United Latino Community helping to bridge gaps in Carson City

Learning a second language isn't as simple as sitting through classes and completing workbooks. Just ask clients at the United Latino Community (ULC) in Carson City, where learning a language is a shared experience and a common thread that binds people together.

"Learning another language teaches you an appreciation for what other language speakers go through," said Barbara Lott, a volunteer English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor who taught for more than 20 years at Western Nevada College in Carson City and Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno.

Acquiring the skills to not only speak another language, but also read, write and listen to it is an arduous process for most adults, said ULC ESL Program Coordinator Cathleen Mital.

"You have to work to learn a language," she said. "It takes a lot of time and work to get to this level."

Most of ULC's clientele are Spanish-speaking immigrants who are learning the complexities of the English language for the first time, and becoming a proficient English language user doesn't happen overnight.

"It takes five years just to learn the basics of English," said Lott, who teaches ESL at ULC, including a conversational English class where students learn to speak and listen to more relaxed English in an informal round-table setting.

The average time that one of Lott's students has been in her conversation class is about one year, and most of them attend every session.

"These are people I've come to know over two years and they are like my family," Lott said. "Most of the people here are taking more than one class. Besides my conversation class, they are taking other English classes. That helps them a lot to learn."

One of Lott's students is Berta Rolfsmeyer, a U.S. resident for 31 years who has been in the ULC ESL program for about 12 months. Rolfsmeyer and Lott actually go back about two decades while the former was learning English from the latter at WNC.

"I think it's smart to learn another language and be bilingual," she said. "This class is wonderful and we have wonderful teachers."

All of the instructors at ULC are volunteer tutors, Mital said, donating their knowledge and expertise to teach subjects useful to clients in the community. They teach not only language, but also culture, health, technology, and community education topics.

"Last year I was able to get classes here for diabetics, because I am one of those," said Delia Payan, an ESL student and 30-year U.S. resident. "I am very thankful, because I know how to handle my diabetes.

"We have computer classes, too," she added.

While education comprises a large part of the services offered at ULC, other assistance is also available through the organization's front office, including legal services, translation, and referral services to community resources.

"This is a big help to the Carson City community," Mital said. "The immigrants, the people who are learning English, have someone to turn to and some way to fit into the system."

A large part of achieving that goal, she said, is to help clients find success in learning a new language.

"Everybody who sticks to it feels a sense of accomplishment," Mital said. "I've seen students who have stuck with English and their confidence level goes up for their whole lives.

"They feel confident that they have accomplished something and they can do it," she added. "It's something they can pass down to their children, too."

That confidence boost can be crucial for citizenship candidates studying for their exams, which covers multiple United States subjects, from history and geography to the U.S. Constitution, government and economics.

"It's a big goal to be a citizen," Mital said. "It's a big deal, because it gives you more opportunities to really belong to the country being a citizen."

Citizenship candidates are required to memorize hundreds of questions, she said, but are only asked about 10 of them randomly on the exam. Of those, a candidate must answer at least six correctly to pass.

But before the citizenship exam is taken, candidates need a good grasp of the English language and all of its complicated rules or exceptions.

"We teach proper English, so if they have a job interview or a meeting with their children's teachers, it will be good English," Mital said.

Among the most challenging aspects of the English language for second language learners are contractions, expressions, and words that sound the same, Lott said.

"It's really hard to explain colloquialisms and what they mean," she said. "Contractions are another thing about the English language that is hard to understand."

Rolfsmeyer said she has encountered numerous expressions when out in the community and the conversation class she is currently taking at ULC helps her to understand these better.

"When somebody says, 'she's out to lunch,' we think it means she went out to lunch," Rolfsmeyer said. "But no, it really means she's not concentrating."

Mital said the Spanish language is primarily phonetic and each vowel only makes one sound. As such, English spelling rules often seem strange to learners.

However, the two languages aren't entirely different, either. It's not exactly like comparing apples to oranges.

"Spanish is Latin-based, and we have a lot of Latin in English," Mital said. "There are a lot of similarities between English and Spanish, and that makes it really fun to learn."

Mital said the average ESL student at ULC comes has a sixth grade education, which can make learning in traditional academic settings more difficult.

"They are not comfortable in a classroom environment," she said. "We get some people who have never been to school at all, and a lot of them are super shy. They don't want anybody to know, and they don't think anybody can help them."

Curriculum is taught in a way that is comfortable for the learner, Mital said, rather than at the whims of the instructor.

"We teach at the student's level, so if they are a slow learner, we teach slowly," she said. "If they are a fast learner, we teach at a pace that is comfortable for them."

Although most clients are Spanish-speaking residents, Mital said, ULC can teach English to anyone.

"We serve all immigrants, not just Latinos," she said. "We get people from Australia or England, too. We've had people from various other countries."

Even English speakers can receive language services at ULC, Mital said, because the organization can teach Spanish to anyone who wants to learn a second language.

"We do offer Spanish language classes, especially during the school year," she said. "A lot of people are excited to learn Spanish. It's quite popular."

Even many of the volunteer instructors take Spanish classes, if for no other reason than to understand the challenges faced by their own students.

"We have a lot of tutors that take Spanish language classes, and one thing the tutors have learned is that it is hard to learn another language," Mital said.

For Rolfsmeyer, taking ESL classes at ULC just made good sense to her, because communicating with others is what helps immigrants feel more like they belong in a community.

"I live in a senior park, and all my neighbors there don't speak Spanish," she said. "They are trying to tell me things, their stories and feelings. I'd like to have a conversation with people."

Payan said the services she's benefitted from at ULC have proven invaluable to her in her daily life.

"I praise this place for the services they are giving," she said. "When I meet somebody who need translation or to learn more English, I recommend them to come here for services."

Mital said the scope of services, language or otherwise, that ULC offers is unique to the area and to much of the state, too.

"There aren't very many organizations like this in Nevada," she said. "Sometimes people come to us from the other side of the state."

For more information about the services offered through ULC, visit www.carsonulc.org, call 775-885-1055, or visit the office at 1711 North Room Street between East Long and Beverly streets.

ULC can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/United-Latino-Community.