“About all the Spanish I knew was ‘más cervezas’. Yet, every day, as I responded to calls, I encountered situations that demanded more.”

“‘License and registration please.’ ‘No hablo ingles,’ was the reply. I tried again, ‘License and registration please.’ The driver opened the door and started to get out.”

“I wasn’t laughing as I read the newspaper article about the doctor who attempted to inform a Latina that her newborn had jaundice. His effort to communicate... elicited anguished cries that lasted nearly forty-five minutes.”

“My welcome to residents in the East-side community was going just fine until I introduced my co-worker (‘mi camarada’) as ‘mi camarón’ (shrimp).”

“Foreign languages didn’t seem important in high school and college. But, in my MBA program, I encountered students who were bilingual, some multilingual. They always had an edge in our international subjects.”