Workforce Language Services

Our culture is realizing the value of understanding language and culture. Commitment to learning language needs to come from all parts of our society - education, government, employers. If we look to our European counterparts, we see foreign language as a regular part of ongoing curriculum, however in America, we need to play catch up if we ever want to get past the “they can speak English” attitude - an attitude that won’t play world in our ever expanding global economy. Read more.

Most preschoolers – much less a reasonably well-educated adult — can produce a friendly “bonjour” or “hola.” But ask for a more complicated interaction than that in another language, and you’ve moved beyond the ability of even your average American college graduate.

If Michigan hopes to plug the state’s next generation into the emerging global economy, a greater commitment to foreign language training needs to start soon and start early. The old paradigm of basic French and Spanish just doesn’t cut it in a world where Chinese and Arabic are becoming the lingual linchpin in an our increasingly interconnected world.

Germany, for example, requires students to begin studying one foreign language in elementary school and another at the high school level for the university-bound, and 200 million Chinese children study English (compared with only 24,000 American children studying Chinese). In comparison, most Michigan school districts offer little in the way of foreign language instruction until high school. And even those that offer foreign languages at the elementary level rarely go beyond the Eurocentric model of French, German or Spanish.

New state standards for high school graduation, which require two years of foreign language at the high school level, will go into effect with the class of 2016. Compared to neighboring states Ohio and Illinois, Michigan is breaking new ground with the requirements. But many educators believe that high school is too late to truly achieve fluency in a foreign language.

It is always interesting for us to read about how immigrant Spanish speakers learn English and adapt to a new culture. The challenges of moving a family from a home to a strange new place are daunting. This story  discusses the challenges of children of immigrants adapting to a new school. And how through supportive school leaders and programs, the children seem to adapt - with challenges - but still adapt.

She, the ESL teacher and the school settlement worker make sure the kids understand safety rules and see to it they have the things they need, such as backpacks, runners and warm clothes.

Once they’re in school, children get daily ESL classes while the settlement counsellor keeps in regular touch with their families and the students themselves if they’re in high school.

Some public and Catholic schools have a school host program in which Canadian-born or well-settled immigrant students are matched up with newcomers, usually in the same class.

All volunteers and newcomers meet once a week at lunch and Pari Karem of the YMCA leads a session combining fun activities with learning about topics such as racism or world religions.

The students are also expected to spend time with each other at breaks and usually make friends, said Karem.

Although the YMCA program lasts only one semester, some schools run their own versions — at St. John’s, “student ambassadors” help newcomers.

Many schools also offer after-school homework clubs. At St. John’s, it’s open to anyone but largely geared toward newcomers. It gives kids a chance to get extra help from teachers, use resources such as computers and books, and get a snack, said Garbutt.

For older students, both the public and Catholic boards have magnet programs for English-language learners.

Those schools offer not only language courses, but options to take other courses ranging from geography of Canada to band in an ESL setting.

The goal is to get students to a point where they can succeed in regular courses, said Nelson Cuthbert, principal of Waterloo Collegiate Institute.

Most of the 130 newcomer students at Cuthbert’s school take a mix of ESL and non-ESL classes and by the end of their high-school years, many have prepared for the challenging TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam, commonly required for university or college admission, Cuthbert said.

Even with the help available, it’s not easy for newcomer students to settle into school. Studies show it takes seven to 10 years before they’re fully caught up to their peers, said St. John’s ESL teacher Suzanne Johnston.

The information in this article is nothing new to us - more immigrants are filling positions in the hospitality industry which is creating customer service and communication related challenges. What’s interesting about this article is that it isn’t about the US, it’s about New Zealand and it shows that immigrant labor is not just a US issue, but it’s a global question that needs to be addressed in the workplace. Read more.

And as a side note, if you’re in the greater Chicago land area, take a look at our upcoming one-day Spanish workshop for the hospitality professional - Spanish for HR and Supervisors.

A survey of the make-up of the (hospitality) industry showed restaurants and bars had become more reliant on migrant labor than ever, with one in three hospitality workers born outside New Zealand - up from a quarter of all workers in a similar study in 2001.

An employers survey released alongside the labour force research showed the impact of migrant workers was generally seen as positive, but that training opportunities needed to be made available for such workers, especially if English was not their first language.

“Ineffective delivery of workplace programmes has not adequately addressed language barriers and the resultant miscommunication that occurs. Industry is keenly aware of the need to develop streamlined and effective language training for staff that require it,” the report said.

Here’s a story of an immigrants perspective of language as both a parent and as a manager. The subject speaks about the challenges of speaking mostly English in the workplace and of how she wants to raise her children to be bilingual because it will “open doors for them in the workplace.” Read more.

When smiley 10-year-old Lourdes Martinez runs over to her mom and talks, she does it in Spanish.

But when she sits down on a sunbathed porch snuggling a little white poodle next to her dad, it’s all English.

Dad wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Being able to speak Spanish and English, it will open up doors for you,” 38-year-old Guillermo Martinez said in English. “It’s very important.”

