Ingles para Negocios: Convenient business guide helps Spanish speakers

Latin Trade, Nov, 2000

A convenient new guide helps Spanish-speaking business professionals and students express themselves clearly in English. Ingles para Negocios: Guia de Referencia Gramatical is one of the first business-oriented publications to provide clear and direct examples of proper English usage in today's business situations. Authors Sarah Donovan and Karin Patterson have used their 20-plus years of experience teaching English as a second language to prepare their pocket-size, leather-bound guidebook, Ingles para Negocios. Their book covers in Spanish fundamental topics such as verb tenses and modals. It also clarifies grammatical subjects that frequently cause problems for non-English speakers such as adverbial clauses, conditionals and gerunds. It also has a useful dictionary that includes verbs, nouns and adjectives frequently used in business with clear and precise Spanish definitions.

"Through the years, we have found that many Spanish speakers have doubts about their English," Donovan says. Those concerns can lead business people to remain silent in situations where they should express themselves. We believe our book can help Spanish speakers find greater success in today's multilingual business world."

For Margarita Martin Quevedo, a professional with KPMG, a "Big Five" accounting firm, Ingles para Negocios provided valuable assistance in her international business role. "Without a doubt, Spanish speakers need this guidebook," she says. "It has the answers we need with examples from the world of business. Also, the size of the book is perfect to bring on trips and to have on hand in the office. It's an ideal reference book that presents the information very clearly."

Many Spanish-speaking business professionals have difficulty with the complexity of the English language, especially in proper use of verb tenses, according to Patterson. Therefore, Ingles para Negocios gives clear examples from the business world, such as:

* Past tense: "The sales and marketing manager discussed the issue before I arrived."

* Present tense: "They have their building, which is valued at 400,000 dollars."

* Future tense: "I will increase our sales quota for the next year."

INGLES PARA NEGOCIOS, published in Venezuela, can be ordered from the authors' web site (www.inglesnegocios.com). The price varies, depending on where the book or books are shipped.

A discount is offered on corporate purchases, and any organization that orders at least 200 books can receive 20 hours of free language instruction from the authors. The book is also suitable for Spanish-speaking students in undergraduate or MBA programs.

"We also offer customized programs tailored to the needs of each company," says Patterson. "For instance, we can provide follow-up classes for Spanish-speaking employees in conjunction with our book."

Both authors are experienced in teaching English to speakers of other languages. They met while serving in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic a decade ago.

A graduate of Colby-Sawyer College with a degree in English, Donovan has taught English as a foreign language in the Dominican Republic and Spain. She worked with business professionals from Latin America in Boston for over seven years before moving to Miami in 1999.

Patterson, who received a masters degree in teaching English to speakers of others languages (TESOL) at New York University, has taught English as a foreign language in the Dominican Republic and in South Korea. She also taught English as a second language to public school students in New York and Boston and at Newbury College in Massachusetts. She currently teaches in the public school system in Fairfax County, Virginia, and at Northern Virginia Community College.

"Our book is designed to serve business professionals who need to be able to communicate effectively in meetings, on the telephone or in other day-to-day work situations," says Donovan. "It's a highly effective business tool."