Business Spanish for Professionals

In today's globalized world, the professional arena is dynamic and internationally focused. Globalization translates to new demands on the work force - one unavoidable reality is the importance of improving or enhancing linguistic skills. Throughout the Americas and Europe the importance of Spanish in the business world is indisputable. CPI's Spanish Business Program aims to develop the language skills of professionals already employed in this area, for those seeking new opportunities and for entrepreneurs considering business development and/or expansion.

Business Spanish for Professionals provides insight into Latin American business culture, utilizing Costa Rica as a case study, by introducing realistic situations and dialogue typical of a business environment. Students obtain specialized and relevant vocabulary skills which assist in facilitating communication in a professional ambience.

Business Spanish for Professionals , a practical Spanish course scheduled at the CPI Heredia site, contains 3 levels. Click here for a description of each level.

Our program schedule is designed to permit flexibility. Ideally the course is taken for 3 consecutive weeks to maximize the advantages of studying all the material in a logical and consecutive order. However CPI understands in many situations this is not a possibility. As a result, the curriculum is flexible to allow integration into class at any time during the program -- for 1, 2, or 3 weeks. Each level consists of 6 hours of Spanish class daily and 2 visits per week to a local business in the student's area of interest.

The price for each level is $830 with homestay and $995 to stay in a CPI apartment. Tours are offered separately.

Level 1

This first level introduces students to basic questions and dialogue that are fundamental within the work place. During this week the student develops skills of introduction, the ability to describe their profession and type of company, daily functions for themselves as well as for their colleagues.

Situations are created where the student buys or sells a product, all the while being exposed to new vocabulary and expressions regarding: methods of payment, credit, discounts and a variety of products.

• Specialized vocabulary
  
• Office and classroom
  
• Most popular products in Latin America
  
• Airport, clothes and at the bank
  
• Imports and exports
  
• Countries, currencies, capitals and languages
  
• Seasons, months, days of the week
  
• Salaries and loans

Level 2

The second level teaches students to ask more advanced and formal questions to their work colleagues or business partners. During this week students learn to manage the tools necessary to compare and contrast: products, professions, companies and cultural issues.

• By the end of the week students should be able to converse using the future and past tenses.
  
• Specialized vocabulary
  
• Business trip
  
• Personal objects
  
• Renting an apartment
  
• Different positions with a company
  
• Human recourses and accounting
  
• Commercial and industrial materials
  
• Methods of communication
  
• Publicity

Level 3

The third and most advanced level teaches students the Spanish they require in order to interview candidates for certain positions. Practice exercises are created to enable students to solve certain real life situations that could occur within their company.

During this week students should have a good command of using the past tense, permitting them to describe their first job and talk about any error or business regret that they may have had in the past. Students are given the necessary tools to be able to discuss topics such as “What would happen if countries like Japan lose their economic power”, using the conditional tense.

• Specialized vocabulary
  
• Lawyers and legal services
  
• Weights and measures
  
• Syndicates
  
• Application forms
  
• Taxes
  
• Courtesy in hotels and banks
  
• Methods of transport
  
• Products