Land of Opportunity

Audio gallery Hope Rutrough converses in Spanish with Virginia Western Community College professor Shelia Balderson.

Rutrough is just one reason why Virginia Western administrator Elizabeth Wilmer had to scramble this fall to fill increasing requests for Spanish classes. The college now offers 13 different sections of Spanish, up from eight two years ago, and there’s a waiting list for several of those classes.

With the sharp increase in Roanoke’s Hispanic community — leaders estimate the number to be as high as 12,000 — Roanokers are rubbing elbows with Spanish speakers everywhere from the workplace to Wal-Mart. In her 2005 survey of Roanoke Hispanics, Spanish-media show host Surmy Rojas found that 35 percent speak both Spanish and English.

While some seek out English as a Second Language classes , offered in several area churches and through a variety of adult-education programs, most newly arrived immigrants are busy working — and many have multiple jobs. They frequently rely on their children to learn English at school and to translate for them.

“They’re becoming aware that they can get better jobs and help their kids more in school if they learn English,” said Virginia Tech education professor Kris Tilley-Lubbs, who has researched Hispanics in the New River and Roanoke valleys. But with many having two jobs and problems finding transportation and child care, “There aren’t a lot of time or resources for English classes.”

Virginia Western professor Irina Levitov has taught Spanish to adults ranging from immigration attorneys and public defenders to doctors and social workers. They’re learning the language for a variety of reasons: Most need Spanish skills for their jobs while others have Hispanic spouses or boyfriends, or plan to travel to Spanish-speaking countries.

“Most of the people learning it for work tell me they want to be able to communicate beyond basic commands,” Levitov said. “Not just 'Do this and do that,’ but 'Do you have a family?’ or 'Tell me about your home.’ ”

Former public school teacher Shelia Balderson was brought out of retirement to help with the college’s Spanish demand. Now on her third semester, she’s taught students ranging from a doctor who wanted to converse with patients to factory managers, schoolteachers and guidance counselors.

“It does my heart real good because when I taught in the ’70s and ’80s, my soapbox was: You will need this one day for your job, or your marriage, or whatever,” Balderson said. “I have always taught that being bilingual is a marketable skill, especially as the world gets smaller and smaller.”

Through its Workforce Development program, Virginia Western offers workplace classes, called Command Spanish, with instruction targeted to specific jobs, including nurses and construction foremen. Nurses, for instance, learn such phrases as: “I’m going to give you a shot.”

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