Case Study: Company Newsletter Article
Article written for internal newsletter promoting company Spanish classes
Overview
Our goal was to bring awareness to employees about the excellent Spanish language classes our company offered during lunch hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My task was to show how easy, fun, and important the classes were. I wrote the article after interviewing the Spanish teacher and having taken the class myself for several years.
| Request | Promote in-house Spanish language classes |
| My Roles | Interviewer, Writer |
| Timeline | 2 months |
| Results | Published in company newsletter |
Process
- Pitch and gain approval from Marketing Manager
- Pitch and gain approval from Spanish language teacher
- Set up and conduct an interview with the Spanish language teacher
- Set up and conduct interviews with several students
- Write first draft
- Revise
- Request review from editing colleague
- Revise
- Share draft with Spanish language teacher and take feedback
- Submit final version to Marketing manager
- Review final version when laid out in company newsletter
Newsletter copy
¡Vamos a Hablar Español!
By Joanna Hofer
If pronouns, nouns, and adjectives tie your stomach into knots, and the mere thought of verbs makes you tense, fear not! Kim Aston, SEL’s Spanish teacher, will start you off with a song. Kim is the first to admit she’s not afraid to try extreme measures to help her students learn, even if she sometimes seems silly. An avid music lover and talented vocalist, Kim livens up her lessons with catchy tunes. Before their first class ends, beginning students have a tool to remember the Spanish alphabet— and sing it!
Kim has offered Spanish at SEL Pullman Headquarters since March 2009. Over the last eight years, she has taught a variety of levels in both formal academic settings and as a private tutor. Her philosophy of teaching is simple: make it meaningful.
Kim emphasizes speaking and listening skills. After asking her students for input on the topics they would like to discuss, Kim provides the necessary vocabulary and teaches language structure. While grammar is important, “language must be relevant in order for students to remember.” With this in mind, she tailors her classes to meet the needs of her students and understands that they have busy schedules.
While growing up in Washington State, Kim recalls listening to her father on the phone with his sisters in Texas.
“They spoke Spanish,” said Kim, “and I always wanted to know what they were saying. My father was one of my greatest influences, and I decided at a young age that learning Spanish would be ‘cool.’”
Spanish was not spoken at home, and Kim didn’t begin formal Spanish lessons until high school.
At Washington State University (WSU), Kim majored in Spanish Education. During her junior year, she lived and took classes in Oviedo, Spain. Her host mother spoke little English, so Kim had many opportunities to practice her Spanish.
After earning a master’s degree in foreign languages and cultures from WSU, Kim received an English conversation assistant scholarship and returned to Spain where she lived in the city of Calatayud. Less frequently visited by tourists than Oviedo, Kim found Calatayud a great place to learn how Spanish is used on a day-to-day basis.
SEL began offering Spanish in 2009 after many SEL employees requested classes. “Some need it to communicate with SEL Mexico,” according to Training Coordinator Shawnda Hoops, “others were just interested in learning it. When we initially advertised the classes, over 100 people were interested, so we knew there was a need to offer the classes, and we wanted to meet that need.”
To date, 92 SEL employees have attended SEL Spanish classes; 51 have expressed interest, but have not yet attended. Forty-nine have completed Beginning Spanish I, 17 have completed Beginning Spanish II, 6 have completed Beginning Spanish III, and 8 have completed Intermediate Spanish I.
Spanish at SEL can be relaxed or rigorous. “You get out of it what you put in,” Kim advises her beginning students. “I understand what it’s like to work full time and how it can be a challenge to set aside time for homework. The fact that my students want homework and also that most complete it speaks to the caliber of employees at SEL. What’s more, some requested that I give quizzes on the material, which was a great idea. I love that they’re so motivated and want to be held accountable for what they learn.”
SEL employees study Spanish for a variety of reasons. Marcus Blaisdell, supplier quality technician, occasionally has the opportunity to work with SEL suppliers in Mexico. “My supervisor is a native Spanish speaker and is able to converse very effectively with suppliers. I would like to be able to do this as well.”
Don Blair, quality reliability engineering manager, looks forward to speaking Spanish when he travels and also wants to improve communications with SEL customers.
“SEL Mexico issues customer complaints for customer related quality and for delivery-related issues, said Don. “Since I started this class, I can understand more of the original customer text regarding the customer’s problem. That helps me do my job better.”
Associate Product Manager Christina Kusch loves “how interactive and engaging our classes are. There’s a comfortable and unintimidating environment that welcomes everyone to participate.”
With sales offices in more than 15 countries and technical service centers in over 30, SEL employees realize the value of multilingual communication. The growing success of our manufacturing facility in San Luis Potosí further emphasizes the increasing global focus of our company. It is estimated that 357 SEL employees are fluent in Spanish. Spanish is spoken on four continents and is the official spoken language of 21 countries.
Spanish is spoken as a first language by approximately 330 million people and as a second language by 50 million. It is second to Chinese as the most spoken language in the world.
If you’re up for a challenge, would like to expand your horizons, or would enjoy a chance to socialize, Spanish at SEL offers all of the above.
Joanna Hofer 