LAFAYETTE, La.
Despacito. The echo followed — despacito — as some 18 Lafayette Parish sheriff’s deputies mouth the word — which means “slowly” — in Spanish for their instructor, Nancy Gomez.
Gomez asks for more commands — “You’re under arrest” — and calls on one of her students.
Esta arrestado, the deputy says and then changes the verb to its feminine form, which he would use if he were speaking to a female. For the past few weeks, these deputies have learned such nuances and more in the course aptly called Command Spanish. It teaches them basic commands to communicate with the Spanish speakers they encounter on the job.
The course was created to offer quick and relevant language skills. The style of instruction differs from how Gomez would typically teach Spanish.
The native of Chile holds a doctorate in education and master’s degrees in applied linguistics and library science. She now is an instructor at SLCC and certified as a Command Spanish instructor.
Until the course, deputies have had to “get by” with basic sign language or calling on the language skills of bystanders or deputies who do speak Spanish, said Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Capt. Kip Judice, patrol commander.
