TT public servants learn Spanish

TT is the closest Caribbean country to Latin America. With approximately 469 million people speaking Spanish in Latin America, learning the language can open up opportunities for citizens in business, friendships and other connections. As well, with the influx of Spanish-speaking migrants to the country, more people learning Spanish allows for a bridging of cultures.

This is why the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Embassy of the Republic of Chile joined forces to have an introductory Spanish class for Public Servants course.

For the past five weeks, public servants from the ministries of education, finance, foreign and Caricom affairs, national security, planning and development and tourism were taught an introductory Spanish class by Mariana Cosalini, a Spanish teacher at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso). The graduation ceremony for the Spanish course took place on Friday at the National Library and Information System in Port of Spain (Nalis).

Juan Aníbal Barría, Ambassador of Chile described TT as a Latin American country because of its proximity to both Central and South America. He said by bridging the language gap TT can be exposed to more opportunities.

"There is a special connection with Spanish culture and Latin America. You have a special location. You are the Caribbean country closest to South America. As such, TT is also a Latin American or South American country," Barría said.

The students not only learned the grammar and pronunciation of Spanish, but were exposed to Chilean culture and arts, in what Cosalini described as an immersive Spanish teaching experience.

Since 2017, almost 300 public servants were given Spanish classes held by the Colombian Embassy. This is the first time the Chilean Embassy hosted the initiative.

Jheuel Carter-Guy and Candace Colver both work at the Ministry of Tourism. Carter-Guy only learned Spanish up to form three. Colver did Spanish for CXC, but said she did not remember much, and learning Spanish was on her bucket list. They both said they were grateful for the opportunity so they could have conversations with TT's Spanish-speaking visitors. Since the end of the class, Colver was able to recommend a visitor go to Maracas in Spanish.

Natasha Hamlet Mitchel, a prison officer, said there are people who speak different languages in the country's prisons, so learning how to converse better with them makes her job easier.

Recently the Chilean Embassy launched a Spanish club in Nalis on Tuesdays from 5-6pm. The public servants were encouraged to attend the club so they could further their ability to speak Spanish.