I say potato, you say patata: as workforce and customer diversity grow, employers offer foreign language training to staff - Training Agenda - language training

HR Magazine, Jan, 2004 by Kathryn Tyler

Casa Rio's Hutcherson hired her own teacher by asking businesses and schools for references. But in most cases, it is easier for an HR professional to hire a language training company or a community college to coordinate the program. The company or school develops the curriculum and hires teachers.

Decker advises, "Ask the language school to provide some sample resumes of the teaching staff. It doesn't mean that you'll get that particular teacher, but you can get an idea of their teachers' education and experience. If a teacher isn't working out, it's the school's responsibility to make that change right away."

A community college is a good source of instructors, says Patricia Gardner, manager of the Business and Community Development Center for CSTCC. "Community colleges are willing to customize the information," she says. "We can bring training to [the employer's] location, assess their specific needs and address those needs immediately." CSTCC offers classes in Spanish for HR managers, bankers, educators, cashiers and customer service associates, law enforcement personnel and health care professionals.

Shop for small classes with face-to-face teaching. Online courses, CDROMs, videotapes and audiotapes can enhance learning but should not be the only forms of instruction, Barnett says.

"It's important to have a lot of exposure to the target language and culture," adds Decker. "We use newspapers, soap operas and tapes of news programs in the target language." Decker also prefers small classes because students get plenty of speaking time in class.

How much does foreign language training cost? That depends on whether the instructor must travel to your site and whether you require customization. Expect to pay $60 to $200 per hour of instruction for 10 employees. Private, one-on-one instruction costs around $40 to $50 an hour. Language training is less expensive in metropolitan areas because competition is greater.

Decker recommends negotiating a long-term training relationship. "Make some kind of proposal," she says. "It doesn't have to be the published price."

Online Resources

For information on the U.S. Census 2000, including reports on the recent dramatic rise of the Hispanic population in the United States, see the online version of this article at www.shrm.org/hrmagazine.> KATHRYN TYLER, M.A., IS A FREELANCE WRITER AND FORMER HR GENERALIST AND TRAINER IN WIXOM, MICH.

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