Speaking Spanish Will Make a Difference to Your Bottom Line
 “If I had only known a few key phrases or words in Spanish, I could have avoided the extra expense and time my crew spent stripping, sanding and reapplying stain and varnish to the banister and railing of one of my custom homes.”
“I wonder what would have happened if I just had asked Juan if he needed help moving that load of plywood, whether such help would have prevented him from ‘blowing out’ his back and having surgery. He ultimately lost his job because he could no longer lift and I not only lost a good worker, my workers comp premiums went up ― way up.” These are just two examples of the regrets that contractors and employers have expressed to me during my 20 years working in the insurance and risk management industries. Most of them have told me that they relied upon a couple of their bilingual workers to communicate with the other members of their Spanish-speaking staff. Why a contractor would place the entire outcome of a project ― or the safety of his crew — solely in the hands of a few bilingual workers is something I can never understand. Even those bilingual workers, as conscientious and dedicated as they may be, cannot be in all places at all times. Commit to Learning Key Phrases ― You’ll Improve Workforce Relationships In many of the trades, Hispanic workers represent 80%-90% of the workforce. Committing yourself to speaking Spanish — even if you only learn key phrases and leave the general discussions to your bilingual staff — not only increases job efficiency, safety and loyalty, it improves workforce relationships. This commitment doesn’t mean you have to move to Mexico and take a six-month crash course in Spanish. And you don’t have to buy Spanish phrase books, dictionaries, CDs, tapes and other such learning aids. Anyone who works at a construction site can pick up a few important, but simple, Spanish phrases. If you do, you can avoid many of the mishaps, accidents and incorrect work that often result from a lack of communication. Some Phrases to Get You Started Let me help get you started by offering a few brief, simple phrases that will make a significant difference at your job site: | Do it | Hazlo | (OZ-low) | | Like this | Así | (ah- SEE ) | | Again | Otra vez | (OH-trah vase) | | Great! | ¡Qué bien! | (KAY bee-IN) |
¡Hazlo! Speak Spanish today (HOY)!
If you intend to employ a cost-effective workforce, take the time and make the commitment to bridge the language barrier. Learning and speaking just a few simple phrases will help you improve your company culture — and increase your bottom line. Deby Jones is the founder and sales director of 2nd Language Success based in Sandy, Utah. Her company offers Spanish In-A-Pinch, Inglés En-Un-Rato and other language aids and products. Jones has teamed with NAHB and local home builders associations and private business to train people to speak Spanish in a pinch. For more information, visit the 2nd Language Success Web site. | 
