Week 14 - Bethanny

Working with students who are not in my field, and this is mostly the case since I study Spanish Literature, has been challenging and rewarding at the same time. This is particularly true when students are in Spanish classes that are specific to their majors, such as business Spanish. I once had a student who came in with his assignment, which was creating a mock website for his company. Having no business background at all, I struggled a little with the instructions and different vocabulary that he had to use because the were quite technical. However, I think the overall session went well as I was able to help with things that are more universal, such as the organization of sentences and grammar issues. I was actually able to learn a great deal from that student about a field that I was not familiar with.

The same issue happened when a student brought in his resume because he wanted to apply for an internship in Spain; his major was engineering. He had his resume in Spanish, but since I am unfamiliar with his lab projects and qualifications in the CV, it was actually quite hard to determine which terms were more appropriate. I ended up working with the student by checking the terms online and see whether they are actually used or not. It was challenging, for both of us, but we were quite productive in session.

Comments

  1. Carol SeverinoApril 21, 2020 at 1:32 PM

    I can see how the Spanish Department has its own writing across the curriculum if you are working with Spanish Writing for Business and Spanish Writing for Engineers, and Spanish Writing for Medical Professionals. It reminds me of the speakers that the FLARE program (part of DWLLC, but fading) brought from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, who created a Languages Across the Curriculum Program, where more advanced students in the foreign languages would study more than just literature in their language--they would also study related cultural areas like history, anthropology, and film so they learn the disciplinary content in that language. That's the kind of course that appeals to me, which is why I like Cinzia Blum's Italian classes a lot. She knows so much about Italian history, film, songs, and cooking in addition to literature. I always feel I'm learning so much at the same time--a very happy experience!

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