Common Mistakes With Spanish-speaking Families
Mistake #1
Have you ever really thought about the positive and negative messages that you and others send to the children and their Spanish-speaking parents when they come to your school? Trust or mistrust can be formed in the first five minutes of meeting someone. There are many people who just change their words to the language of the person to whom they are speaking.
Language is not just about translating your sentences and memorizing phrases; it’s about communicating your ideas. Remember, you don’t have to be fluent in the language to make a great first impression; you just have to know a little about the language and culture to communicate effectively. You can’t really connect and build trust with someone by just saying a bunch of words to them.
You
have to understand body language to ensure you don’t send the wrong messages.
When you communicate your ideas in a foreign language, all other forms of nonverbal communication (i.e. gestures, physical, visual) have to follow suit. This is the only way to have whole communication. You have to understand body language to ensure you don’t send the wrong messages. Different cultures communicate in different ways and you must understand this when you learn a foreign language. For instance, in the Hispanic culture hand gestures, eye contact, and body language are so important. If you focus just as hard on understanding nonverbal communication as you do on memorizing words, you’ll be able to successfully connect with the students and their families and gain confidence in the language.
. . . tear down walls and build up trust in the first 5 minutes of meeting someone!
Join us for “Spanish Today for Medical Professionals” to not only learn useful, basic, and medical Spanish phrases, but also how to tear down walls and build up trust in the first 5 minutes of meeting someone!
Vendla Smith, MEd is a Full-day preconference speaker at
NASN2015 on June 23rd from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
Vendla Smith, founder of Zinta Inspired Language and nationally known speaker, has a unique and innovative approach to learning which has enabled her to develop extensive language, cross-cultural, and interpersonal curriculum for businesses and individuals.
She received her Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Language, State Teaching License, Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, and lived with native families in Mexico enabling her to instruct from both sides of the learning process.
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