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Have you been frustrated at difficult time zone calculations when scheduling your Speak Shop lessons? Do you wish we had more – make that any – self-study materials?
If so, you will be happy about the changes we have been working on.
Our current website was designed for the basics. We needed something simple to test our hypothesis that people could and would learn Spanish through personal videoconferencing with Guatemalan tutors. You’ve proven how effective that can be!
Now it’s time for us to grow up a little and implement better systems. We would like you to have a say before we launch the improvements. For details, please read our “Try out Speak Shop” article below.
We’ve been working on several other exciting developments that we hope to share soon. We’ve also been fortunate to receive some awards and press recognition recently. Several of you having been spreading the word about Speak Shop. Every referral makes a huge difference to us. Thank you!
Saludos,
Clay
Co-Founder and CEO
Speak Shop
Learn Spanish for Good
| Try out Speak Shop's new bells and whistles before anyone else in the world! |
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Frankly, who doesn’t like to give advice? We need you to spend 15-20 minutes trying out the new features of our website, and, here’s the fun part, tell us what you think!
We’re looking for 10 beta testers. As a thank you, we’ll give you a 50% discount on one month’s membership. And ONE lucky tester will be selected to win a $20 gift certificate from Amazon.com. You can do the testing at your convenience, some time in March.
Please contact cindy@speakshop.com right away if you can help. We will need to hear from you no later than February 15th. Muchas gracias!
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| Being Good in Guatemala |
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In Guatemala, being conservative, polite and soft- spoken are important cultural tendencies. Personal presentation and grooming also matter. You’ll find that most people take great care in their appearance and clothing. In business, the culture leans strongly toward hierarchy with a tendency to avoid risk and ambiguity. In general, Guatemalans tend to be friendly and playful, and they will want you to be at ease.
The good:
- Wear conservative, nice clothes
- Speak softly
- Say “con permiso” (i.e., “excuse me” or literally “with permission”) when entering a room or home
- Shake hands and use the formal “usted” when meeting someone for the first time
- Discuss safe topics like tourist spots, family, food or soccer
The bad:
- In less touristy parts of Guatemala, wearing shorts or sleeveless shirts is a no-no
- Jumping into discussions about the war, politics, human rights or poverty
- Being overly direct or authoritarian
The ugly:
- Yelling or reprimanding someone loudly
- Publicly embarrassing someone
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| Did You Know? |
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Speak Shop is a semi-finalist in the Global Social Venture Competition, which recognizes entrepreneurs for using business to make the world a better place. We are keeping our fingers crossed for the next round!
In 2005, Speak Shop won Best Social Return on Investment award in the Social and Environmental Technologies Inventors Challenge, which recognized Speak Shop’s role in using technology to create better conditions for people in poverty-stricken areas. (http://www.set- info.com)
We believe business opportunity can transform poor areas into thriving communities. So many people are poor not because they lack skills or the willingness to work hard, but simply because they live in the wrong place -- places like Guatemala where war has ravaged the public psyche, access to education is limited and job opportunities are scarce. The Internet blasts through these barriers and connects capable people to a world of opportunities.
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Tutor Spotlight: Aracely |
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In our first newsletter, we learned that Aracely has 10 years of Spanish instruction experience. Here's more from our interview with Aracely.
Q: What did you study at university?
A: I have a license in social work.
Q: What vocabulary or themes do you specialize in?
A: I feel comfortable with a variety of themes and have taught Spanish lessons specialized on medical, naturopathic, social work, social, family and political issues.
Q: How do you feel about teaching online?
A: I like to teach online because it’s something new for me. I learn about different cultures and countries even though we are far away because technology is like magic. I like to be up-to-date on technology and on what happens in the world.
Q: Now that you have taught at Speak Shop for nearly a year, what do you think of it?
A: I think Speak Shop is a good opportunity for students that want to start or continue studying Spanish. Something very important is that Speak Shop is another source of jobs that helps many families economically, especially mine. It’s a job that is helping my personal and economic development.
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