Introduction


Aspectos de un día típico de trabajo is a compilation of over 20 brief audio recordings of interviews from Latin American professionals who describe their typical day of work; what they do every day, what part they like best and least, what special skills or training are necessary to do their job, and what their experience has been in working with foreigners. These interviews come from employees from eight different companies, four in Mexico and four in Venezuela. Chapter One presents three interviews from employees of Chestnut Hill Farms of Venezuela, a company that exports strawberries to the United States. Chapter Two contains three interviews from employees of E.P.I.M.S.A., a company in Monterrey, Mexico that buys used medical equipment in the United States and resells them to doctors, hospitals, and clinics in Mexico. The third chapter offers interviews in the area of insurance. Two employees of Seguros Cordillera, in Mérida, Venezuela, talk about their typical days at work. Chapter Four contains interviews from four employees of ABACO, a financial group in Monterrey, Mexico. Three employees of Banco de Lara provide interviews in Chapter Five as they discuss their work in this Venezuelan bank. Daktari, which is a wonderful name for a pet shop, provides interviews from three of their employees in Chapter Six. Mr. Gonzalo Vera Aguilar and Mr. Orlando Valero Pérez discuss their work in a car rental agency in Chapter Seven. The final Chapter Eight contains interviews from two employees of Inmovivienca, which is involved in the lease and purchase of properties, homes, and apartments.

The objective of these interviews is two-fold: First, provide English speaking professionals with business vocabulary in Spanish within the context of natural speech. The interviews contain the unrehearsed, off the top-of-your-head descriptions that real people made about their actual jobs. Many times the comments are extremely different and employees may even contradict each other. The interviews are designed to provide a context for the business vocabulary that is used; they are not designed to present all technical words related to accounting, finance, exportation, banking, etc. Given the oral nature of the interviews, the written transcripts may be difficult to follow at times. They are easier to understand when listened to. Second, these interviews provide non-native speakers of Spanish with multiple examples of natural speech. The transcripts illustrate how real people really talk. Although not a grammar text, the interviews contain excellent examples of Spanish grammar and syntax, not to mention a variety of pronunciation and speaking styles. These interviews contain samples of speech from two different countries and samples from old and young, male and female, professional and intern. Consequently the interviews can be used to supplement and reinforce certain grammatical issues for especially for advanced-level students.

Each of the interviews is presented as a brief QuickTime audio clip. To listen to the interviews you will need to have an internet software browser and the QuickTime plugin installed in your internet browser. (The files are played from the CD-ROM however, and you do not actually download them from the internet). The interviews are usually one to two minutes long, but rarely more than five minutes. Their brevity is by design. It is easier to study a small portion in detail than it is to superficially scan over a large chunk. It should be noted that the opinions expressed in the interviews are those of the persons interviewed. They do not represent or present the opinions of the companies where they work.

Aspectos de un día típico de trabajo is appropriate for students and professionals whose level of Spanish is high intermediate and advanced. The interviews can be studied in any order, depending on the topics and areas of interest.