UNIVERSITY of WISCONSIN-MADISON

Business Spanish Certificate Program

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Upcoming dates (1)

Register Now
For registration assistance: 608-262-2451

Schedule

Aug. 13–Nov. 20, 2026

Registration through: August 10, 2026

All times shown in central time.

Format

Group-paced

Fee

$824 

Instructor

Silvana Benzoni

Cancellation Policy

  • Cancel before the course opens: and receive a full refund minus a $50 administrative fee.
  • Partial refunds in extenuating circumstances may be available after the course starts. Please contact continuingeducation@dcs.wisc.edu.

Summary

Prerequisite: Intermediate Spanish or Spanish 5

Level: Professional proficiency 

Strengthen your professional Spanish and gain the cultural insight needed to work confidently with colleagues and clients across Spain and Latin America. This practical certificate builds real-world communication skills for email, phone and videoconferencing.

Fully online and designed for working professionals, it offers flexible weekly modules, personalized feedback and a supportive learning community to help you advance your career.

Before you register for this class, please take the Spanish 5 self-placement test. If your score is 11 or below, we encourage you to reach out to the instructor, Silvana Benzoni - benzoni@wisc.edu, to talk through possible learning paths.  As you take the test, ask yourself if you would be able to produce the correct response in spontaneous speech. If the answer is yes for most of the questions, then you're probably ready for the Business Spanish Certificate. Thank you for taking this extra step to ensure that this is the best course for you.

Overview

Earn your Business Spanish Certificate in just four months and gain the essential skills to thrive in a Spanish-speaking workplace. With 15 flexible online lessons on CANVAS, personalized instructor feedback and a mock interview, you'll build real-world confidence fast. Connect with fellow professionals through discussion boards and optional live conversation sessions that bring your learning to life.

Key topics

  • Speaking professionally
  • Composing professional emails
  • Discussing your own background and skills
  • Gaining vocabulary specific to your professional area
  • Understanding business etiquette in Spanish-speaking countries
  • Communicating via phone and videoconferencing
  • Interviewing and hiring
  • Talking about your company’s services and structure
  • Creating professional documents

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Course outline

Course outline

Below are the themes and grammar topics for each unit, along with readings, videos, audio, dialogues, grammar practice and cultural content.

Unidad 1: Primeros encuentros

  • Formality vs. informality
  • Greetings and introductions
  • Names/titles in the Spanish-speaking world
  • Cultural value of the group
  • Review: present tense; saber vs. conocer
  • Review: written accent marks

Unidad 2: La formalidad por escrito

  • Writing professional emails and scheduling meetings
  • Giving personal info by phone; spelling
  • Family roles in Hispanic culture
  • Business holidays
  • Direct & indirect object pronouns
  • Hay que for obligations

Unidad 3: La formalidad en persona

  • Business etiquette: courtesy & apologies
  • Physical contact and personal space
  • Conversation norms in Hispanic cultures
  • Debate: hispano vs. latino
  • Concepts of time in the Hispanic world
  • Ser vs. estar

Unidad 4: Las profesiones y la empresa

  • Professions, organizations, company roles
  • Geography & economies of Latin America
  • Gustar and similar verbs
  • Definite & indefinite articles

Unidad 5: El currículum vitae

  • Resumes/CVs and cultural differences
  • Online templates & hiring trends
  • Linguistic diversity in Spain & Latin America
  • Review of past tenses

Unidad 6: La formación educacional

  • Educational systems in Spain & Latin America
  • Degrees, study abroad, professional training
  • Ethnic diversity in the Hispanic world
  • Contrast between past tenses

Unidad 7: La experiencia profesional

  • Work experience, volunteering, internships
  • Labor crisis & future goals
  • Unemployment in Hispanic countries
  • Grammar for expressing duration of time

Unidad 8: Redes, tecnología y perfil digital

  • Social networks, technology, online professional profiles
  • Desired employee characteristics
  • Creating a video résumé
  • Cultural differences in tech adoption
  • Bureaucracy & paperwork
  • Impersonal se

Unidad 9: La búsqueda de trabajo

  • Job search & job postings
  • Employment agencies, job fairs, forms
  • Cultural differences in workdays/weeks
  • The culture of “connections”
  • Formal commands
  • Por vs. para

Unidad 10: La aplicación y la carta de solicitud

  • Applying for jobs, requesting interviews, cover letters
  • Workplace discrimination
  • Phone conversation with a professor
  • Subjunctive
  • Talking about large numbers & statistics

Unidad 11: Preparación para la entrevista

  • Preparing for interviews
  • Typical questions & strategies
  • Asking questions as a candidate
  • Hiring personnel
  • Gestures & body language
  • More subjunctive

Unidad 12: La entrevista de trabajo virtual

  • Remote interview simulation
  • Technical & audiovisual tips
  • Before/during/after interview strategies
  • Video interview with the instructor
  • Professional protocol
  • Future tenses

Unidad 13: Estudio de caso — país y economía

  • Case study: choose a country
  • Research background, general info, economic/business climate

Unidad 14: Estudio de caso — sector y producto

  • Case study: choose a business/service sector
  • Define a product/service to solve a problem
  • Consider cost, risk, and benefits

Unidad 15: Estudio de caso — consumidor y marketing

  • Identify trade associations, fairs, professional groups
  • Research competitors & consumer trends
  • Develop marketing strategies
  • Prepare a concise business case

Earn Continuing Education Hours

By participating in this class you will earn:

Instructional Hours 75
University of Wisconsin Continuing Education Units 7.5

Explanation of Continuing Education Hours

Upcoming dates (1)

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Program Questions?

Contact Silvana Benzoni at benzoni@wisc.edu or +16122228549

Registration Questions?

Email registration@cerc.wisc.edu or call 608-262-2451.

Continuing Studies FAQs

Meet your instructor

Silvana Caterina Benzoni

(MA, Loyola University Chicago) has taught Spanish language, culture, and literature courses to traditional and non-traditional adult students for over 15 years. Born in Brazil and raised in Argentina, she enjoys sharing her first language with students and helping them grow their speaking skills with practical and fun learning activities.

What Attendees Are Saying

"This course has challenged me and allowed me to learn and practice on my own. I really liked the added vocabulary, resume building in Spanish, and how to construct an email in Spanish."
Thomas Diedrick
"I love learning actual applicable knowledge that I can use for my job - how to email, practicing usted/ustedes, formal words. The instructor was always helpful. I loved the content of the course."
Erika Woodruff
"I appreciated the emphasis on learning vocabulary commonly used in a professional setting, as well as understanding the common practices and culture of working in Spanish-speaking countries. The homework and lessons were very useful and can easily be applied to real-life situations."
Kevin Tully
"I learned all I needed to effectively communicate in Spanish in a business setting."
Omar Hernandez
"I loved that this course taught me the information I otherwise would not have known about doing business in Spanish-speaking countries."
Lia Anastasia Kopar