And it’s increasingly common as immigrant parents with varied levels of English skills enter Kansas and their kids grow up in a dual-language world…

When he helps his 5- and 6-year-old sons with their school work, he speaks English.

“But when I’m playing with them, I speak Spanish,” he said as the boys ran around with neighborhood kids yelling at each other in English.

He said he wants them to maintain their Spanish skills because it will open doors for them in the workplace.

“It’s an advantage,” he said.

Sanchez said some Hispanics feel ashamed to speak in Spanish — some even feel it’s the mark of second-class citizens.

“It’s not a shame,” he said.

In the U.K., Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced measures that non-European Union workers much have a high level of English skills. The purpose seems to be to protect British jobs and garner support from labor unions. Read more.

And of course, Mr Brown formally announced the new measures that non-EU skilled workers will have to demonstrate knowledge of English at GCSE levels — never mind that quite a large percentage of British school-leavers don’t make the grade, and neither do many non-English speaking EU migrants.

The purpose of this is being seen as a measure to limit the numbers of skilled workers, and help save British jobs for British people. All these measures to appease the powerful TUC, however, didn’t seem to impress the delegates or political commentators much — a slew of strikes seem to be on the agenda right now.

But at the same time, they are cutting funding for adult learning and English language acquisition programs.

Sally Hunt, University and College Union general secretary, said it was time the government matched rhetoric and reality and “put lifelong learning back where it belongs at the centre of policy”.

Ms Hunt added: “Now is the time to invest in adult and community education for life not cut it.”

Unions expressed concerns the government is encouraging migrant labour to fill skills gaps, and then relying on unions to provide the necessary language training.

Tony Richards from Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’ Union warned it was “pernicious and misguided” to consider cutting funding for ESOL.

Delegates reported falling enrolment on ESOL English classes since funding had been cut and the UCU warned students were deterred because of the increased personal cost.

Browsing around the internet I came across a number of recent articles about Latino festivals being held in towns across the US - small towns, larger cities. I haven’t seen a single source listing of Latino festivals, and maybe there is a comprehensive list out there, but I’m sure the number of towns/cities across the US celebrating diversity would come well into the hundreds if not thousands. Just a quick search came this and this and this, and these are just from the past few days.

Genaro Padilla has a vision for Main Street. One day he hopes to see the tree-lined street teeming with people dancing to the rhythms of Latin music. Entering his second year as organizer of the Main Street Latin Festival, Padilla imagines the event stretching “from the steps of the Capitol all the way to Laurel Street.”

For now, he’ll have to settle for the block between Hampton and Washington streets.

Last year 1,500 revelers showed up despite rain and chilly temperatures. This year the weather should be hot enough to match the performances.

On the bill are salsa singers Adalberto Santiago and Luigui Texador as well as merengue, Mexican and reggaeton acts. Folklorico dancers and vendors from various Latin countries will fill the day.

“Our goal is to celebrate the Latino community here in Columbia,” Padilla said. “We want everyone to feel welcome.”

Occupationally specific English as a Second language classes provide value to companies in terms of improving customer service and reducing internal miscommunication. One of the quotes in the article was that many businesses are afraid of offering English classes to Spanish speaking employees because they figure that the workers will then leave their jobs because they have new skills. However, the manager interviewed here stated that in the end, this wasn’t the case at all. And in our experience, investing in workers through ESL classes builds company loyalty and the employees show a tremendous amount of gratitude and appreciation. Read more.

LEWISVILLE – For non-English speakers wanting to learn phrases like “I would like one ticket” or “You are my friend,” any English class will do.

But not many teach phrases such as “Don’t use too much cleaner” or “My car has a cracked windshield.”

Lewisville ISD launched a pilot program this spring to teach workforce lingo in English to Spanish-speaking employees at Sam Pack Ford Country’s detail department.

Two comments  on this article below… 1) Spanish isn’t the only language spoken in Mexico. The article below highlights the need for some Mexican immigrants to learn Spanish to help them integrate into their communities. Before they even learn ESL (or in this case English as a Third language - ETL) - they are learning Spanish. 2) Teaching a language at work doesn’t just help out the worker/workplace, but it also provides a service to a family. Often the workers take their lessons home and help their families learn languages. Read more.

For the students who attend classes at the Walnut Place townhomes in Greenfield, literacy isn’t about reading and writing English yet.

As indigenous Oaxacans who speak primarily Mixteco, Triqui and other native languages, their challenge is attaining literacy in Spanish before they can make the transition to learning English.

In February, 28 adults started Spanish literacy classes offered by the Community Housing Systems and Planning Association (CHISPA) and funded through a $45,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Monterey County’s Literacy Campaign. In May, 24 of them completed the first 14-week session of classes, which will continue with a second session beginning in October.

Mostly farmworkers in their late teens to mid-30s, many with children, the students learned from an instructor and two translators how to read and write in Spanish, as well as fill out forms that would help them apply for financial and health-care assistance. Two day care workers watched the students’ children while they learned, and each student earned a $20 stipend, which served as a modest incentive.

Ruth Rodriguez, CHISPA’s community services coordinator, said the benefits of literacy gained through the classes will extend beyond the students.

