• Diversity Executive: Overcoming Language Barriers
• Upcoming Workshops: Construction Safety Council
• From Beckham to Blanco
• The Bright Side of a Gloomy Economy
• Blog Highlights
  • Learn English or Bust | Immigrant Contribution to Economy Impressive | Children of Immigrants Reshaping America | Latinos Account for Half of Population Growth Since 2000
• Our services

Diversity Executive, a new publication that provides strategies, best practices and research to help organizations create an inclusive environment, invited Founder & President Jill Bishop to highlight a client who has effectively implemented strategies to overcome language barriers.

Click here to read a case study on Rapid Displays, a Chicago-based company whose high-potential employees have recently completed their fourth English course with WLS.

WLS recently partnered with the Chicagoland Construction Safety Council to provide a Safety Spanish workshop to over 40 safety managers and OSHA supervisors. The workshop was so well-received that we have scheduled four additional safety Spanish workshops for 2009 and another four workshops for Construction English. These trainings are designed to provide participants the key vocabulary and expressions, as well as cross-cultural safety perspectives, necessary to create a safer and more productive workplace. Scheduling details to follow.

Other upcoming workshops include Safety Spanish for the Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin (Feb. 9) and Survival Spanish for Manufacturing with the Valley Industrial Association (April 22). Contact us for more information.

When soccer superstar David Beckham joined Spain’s Real Madrid team, he started studying Spanish so he could communicate with him teammates. Back on this side of the ocean, Workforce Language Services has been providing English language coaching to the Chicago Fire’s team captain, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, a native of Mexico City. Classes have focused on basic survival English, and Temo’s efforts to learn English have inspired many of his other teammates to do the same. Says Temo, "The service to me as a student is first class."

What's the fun of a global economic crisis if you can't at least find a few bargains?

We know times are difficult. Consumers and businesses alike are cutting back on their spending, but they are still spending – just more selectively. Consumers will choose to spend their money at establishments that provide excellent products and services, but if they can’t communicate with your employees, chances are, they’ll take their business elsewhere. Your immigrant workers need to be able to communicate with your English-speaking customers and supervisors, and your English-speakers need to be able to communicate with your growing Spanish-speaking customer and employee populations. And don't forget about the importance of translating your marketing materials to reach new audiences!

Don’t let things get lost in translation. Book Spanish, English, diversity or harassment prevention training for 2009 by Dec. 31 and receive 10% off. Discount applies to all translations initiated by Dec. 31, too. Hey – there has to be some good to come out of this global economic meltdown, right?

Our blog continues to expand its coverage of a wide variety of issues, including language in the workplace, language policy, translation, immigrant workers and Latino culture. Please feel free to contact us if you encounter any articles that would be relevant. Some recent blog highlights include:

Learn English or Bust
Joseph Salmons, Professor of German at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, wrote a fascinating paper debunking the myth that immigrants in the late 19th century and early 20th century learned English upon arrival...Contrary to the prevailing thought that these immigrants immediately assimilated into American culture by learning English, he found that German immigrants thrived without ever learning English for generations...

Immigrant Contribution to Economy Impressive
One of the biggest arguments against a gentler, more humane approach to illegal immigration is that immigrants, both legal and illegal, are a net drain on the economy. And as jobs evaporate and the U.S.’s economic climate worsens, this is one of the most common and loudly voiced arguments against immigration. But reports from two universities, one in NY and another in Nebraska, find that immigrants are net contributors to the economy...

Children of Immigrants Reshaping America
Among second-generation Hispanics, education is a priority, according to a nationwide study by the Public Policy Institute of California. Only 10 percent of second-generation adults have not graduated from high school, it found, compared with 38 percent of their first-generation parents. That is better than the population as whole, according to the U.S. Education Department, which said 14 percent of all American adults do not have high school diplomas...

Latinos Account for Half of Population Growth Since 2000
Since 2000 Hispanics have accounted for more than half (50.5%) of the overall population growth in the United States — a significant new demographic milestone for the nation’s largest minority group...

If you're new to Workforce Language Services, here's a quick overview of our services. More information can be found at our website. We offer:

• Onsite business or industry-specific Spanish classes, workshops and one-on-one language coaching
• Onsite job-specific English classes, workshops and coaching
• Translation of internal and external written communications (to and from any language)
• Transcription of Spanish, English and other language audio files, whether academic, marketing, legal or otherwise.
• Interpretation for HR investigations, new hire orientations, conferences, etc.
• Diversity training (English and Spanish)
• Harassment prevention (English and Spanish)
• Leadership training (English and Spanish)

As always, contact us for more information about how we can help bridge the language and culture gap at your organization.

Workforce Language Services | 2630 N. Drake Ave. | Chicago, IL 60647