Action Spanish for Law Enforcement began in the summer of 1996. Our task was to prepare a living "action-oriented
text" which would address the needs of real law enforcement-criminal justice professionals. We decided that
the book must have four elements: a) authentic law enforcement language and situations must be used; b) no grammar
explanations would be appropriate; c) an action-oriented video and audio CD must accompany the project; and d)
many cognates or words with similar looks and meaning would be the basis for easy to master Action Scenes and Scenarios
of each chapter.
The book was then piloted for two years by Spanish for Law Enforcement classes. Students had adequate time to provide
input for changes. Our support law enforcement personnel also provided help to make the language authentic, (i.e.,
sound like real-life Spanish).
Finally, the project spanned to three authors in two countries, which has given this project a fully international
dimension. Our greatest challenge was adapting this text to include practical Spanish. The focus is in using Standard
versions with some non-standard (slang) notations. We would hope that instructors would understand the difficulty
of writing a universal text for all situations that would include consideration for all varieties of Spanish. Because
of this impossibility, we hope that instructors will feel free to substitute regional and local variations of Spanish
to help students reach their goals. Naturally, familiar forms and slang should be adapted as needed.
In any class, both instructors and students must feel that the text, video, and audio CD material are geared to
meet their needs. We hope that we have succeeded in reaching that goal.
- Michael Kane, Division Chairperson of Protective Services, Coastal Bend College, Beeville, Texas
- Barbara M. Welder, Professor of Spanish, Coastal Bend College, Beeville, Texas
- Dalel Comes, Director, Mexican Immersion Center, Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Summary
For courses in Spanish in Law Enforcement.
This comprehensive and up-to-date text examines the common encounters a law enforcement or correctional officer responds to in their line of work and provides them with the Spanish they need to be more effective in those scenarios. The 'backbone' of the text is a variety of scenarios that integrate Spanish vocabulary from beginner to advanced levels. The text also uses common scenarios for dispatchers, jailers and corrections officers.