“We realized this program didn’t just serve 28 individuals, but 28 families,” Rodriguez said.

Here’s a well written article that discusses the challenges of diversity in the workplace:

To hear the sounds of the global economy, all you have to do is walk through S&C Electric’s Chicago facility, where 1,800 employees manufacture, handle, and ship electric-power transmission and distribution equipment. Workers, who hail from 66 different countries, are likely to be carrying out their work in English, Spanish, Russian, or Arabic, to name just a few of the languages spoken at the site. In fact, somewhere between two-thirds and threequarters of S&C Electric’s workers are non-native speakers of English, says Gene Cottini, manager of training and development services.

The multilingual scene at S&C Electric’s Chicago operation is hardly unique. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 15.3 percent of the U.S. workforce in 2006 was foreign-born. What’s more, distribution and logistics occupations seem to be particularly attractive to these workers: 16.7 percent of foreign-born workers that year were employed in production, transportation, and materialmoving occupations, compared to 11.9 percent of their U.S.-born counterparts.

It goes on to offer ten tips on how to manage the multicultural workplace. These are excellent points and it summarizes it very well. I’ve removed much of the detail and you’ll have to click here if you want to read the entire article.

1. Assess communication skills. An interview is a good way to evaluate an applicant’s communication skills, says Wanda Franks, human resources director of Aspen Distribution, a Colorado-based third-party logistics service provider. At Aspen, the level of proficiency required depends on the job. “Being proficient in English doesn’t necessarily mean that they can quote dictionary-correct definitions of words,” Franks says. “But they do need to know what warehousing is all about and be able to understand in a few minutes our warehousing safety guidelines.”

2. Match employees with the right job. A good rule of thumb is to match employees with jobs or tasks that are appropriate for their level of English competency.

“Our order profiles are very complex, with a lot of line items, SKUs [stock-keeping units], and regulatory requirements. And all of our documents are printed in English,” President Scott Hothem explains. “If an employee is not able to read cartons or work with our WMS [warehouse management system], that opens us up to chargebacks and noncompliance claims.” For that reason, the company assigns employees with limited English proficiency to positions where written communication is less important, such as unloading containers.

3. Sensitize your supervisors. Communication is a two-way street, and it will break down quickly if supervisors and managers are unfamiliar with the dos and don’ts of working with nonnative speakers—no matter how well they know the operational side of the business. Supervisors and managers may benefit from cultural sensitivity training that focuses on effective communication, says Bob Fittin, director of training for Chicago’s Greater West Town Community Development Project.

4. Hire bilingual supervisors. If some of your employees speak little English, you may want to hire bilingual supervisors to facilitate accurate, two-way communication.

5. Use employees as translators. Language gaps can hamper the sharing of knowledge, so having employees communicate in their own language can raise competence levels.

6. Translate job-related information. If your employees depend on manuals, memos, training materials, safety posters, and similar documents to do their jobs correctly, you need to translate them—and not just into the most commonly spoken language. “If you do it for one, you have to do it for others,” says Franks. “Don’t just choose one language, such as Spanish, that you are going to translate into. Otherwise you risk others feeling neglected.”

It’s fairly easy nowadays to find training materials such as videos and manuals in several languages. You can also contract with an outside translator who is familiar with your business and its specialized lingo.

7. Encourage employees to speak up. You can’t translate everything into every language for every situation. That’s why you need to encourage employees to speak up if they don’t understand something.

8. Support ESL classes. It’s in your best interest to help employees improve their English-language skills. When employees are more proficient, you’re likely to see increased productivity, fewer accidents, and lower turnover. Cottini, for one, believes that S&C Electric’s low employee-attrition rate is partly due to its English as a Second Language (ESL) program. His company offers onsite classes in conversational English as well as a more advanced course that includes written and technical language.

9. Partner with outside organizations. Many social service organizations can help you hire, manage, and train employees with limited English proficiency. Partnering with a local training program like Fittin’s is one way to ensure that you’re hiring people with the right level of technical and communication skills.

10. Consider multilingual technology. If you use any kind of technology in your warehouse or DC, find out if the vendors offer multilingual products. Vocollect, for example, currently supports 23 languages with its systems.

Reaching out to a multicultural market is not limited just to businesses. As community demographics change, services must adapt to change with the. In this story, a local church is reaching out to their Spanish speaking community in order to grow their membership. By working with the Spanish language, translations, interpretations, and services in Spanish, they can extend their reach and touch more people.  Read more.

HEDGESVILLE — In order to reach a new and growing segment of the community, one local church started an event six years ago that’s become an annual tradition. This year, the Independent Bible Church’s Hispanic Celebration takes place this weekend.

The festival draws as many as 200 Spanish-speaking participants for music, services and sports.

…The festival evolved from the Spanish ministry and is held in September for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Two years ago, the church held its regular Sunday service as a multicultural service. Portions were conducted in Spanish and English, with translations.

“Our only reason for separate services is the language barrier. With Jimmy translating into Spanish, we had a good cross-cultural time of fellowship,” Johnson said.

The church is also branching out into the Asian community, offering Chinese Bible studies.