Spanish Language Training

[SecTrainer]

Hello, colleagues:

I was wondering whether anyone has taken or knows about a "short course" in Spanish for police/security officers, etc. It doesn't matter whether it's a classroom course, delivered on a CD, Web-based - whatever.

And if you've taken a course like this, I'd like to know whether you think it's been useful to you "on the street".

Thanks very much!

[davis002]

I'm currently learning Spanish through Rosetta Stone. It's not a "short course" or geared specifically to LE/Security, but so far I am impressed.

[flashlightcop509]

Mein Espanol ist Verdammnt...

Oy Vey, macht nicht, y'all...

[Eric]

I have tried Berlitz cd's for French, it helps with the drive into work. I have found though that listening was not enough, the printed word was also needed, plus using it in public.

Try your local library, they may have a few different producers to try before you buy.

Flashlightcop509, When travelling through Florida in 1989, I saw a bumper sticker with - One flag one country one language - maybe John Wayne approved

[SecTrainer]

Flashlightcop509, When travelling through Florida in 1989, I saw a bumper sticker with - One flag one country one language - maybe John Wayne approved

Great bumper sticker, IMHO - and John Wayne has it right too! Problem is, if you're on the street you gotta deal with whatever you run across out there. We have a very significant Russian community in our area also, and it doesn't seem they're very eager to learn English either. For some reason a lot of the Russians - especially women - seem to be going into healthcare jobs like nurse's aides and homecare for elderly people, etc., which does worry me.

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. I've seen the ads for the Rosetta courses, and Berlitz is famous, of course, but hadn't run across anyone who had tried either of them.

The library is a good idea too!

[LPCap]

It is always good to know Spanish, A police officer friend has two things, the Miranda rights in Spanish and a police officers field guide to Spanish, I am going to ask the specific name of it and maybe post a link, that could be helpful.

[HotelSecurity]

Sometimes schooling in a 2nd language is not enough. You have to use it to become good at it. With Quebec having a law that requires daily activities to be in French it is taught from kindergarden to grade 11 in the schools yet when I finished high school I still could not speak it well. It was only many years later after using it daily that I became comfortable. The one suggestion I have is to try & find something you want to listen to in the other language & you will probably be able to learn it easier. For me it was the "Police" scanner. All transmissions are in French. I wanted to know what was going on & I learned!

As for the Russian ladies I have some sympathy. My wife was also born in Quebec & graduated high school but she has worked in English churches & English schools. She does not speak French.

[SecTrainer]

Sometimes schooling in a 2nd language is not enough. You have to use it to become good at it. With Quebec having a law that requires daily activities to be in French it is taught from kindergarden to grade 11 in the schools yet when I finished high school I still could not speak it well. It was only many years later after using it daily that I became comfortable. The one suggestion I have is to try & find something you want to listen to in the other language & you will probably be able to learn it easier. For me it was the "Police" scanner. All transmissions are in French. I wanted to know what was going on & I learned!

As for the Russian ladies I have some sympathy. My wife was also born in Quebec & graduated high school but she has worked in English churches & English schools. She does not speak French.

What you said.

[Bill Warnock]

Hello, colleagues:

I was wondering whether anyone has taken or knows about a "short course" in Spanish for police/security officers, etc. It doesn't matter whether it's a classroom course, delivered on a CD, Web-based - whatever.

And if you've taken a course like this, I'd like to know whether you think it's been useful to you "on the street".

Thanks very much!

Try Vest Pocket Spanish from the Institute for Language Study. It comes with a companion cassette tape. Neat stuff. I have the one for German.
Regards,
Bill

[SecTrainer]

Thanks, Bill - I'll take a gander.

[N. A. Corbier]

SPEForums has resources for learning spanish for ... well, us, and cops and other people who need to know Spanish.

Now, one of the important things I was told by the site owner that amused me. Due to a Clinton era Executive Order, if you take public money for your private business, you must provide translator services in the field for all "major lanugages in your area."

So, if you're in an area with a large Chinese population, you need to be able to translate Mandarin. This doesn't have to be by physical humans, most huge stores (that take public money) use telephone translator services.

Rosetta Stone, I have around here somewhere, but no ability to take just right now. (My PC blew up, on a backup... )

[SecTrainer]

SPEForums has resources for learning spanish for ... well, us, and cops and other people who need to know Spanish.

Thank you, sir. When are the services for your computer, and shall I send flowers or is a donation to a favorite charity preferred?

[N. A. Corbier]

Thank you, sir. When are the services for your computer, and shall I send flowers or is a donation to a favorite charity preferred?

Its even more fun, I'm trying to figure out if it was the CPU frying, the PSU frying and taking the mainboard with it, or if it my mainboard does the overheat supervisory alarm and shuts down if it detects overheat.

The services for the computer, once autopsy is complete, will be on ebay.

[davis002]

SecTrainer,

I am curious... did you find what you were looking for?

[SecTrainer]

SecTrainer,

I am curious... did you find what you were looking for?

I've got some things coming by interlibrary loan (which seems to be synonymous with "slow boat from China"), so haven't really gotten much evaluation done yet.

Thanks for remembering, though!