Speaking Spanish Helpful?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Do you find that speaking Spanish is helpful in your job? I am considering starting to learn it on my own (have been for quite awhile) and was wondering if all of you here think it would be useful or just a waste of time?

I love languages. Love them. Even though I only speak "American."

I've taken classes in Spanish, German, Hebrew and Russian.

My neighborhood is one of the most ethnically diverse zipcodes in San Jose, California -- which is no slouch when it comes to cultural diversity. My next door neighbors are Vietnamese, as are the owners of the 7-11 I frequent. I have several neighbors who are (what's the pc term?) Hispanic.

I grew up in So Cal and only remember 1 Hispanic in my elementry school (in the 50s). Now, I go into local stores and frequently the clerks are unable to speak English. Would I like it to be different? Well--I think that the fact that most Americans can only speak one language where most of the world speaks at least two is a bit embarrassing, and makes us less culturally sensitive. Let's face it, whether we like it or not, the influx of Spanish-only speaking folks is not going to subside any time soon, so, uinless you are going to be politically active and fight against it that way, why waste time being upset?

In my nursing class of 29 we are extremely ethnically and culturally diverse. I've been learning from many my classmates how to say hello in other languages. I love it!

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I love languages. Love them. Even though I only speak "American."

I've taken classes in Spanish, German, Hebrew and Russian.

My neighborhood is one of the most ethnically diverse zipcodes in San Jose, California -- which is no slouch when it comes to cultural diversity. My next door neighbors are Vietnamese, as are the owners of the 7-11 I frequent. I have several neighbors who are (what's the pc term?) Hispanic.

I grew up in So Cal and only remember 1 Hispanic in my elementry school (in the 50s). Now, I go into local stores and frequently the clerks are unable to speak English. Would I like it to be different? Well--I think that the fact that most Americans can only speak one language where most of the world speaks at least two is a bit embarrassing, and makes us less culturally sensitive. Let's face it, whether we like it or not, the influx of Spanish-only speaking folks is not going to subside any time soon, so, uinless you are going to be politically active and fight against it that way, why waste time being upset?

In my nursing class of 29 we are extremely ethnically and culturally diverse. I've been learning from many my classmates how to say hello in other languages. I love it!

heart

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.

Extremely useful / valuable. Use it almost daily at the hospital. Took four years of it in high school, with the last two being in special, concentrated learning classes with native speakers from different countries.

Spain, Mexico, all the countries of Central America, nearly all of South America, and several Caribbean Islands all have Spanish as their mother tongue.

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.

Extremely useful / valuable. Use it almost daily at the hospital. Took four years of it in high school, with the last two being in special, concentrated learning classes with native speakers from different countries.

Spain, Mexico, all the countries of Central America, nearly all of South America, and several Caribbean Islands all have Spanish as their mother tongue.

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I love languages. Love them. Even though I only speak "American."

I've taken classes in Spanish, German, Hebrew and Russian.

My neighborhood is one of the most ethnically diverse zipcodes in San Jose, California -- which is no slouch when it comes to cultural diversity. My next door neighbors are Vietnamese, as are the owners of the 7-11 I frequent. I have several neighbors who are (what's the pc term?) Hispanic.

I grew up in So Cal and only remember 1 Hispanic in my elementry school (in the 50s). Now, I go into local stores and frequently the clerks are unable to speak English. Would I like it to be different? Well--I think that the fact that most Americans can only speak one language where most of the world speaks at least two is a bit embarrassing, and makes us less culturally sensitive. Let's face it, whether we like it or not, the influx of Spanish-only speaking folks is not going to subside any time soon, so, uinless you are going to be politically active and fight against it that way, why waste time being upset?

In my nursing class of 29 we are extremely ethnically and culturally diverse. I've been learning from many my classmates how to say hello in other languages. I love it!

heart

I agree with you. My parents came from Dominican Republic and I was born here but at the same time speak spanish fluently and you know it comes in handy. Even when I have to speak to people who only speak French or Italian. I believe people have to stop being so ignorant and understand that the whole world is diverse it is not only the United States and by the way americans are not full flesh americans (unless you are a native indian) because immigrants from Italy, Ireland, England, and Germany came settled in the US it just so happend that England was our mother country so that is why we speak english, but how about if it was spain the US would have been a spanish speaking country. No doubt I am proud to be an American. I was born in this country. One more thing there are people who live in this country and do not speak english and you know where they are right now in Iraq fighting for this country. There were 300 Dominicans from Dominican Republic in Iraq fighting for the US. They did leave Iraq last week but I agree that they did because Bush is there for oil. Bush is no good for us.

