This course is ideal for professionals or others who have little to no training in the Spanish language and want to interact with Spanish-speaking employees or customers in the workplace. Emphasis is placed on oral communication and specific vocabulary. Written and oral practice are provided to exercise the ability to find and communicate information of everyday transactions.


Census data from 2020 demonstrates a continuing trend of Spanish speakers making NEPA their home. Continuing Education courses in Spanish help to make workplaces more safe and accessible and give employers a competitive edge in welcoming a burgeoning population to their products, services, and workforce.

Our Spanish in the Workplace courses facilitate dialogue and foster a sense of appreciation of the Spanish language and the people who speak it. Dialects and cultural elements figure into the courses as well. Students will actively read, write, listen to, and speak in Spanish.

Rather than using the typical vocabulary sets and textbook exercises, our Spanish courses instead focus on words and conversations that are likely to occur in the workplaces of the participants. Course vocabulary varies each time the course is offered and is tailored to the needs of the students in the class. For instance, prior offerings have included terms and conversations related to customer service, medical intake forms, and essentials of manufacturing safety. With this real-world practice, students gain the competence and the confidence to use their knowledge inside and outside of the workplace.

Who should attend: Managers, supervisors, classroom educators, health-care practitioners, and other business professionals who benefit from learning to speak Spanish, as well as anyone else who wants to learn the language, be it for travel, work, or awareness.

You'll learn how to:

  • Become proficient in workplace Spanish vocabulary
  • Demonstrate an ability to engage in simple business in Spanish
  • Increase active vocabulary by practicing conversation with authentic materials
  • Improve listening skills to become more proficient in understanding Spanish
  • Understand basic questions and requests in Spanish
  • Identify key grammatical structures to improve reading and speaking strategies in Spanish
  • Develop your next level skill by translating sentences and short texts or forms from English to Spanish and Spanish to English
  • Improve cultural communication skills
  • Be able to ask and in-take information to fill out documents pertaining to business

Spanish in the Workplace: Level 1 

This course is shorter in length than a typical college-level Spanish 101 course; however, it is similar in scope. It is assumed that attendees have little or no previous practice with the language. The course teaches basic grammar points and builds pronunciation skills. Students will become proficient in basic Spanish greetings and courtesies, and they will be able to understand and answer basic questions in Spanish.
 

Registration Information - Fall 2025

Dates: September 11, 2025 - November 13, 2025  (no class 10/30)
Times: Thursdays, 5:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. (Last class on 11/13 will be 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.)  
Location: Online instructor-led training via Zoom video conferencing
Cost: $359 per person

REGISTER FOR SPANISH LEVEL 1Please contact Jo Ann Durdan at 570-963-2600 or email [email protected] to be placed on our mailing list or for more information.

Spanish in the Workplace: Level 2 

This Spanish workshop will refresh and reinforce the topics covered in Level 1. The class will continue conjugating verbs in the present tense along with gaining a general sense of the past and future tenses of the Spanish language. At the end of the course, students will be able to carry on a simple conversation without consulting a dictionary.

Registration Information - Fall 2025

Dates: November 20, 2025 - February 5, 2026
Times: Thursdays, 5:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. (Last class on 2/5/25 will be 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.)
Location: Online instructor-led training via Zoom video conferencing
Cost: $359 per person

Register for Spanish Level 2

Please contact Jo Ann Durdan at 570-963-2600 or email [email protected] to be placed on our mailing list or for more information.

Spanish in the Workplace: Level 3

This workshop begins by reviewing the basics of Spanish presented in Levels 1 and 2. It is expected that students enter the Spanish class with a rudimentary understanding of pronunciation and the present tense. The differences between the two past tenses (preterite and imperfect) will be explored, along with further practice of future tenses. Notes on culture will be added to each session, and the workshop will be adjusted according to the needs of class participants.

Registration Information

Dates: TBD
Times: TBD
Location: Online instructor-led training via Zoom video conferencing
Cost: $359 per person

Training options available: Customized training for your organization or company are available upon request on a Penn State Campus or at your location.  Please contact Jo Ann Durdan at 570-963-2600 or email [email protected] for details. 

Note: The University reserves the right to cancel courses due to insufficient enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances.