Posted on November 16, 2001 at 9:30 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Lourdes Sànchez-López, Ph.D., has joined the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures to teach Spanish courses tailored for students and professionals in the health and business fields.

Sànchez-López teaches Spanish for Specific Purposes, a series of courses designed for those who want to learn medical or business terminology in Spanish. The courses include Spanish for the Professions, where students learn technical vocabulary, conversational Spanish and about the Spanish culture. She is now meeting with several Birmingham-area businesses, corporations and health organizations about getting employees to enroll in the classes.

“The Hispanic population is a growing reality in Birmingham,” Sànchez-López said. “The Spanish for Specific Purposes classes can provide UAB students and professionals in the community with a way to achieve their professional goals, expand their horizons and help them break the language barrier.”

The other courses are Spanish for Health Care, which provides students with the conversational skills and vocabulary needed to communicate with patients. Students in the Business Spanish course learn to write business letters, memos and e-mails and make presentations in Spanish. Students also practice their conversational skills and learn about the Spanish culture.

Sànchez-López is an assistant professor of Spanish, specializing in second language acquisition, foreign language instruction and teaching English to students of other languages. Her main research areas combine second language acquisition, including language, culture and teaching methodology. She has published related articles in several national and international scholarly journals. Sànchez-López earned her doctorate from the University of Jaén, Spain, in 2000.

For more information about the Spanish for Specific Purposes classes at UAB, call Sànchez-López at (205) 934-8281.