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I love languages. Love them. Even though I only speak "American."

I've taken classes in Spanish, German, Hebrew and Russian.

My neighborhood is one of the most ethnically diverse zipcodes in San Jose, California -- which is no slouch when it comes to cultural diversity. My next door neighbors are Vietnamese, as are the owners of the 7-11 I frequent. I have several neighbors who are (what's the pc term?) Hispanic.

I grew up in So Cal and only remember 1 Hispanic in my elementry school (in the 50s). Now, I go into local stores and frequently the clerks are unable to speak English. Would I like it to be different? Well--I think that the fact that most Americans can only speak one language where most of the world speaks at least two is a bit embarrassing, and makes us less culturally sensitive. Let's face it, whether we like it or not, the influx of Spanish-only speaking folks is not going to subside any time soon, so, uinless you are going to be politically active and fight against it that way, why waste time being upset?

In my nursing class of 29 we are extremely ethnically and culturally diverse. I've been learning from many my classmates how to say hello in other languages. I love it!

heart

I agree with you. My parents came from Dominican Republic and I was born here but at the same time speak spanish fluently and you know it comes in handy. Even when I have to speak to people who only speak French or Italian. I believe people have to stop being so ignorant and understand that the whole world is diverse it is not only the United States and by the way americans are not full flesh americans (unless you are a native indian) because immigrants from Italy, Ireland, England, and Germany came settled in the US it just so happend that England was our mother country so that is why we speak english, but how about if it was spain the US would have been a spanish speaking country. No doubt I am proud to be an American. I was born in this country. One more thing there are people who live in this country and do not speak english and you know where they are right now in Iraq fighting for this country. There were 300 Dominicans from Dominican Republic in Iraq fighting for the US. They did leave Iraq last week but I agree that they did because Bush is there for oil. Bush is no good for us.

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that is how i feel, its like us going to mexico and demanding they learn my language.

thats just plain crazy

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that is how i feel, its like us going to mexico and demanding they learn my language.

thats just plain crazy

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

There's a big difference between the philosophic argument about speaking English in the US and the pragmatic need to communicate with someone right now. If they don't speak English right now, you'll need to use an interpreter, one of those translator phones or something to get the job done.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

There's a big difference between the philosophic argument about speaking English in the US and the pragmatic need to communicate with someone right now. If they don't speak English right now, you'll need to use an interpreter, one of those translator phones or something to get the job done.

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I need a spanish for healthcare professionals course, though. I mean, I know how to say average words, but have you ever tried to obtain consent in spanish for a procedure that you have NO idea how to even begin to translate??? Absolutely horrible.

Nekihismom,

I've got a book called "Labor and Delivery In My Pocket." It's not a book really, but a very small spiral notebook that gives basic nursing information in a pocket sized book - it fits perfectly in scrub pockets. In this book, it has a TON of Spanish phrases which we use all the time in L&D, such as "I need to do a lady partsl exam", all the basic questions which we NEED to ask in L&D. It even has information on obtaining a consent! I bought the book for all the Spanish translations alone. I think they might make a line of "In My Pocket" books for certain specialties. I highly recommend them.

Also, I'd like to improve my Spanish. It's really going to be essential one day if not today.

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I need a spanish for healthcare professionals course, though. I mean, I know how to say average words, but have you ever tried to obtain consent in spanish for a procedure that you have NO idea how to even begin to translate??? Absolutely horrible.

Nekihismom,

I've got a book called "Labor and Delivery In My Pocket." It's not a book really, but a very small spiral notebook that gives basic nursing information in a pocket sized book - it fits perfectly in scrub pockets. In this book, it has a TON of Spanish phrases which we use all the time in L&D, such as "I need to do a lady partsl exam", all the basic questions which we NEED to ask in L&D. It even has information on obtaining a consent! I bought the book for all the Spanish translations alone. I think they might make a line of "In My Pocket" books for certain specialties. I highly recommend them.

Also, I'd like to improve my Spanish. It's really going to be essential one day if not today.

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