Yo hablo Espanol???

We spent our second day doing assessments and therapy at Armonizar today. As students, we're just learning the art of our profession, which is always a challenge when beginning a placement. What I feel I should have anticipated more is the challenge of conquering this feat...in another language. We all came with varying levels of Spanish. Adriana grew up learning Spanish from her father and we rely on her a lot for her fluency. Victoria and I have had various Spanish-related experiences but are learning that as time has passed between then and now, we're a little rusty. Sue has been absorbing all she can in 12 weeks of lessons prior to this trip while Taz is even newer to the language. Michelle is getting by with her Italian (quite nicely actually).

As SLP's, we learn to communicate and want to communicate. When conducting assessments and therapy in Spanish, our limited vocabulary can make this a challenge. Sue, Victoria and I have spent many hours in a room together over the last couple days, sharing clients and supplementing each other's sentences. I find myself speaking only in present tense. Victoria surprises herself with some long, fluent sentences separated by our more typical 2-word utterances. Sue sometimes speaks English with a Spanish accent. We all gesture wildly trying to make our point like a game of charades. We get by, but I can't help but think I would have more to offer if I spoke the language better. Nonetheless, our young clients smile and look to their parents for a Spanish translation of our "Spanish". Their parents nod and offer words when we can't find them. A local SLP, Elvira, sits in on our sessions and offers helpful phrases. Throughout a session, parents and children both appear to leave satisfied, with a "muchas gracias" and a kiss on the cheek.

While challenging, even with the language barrier, we're getting the job done and getting a small glimpse into what it may be like for some of our clients facing a communication disorder. Every day, as we help our clients with their speech, I'll learn probably twice as much from them towards improving my Spanish vocabulary. I'm so thankful for being able to participate in this experience and maybe along with "Armonizar" on my resume, I'll be able to write a little "Yo hablo Espanol" next to it.