---

Our Changing Communities:
¿Habla español?

Looking at data from the 2000 census, it’s easy to see our country is changing. In our last national head-count, Hispanics became the nation’s largest minority and their population continues to rise at an unprecedented rate. This accelerated growth is attributed to legal and illegal immigration, along with a higher than average birth rate among Latinos residing in the United States.

Bottom line--there are almost 40 million people in America who speak Spanish. Slightly more than half speak English well, leaving more than 19 million who don’t. For the first time in our nation’s history, a language besides English is having a strong impact on every aspect of our society and every corner of our country.

Only a few years ago, immigration was an isolated issue that primarily effected states like California, Texas, Florida, and New York. Now, it affects all of us and has become a national hot button. It has startling implications for everyone in the nation, but especially those who work in property management and multi-family housing. Classes are available now to help manage multi-cultural properties.

At the dawn of the last century America welcomed waves of Irish, Italians, Germans, Chinese, and countless others. Each arrived with the hope that hard work and determination would bring the American dream of a better life and freedom. Back then it was common to work at least two jobs and to lived in cramped conditions. Everyone had to share expenses to survive. It was the only way to have anything left over to send back home for family members left behind.

Today, the only difference is that the current wave of immigrants is from our own hemisphere- and they speak Spanish. America has ignored the need to become a bilingual nation. We’ve been lucky that the majority of the world’s countries teach English to their children, along with their own language. In most European countries, people speak at least two languages. In several parts of Africa, entire villages speak at least three other dialects. Speaking several languages is a highly valued skill around the world, but why is it so hard for us to do?

There are so many answers to that one question. First, many schools systems wait until high school before starting second language instruction. That’s too late. We learn our native language during childhood. That’s when our bodies are physically set up for language acquisition.

Change is never easy. It rubs us the wrong way and puts obstacles in our path. Sometimes change is even frightening. At a recent seminar for bankers in North Carolina, one of the participants said exactly that. She confided to me that her stress level increased dramatically when she worked with non English-speaking customers. This put her in a real quandary because she wanted to give these customers the same great service as everyone else, but she felt that she would always come up short in her Spanish language cash drawer.

After more than a decade of teaching French and Spanish to public school children, I began to think about how adults learn languages. Adults learn languages much differently than children do. First, they need a positive, non-threatening approach to foreign languages. Many have had negative experiences with high school French and Spanish. That anxiety never seems to go away!

Adults best learn Spanish by building on Spanish words that most Americans already know and by looking for the similarities between our languages rather than the differences. Next, there has to be a better way to teach grammar. Since most of our conversations in the workplace are one-on-one, that eliminates the need for a lot of old-fashioned grammar and conjugation. By minimizing grammar and maximizing practical vocabulary and skills, adult students can see real results in record time.

Finally, many complain that the language courses they took in school just weren’t practical. They want to learn the phrases and cultural tips that will help them at work. If we learn phrases we can use, we will practice them more often. There’s just no time for anything else.

There are many workplace vocabulary words where English and Spanish meet. For example, we use the words contract, deposit, and rent in English. It’s “contrato,” “depósito,” and “renta” in Spanish. Just from looking at them, you can see the similarities. They are easy to remember and use. There are literally thousands of places where English and Spanish “shake hands.”

I’m thrilled to be a part of the 15th annual Multi-Family Brainstorming session in Atlanta. SpeakEasy Spanish for Apartment Managers™ is going to answer many questions and provide you with practical tips to help you plan for increasing cultural diversity on your properties. Over the past seven years I’ve interviewed and worked with property managers across the nation. This has given me a unique perspective into the communicative challenges you face daily. The things I’ve learned have helped apartment communities retain families, build strong relationships, and motivate us to break through the language barrier.

Over the coming months in the North Carolina Journal for Women, it will be my pleasure to help you explore these places where our languages and cultures make a true connection! Over the coming months in the North Carolina Journal for Women, it will be my pleasure to help you explore these places where our languages and cultures make a true connection!