C.W. Post's Intensive Language Institute
Helps Long Island
Businesses Break through Language and Culture Barriers
August 2, 1999 -- Long Island businesses are operating in
a marketplace filled with customers and employees who speak various
languages. Communicating effectively around cultural and language
barriers can make the difference between securing a big contract
and losing a customer forever.
The new Intensive Language Institute at the C.W. Post Campus
of Long Island University is offering courses beginning in August
to help local businesses to communicate more effectively with
immigrant employees as well as with their growing number of global
clientele.
The Intensive Language Institute offers two distinct programs:
An English as a Second Language (ESL) program is offered
at the company's job site to help employers to communicate effectively
with their growing numbers of immigrant employees. "Language
problems may have serious consequences," said Dr. Elliot
Glass, director of the Institute. For example, if immigrant employees
are not able to react quickly to safety related commands in English,
they may endanger the lives of fellow workers. " By customizing
the course to fit the specific needs of a company, we are helping
the immigrant workers to understand their supervisors better
and, as a result, carry out their job duties in a safe, cost-effective
manner."
But what about the other side of the problem - the barriers
executives face when entering the global market? The Institute's
on-site Business Express Workshops address both language
and cultural problems which arise in doing business in a foreign
land. "When managers travel overseas, they need to understand
the language of the area as well as the taboos and subtleties
of the culture," said Dr. Glass. "Sometimes, what you
say is not as important as how you say it; we teach management
how to communicate effectively in a foreign country, even if
they say very little in that actual language."
The Intensive Language Institute provides on-site English
as a Second Language courses at businesses on Long Island. Classes
can be held at or near the job site before work, during the lunch
hour, or after work. The Institute also provides intensive on-site
foreign language courses for managers and supervisors who would
like to learn task-related commands and vocabulary in the native
language of the employees. Like the English courses, these classes
are scheduled to accommodate the working schedules of the participants.
All courses and workshops are taught by master teachers using
the easy to learn Sentence Generator that allows students to
create more than 1000 sentences from just 39 core words. Customized
workbooks, audiotapes, videotapes and CD-ROMs are available for
most courses.
"A modest investment on the part of the employer or the
employee can help to avoid miscommunication between workers and
their supervisors, thereby saving both time and money for the
company," said Dr. Glass.
The Institute offers 16, 20 and 32 hour ESL courses at costs
ranging from $188 to $480 per participant. Tuition for the foreign
language courses for supervisors and the Business Express Workshops
varies according to the number of hours and the languages studied.
For additional information, contact Dr. Elliot Glass, director
of the Intensive Language Institute, at (516) 299-3426 or email
crosroad@li.net.
