Local & State Headlines

Business breaking language barrier

• One Albany business owner is finding that education is the key to success for his empolyees.

Barry Levine

ALBANY — Imagine waking up this morning, putting on your robe, walking outside to get your copy of your favorite newspaper. Instead of having The Albany Herald across the top, it reads Periodico de Guatemala.

The newspaper is written in Spanish. Not being fluent in Spanish, you can’t read it.

At the same time, your neighbor walks to get the newspaper. You wave and say, “Good morning.” Your neighbor answers, “Buenos dias.”

Because you don’t understand Spanish, you can’t comprehend that the neighbor responded by saying, “Good morning” in Spanish.

That same language barrier faced a group of native Guatemalans living in the Metro Albany area.

Through the efforts of Bob Merritt, owner of CiCi’s Pizza franchise on Old Dawson Road, and Josie Shultz, chairman of the foreign language department at Monroe High School, the Guatemalans are successfully being assimilated into the community.

Drawing from his experience while stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, from 2000 to 2003 while serving in the United States Air Force, Merritt understood the Guatemalans’ plight. He lived off base while at Stuggart and had little knowledge of the German language.

Merritt remembered what it was like going to a Stuttgart grocery store and having to point to different items, not knowing the German name for them.

Approximately six months ago, he hired his first Guatemalan employee, discovered he was a good worker, but had limitations because of the language barrier.

He hired more and more Guatemalans and now has six working at CiCi’s.

The same problem still existed — the language barrier.

In May, Merritt decided to do something to try to resolve the problem.

“I just needed them to be able to better interact with our guests. They are extremely industrious, have a great work ethic and always do more than asked. They always want to work as many hours as possible. To put them in better jobs here such as running the register or the buffet, I had to get them to improve their communication skills,” Merritt said.

He contacted the four Dougherty County public high schools and Lee County High School to see if he could get a foreign language teacher to help reduce the language barrier.

Shultz responded to his request and began working with the Guatemalans the week after school closed for the summer.

Born in Spain of Cuban parents, she was raised in Miami and began teaching in the Dougherty County School System four years ago.

“It’s a good thing Bob is doing for them (the Guatemalans) and for the community, and I wanted to help him help them,” the 33-year-old Shultz said.

She treats the weekly tutorials in Cici’s dining area like a class. She uses a portable blackboard and gives homework and reviews it the following week.

Delfino Poroj, 49, was the first Guatemalan hired by Cici’s sixth months ago. He migrated to the United States seven years ago and enjoys the English classes. “It makes my job easier and gives me a better opportunity to improve myself. There were no opportunities in Guatemala, no jobs, so I came here,” he said through Shultz.

Grabriel Flores, 39, says he is working to learn English for his personal well-being. “If I can speak better, I can help others and I can order more pizzas,” he said with a broad grin. He has worked at Cici’s for four months.

Maricela Alvarado, 35, has worked at Cici’s for two months and said she is trying to improve her English to “do a better job.”

Emilia Vicente Tzun, 22, said she is trying to learn English “to do her job better.”

She added, “I want to learn to communicate better so I can help my 7-year-old daughter. When I go to PTO meetings no one there speaks Spanish, to so I need to learn English to understand what is going on.”

Melissa Pena Quiles, 19, is Emilia’s sister and has been in the United States for one year. A CiCi’s employee for two months, she is striving to learn English to improve her job skills.

The classes, which will continue until school re-opens in August, are working, according to Merritt.

“When they first came to work here, they would not say a word. They are much more relaxed speaking and are even talking to our guests,” Merritt said.

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