Editors' Forum | Get serious with Spanish! - Youth leaders say knowledge of the language will be critical in penetrating some international markets

Youth leaders and business operators who participated in the latest Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) are urging Jamaicans to make more effort to learn Spanish, which is increasingly becoming a major communication language in sections of the United States

The youth leaders, who returned to the island last week after participating in the YLAI internship in the US, are convinced that knowledge of, and the ability to speak Spanish will be key in an increasingly connected world.

Addressing a Gleaner Editors' Forum last Friday, some of this year's YLIA participants said during their five-week stay in the US, they encountered several Spanish-speaking persons, and were forced to pull on their limited knowledge of the language.

Nicolene Witter, co-founder, project and administrative coordinator of Enablers of Community Advancement Projects and Initiatives, told the forum that during her five weeks in Texas, the importance of Spanish was underscored.

"I encountered a large population of Hispanics in America. You find that even when you sit among the business persons, their interest is to go to Mexico, because there is a large market there.

"And when I look at it, in terms of building communities in Jamaica and wanting to export, how are we looking to these other markets such as Latin America, how are we preparing our people?" questioned Witter.

 

VERY IMPORTANT

 

"Spanish is going to be very important in our schools because while you may have a translator, you may not trust the translator to say what you are saying. But if you understand, you are great. You have an advantage," added Witter.

Jemelia Blythe, founder and managing director of High Flyer Educational Services, a private tutoring entity, argued that language acquisition must be taken seriously in Jamaica.

"If I did not understand, or wasn't able to communicate a little in Spanish, it would not have been the same experience. That assisted me a whole lot just to be able to communicate a little. I am not fluent, but being able to communicate in Spanish and hold my own, that helped a lot," said Blythe as she recounted her experience during her internship.

"So I do support (Prime Minister) Andrew Holness when he talks about making Spanish a second language. We have to do better with language acquisition in this country to make what we do more marketable," added Blythe.

Gavin Lindsay, who did his attachment in Miami, said he was in a popular store and no one could help him find the changing room, as they were all Spanish speakers and he was not.

"I had to use Google translator to ask someone to go to the changing room in America, in Miami. Just let that sink in. Most persons don't think about that, that Miami is a Spanish-dominated area," said Lindsay, as he argued that Jamaicans must start thinking global.

 

NO PROBLEM IS LOCAL

 

"No solution that you create is local, because no problem is local," added Lindsay, who describes himself a serial entrepreneur.

For Shawneil Bailey, founder and managing director of Zarabelle Limited, a people-management service company, said she was forced to learn "no hablo espanol" (I don't speak Spanish) quickly during her trip.

"I will say that they were very respectful and they understood that a few of us did not know the language, and they tried their best to accommodate us, and so they spoke a lot of English," Bailey told the forum.

Rory-Craig Walker, founder and CEO of Jamaica Care Packages, did not face issues with Spanish speakers during his stay, but that did not prevent him from joining the chorus about the value of learning Spanish.

"I can definitely say if I could go back 15 years to that Campion (College) class doing Spanish, I would have definitely paid a lot more attention, because I can see how right now it could benefit me and my business," Walker told the forum.

He pointed out that his company's next target market to provide Jamaican products to persons living overseas is Latin America, as he bemoaned the fact that he speaks no Spanish.

But there was one note of caution from Andre Robb, co-founder and CEO of Braata Box & Co. He argued that being a native speaker of English is an advantage that can lead to complacency.

"While the conversation about learning Spanish must be given more importance, I am not sure if I want to jump directly on the side that should even take precedence over acknowledging what Patois means to our people and giving that some more respect," said Robb.

YLAI was introduced by former US President Barack Obama and seeks to expand opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs and civil-society innovators in Latin America and the Caribbean.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com