Online Business Spanish Certificate

Learn practical professional Spanish while gaining important insights into the business culture of Spain and Latin America

New: completely updated for the 21st century business world.

The Online Business Spanish Certificate will give you the professional skills necessary to work in the Spanish-speaking world. Designed to be highly practical, this two-course program will teach you to navigate cultural differences and to use professional language and register that is rarely taught in traditional Spanish courses, but essential to effective negotiation in Spanish. Get real-life experience emailing, texting and practicing phone conversations and Skype interviews with your instructor. Learn business etiquette, create professional documents, and learn to discuss your own background and training, all while growing your knowledge about the business world and negotiating cross-culturally.

This noncredit Online Business Spanish Certificate program offers a practical and flexible learning opportunity for acquiring real-life Spanish language skills while gaining knowledge about the business cultures of Spain and Latin America.

Two 15-lesson courses are offered: Business Spanish: Intermediate and Business Spanish: Advanced.

Taking the courses online allows maximum flexibility to fit with the professional’s lifestyle. Work at your own pace and take up to a year to finish each course, while getting consistent support and feedback from your instructor.

Who this course is for

• Business professionals who need hands-on skills for their current positions
• Professionals who wish to expand their career opportunities by acquiring the ability to work cross-culturally
• MBA students who are considering careers in international business
• Professionals working for NGO’s who work with Spanish-speaking countries
• Anyone interested in gaining practical language and cultural skills

About your instructor

Julie M. Dahl (PhD in Spanish, UW-Madison) directs the Spanish language enrichment courses at UW-Madison and coordinates programs for seven other languages. She has lived and worked in Spain and Portugal, worked with NGOs in Guatemala, and travelled in Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras. She has extensive experience teaching language, culture, and business courses and a passion for creating practical language courses for professionals.

Course Format

The certificate has two course levels: Intermediate and Advanced. Each course provides a multimedia experience with listening activities and video and personal feedback from the instructor. With each course, you earn 6.0 Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Upon successful completion of level 2 (advanced), you will be awarded a certificate of completion.

Course 1: Business Spanish: Intermediate will give you the essential skills to conduct business in a Spanish-speaking environment. Learn how to properly address colleagues and clients. Write professional emails and letters, converse over the phone and Skype. Develop your own professional profile in Spanish and learn to describe your skills and experiences across cultures, and practice interviewing, all while reinforcing your command of the Spanish language.
Prerequisite: Two semesters of college-level Spanish or instructor’s consent.

Course 2: Business Spanish: Advanced continues the practical hands-on approach begun in course 1 but with a focuses on diverse sectors the business world and NGOs, as well as product development and marketing. The course allows participants to develop a project tailored to the business sector and Spanish-speaking country that is most relevant to them. This course will be available Fall 2013. To receive a notification when registration opens in the fall of 2013, subscribe to our mailing list.

Related Courses

Independent Learning Spanish courses are another option for distance education through UW-Extension. Courses are available for college credit.