went to the library while I was showing the movie and researched a related topic.

Also, I first had them work in groups doing oral presentations on Latin American countries. Then they got to learn more by seeing the movies. They had to turn in a written journal on each of the movies. If it was a short YouTube video, one or two sentences were o.k. If it was a long movie, I required at least a page. I had them type it, so I could read them more quickly and effectively. I showed a total of 20 movies and each one was worth 10 points, so it made grading easiest to give due weight to this project compared to the oral reports and a few other things we did 2^nd semester.

Remember, these are native speakers that needed work with amplifying vocabulary and improving their written skills. We spent the 1^st semester in the text book studying vocabulary, reading comprehension, and grammar. All they wanted to do was watch movies. So I let them watch movies until they were SICK of them. They had to pay attention and write their thoughts on each one. For the full-length movies, I gave them a lesson on how to write a movie summary and review. If they were absent during a short movie, they had to make it up. If they were absent during a long movie, I gave them an average score for that particular movie (or you can do whatever works for you to make grading easy and fair.) When a movie allowed for Spanish selection, we watched it in Spanish, or with Spanish subtitles. Many of my students were actually stronger in Spanish than English anyway.

1. Venezuela: YouTube: Venezuela, Angel Falls, Delta Canaima, www.witaga.com
2. La República Dominicana: You Tube: Republica Dominicana un país inagotable
3. Costa Rica: YouTube: Costa Rica [campaña oficial ICT]
4. Costa Rica: www.olivafilms.com Choose the versión español
5. Cuba: YouTube: Cuba Travel Doc – Part 01 AND Cuba Travel Doc Part 02
6. Puerto Rico: YouTube: Puerto Rico: The 51^st State?
7. Peru: YouTube: Macchu Pichu from user: denniscallan
8. Panama: Panama Deception, Netflix
9. Argentina: Evita (PG)
10. Cuba: For Love or Country, Netflix (PG-13)
11. El Salvador: Salvador, Netflix (R)
12. Nicaragua: Under Fire (R) Netflix Instant Play
13. Guatemala: When the Mountains Tremble (Netflix Instant Play)
14. Ecuador: Globe Trekker: Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, Netflix
15. South America: Motorcycle Diaries (R), Netflix Instant Play
16. Uruguay: YouTube: Documental español sobre Uruguay user: zeva2002
17. Honduras: YouTube: Hoduras Querida, user: puntarock1
18. Bolivia: YouTube: Bolivia Pueblos Indigenas, user: roncon
19. Paraguay: 11 minute documentary from Frontline: http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/paraguay604/video_index.html.
20. Colombia: Plan Columbia, Netflix Instant Play

You can also choose physical upgrades to receive the booklets or flashcards that go with the workshop. Some documents are free and the workshops vary in price from $4.95 to $69.95. You can use Paypal or Google Checkout to pay for the products you wish to purchase. See Habla Language Services Digital Training Page for more information on the products for sale which include:

1. Basic Spanish
2. Spanish for Chiropractors
3. Spanish for Homeowners
4. Spanish for Bankers and other Financial Experts
5. Spanish for Construction
6. Spanish for Missionaries (including purchasing a translation of your testimony)
7. Mexican Fiesta Workshop and Package
8. Résumé Writing Tips (Free)
9. Bilingual Avon Recruiting Brochure

A note about Gina Covello, the founder of Habla Language Services. Ms. Covello has a Master’s degree in International Policy and Hispanic Studies with an emphasis on translation and interpretation from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Her undergraduate degree from the University of California includes English Literature with a double major in Language and Cultural Studies (honors). Her studies have included a semester at the Escuela Americana de Traducción e Interpretación in Santiago, Chile and a quarter at the UNAM in Mexico City. She is also an alumna of the United States Peace Corps, Costa Rica. Ms. Covello has an Adult Education California Teaching Credential and over fifteen years’ experience teaching English, Spanish, and Business Communication. She is also a member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

“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. Typically, you do not have be completely fluent in Spanish; you just have to be communicative.

We are offering a series of two 2-day workshops. By participating in these workshops,  you instantly increase your employability. Class 1 meets February 25-26, 2012 and Class 2 meets March 10-11, from 9:00-4:00 in San Jose, CA. The fee for each weekend is $225, which covers lunch for both days, a book, and all other materials.

These workshops are geared toward beginners and we recommend that you participate in both to fully learn the competencies covered.  At the workshops, 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 of Participation will be issued. Contact us for more information or to sign up.