Frequently Asked Questions

Basic Spanish comprehension or previous study is strongly preferred, but fluency is not required for program admission. Students who have the equivalent of one or two semesters of college-level Spanish, or heritage speakers without formal Spanish study, will be well-suited for this program.

While we do not recommend taking two or more academic programs simultaneously, some may feel they have the capacity in their schedule to perform well. Please keep in mind the 1-hour per week live session and an estimated 4 or more hours outside of class to complete the self-paced coursework.

After completion of this program, you will receive a certificate of completion from SMU. We have partnered with Credly to provide you a digital version of your credentials. Digital badges can be used in email signatures or digital resumes, and on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. This digital credential contains verified metadata that describes your qualifications and the process required to earn them. Learn more about digital badges.

Many job postings in the legal field list a preference for Spanish language skills. This certificate will allow you to develop those skills and increase your comfort in both reading and speaking Spanish with clients.

This course will help formalize the Spanish-speaking context in legal terms to help legal professionals better assist their clients. At the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Read materials including forms, correspondence, and other documents in Spanish.
• Compose messages, letters, and other documents with correct grammar and professional vocabulary.
• Conduct interviews with clients entirely in Spanish.
• Reflect cultural competence in interactions with colleagues, clients, and other stakeholders from across the Spanish-speaking world.

Students should expect to spend at least 4 hours per week outside of class to complete the self-paced coursework.

The self-paced coursework consists of online videos, reading assignments, grammar and comprehension practice, writing assignments, or TalkAbroad assignments. Additionally, we do not recommend that students work ahead as the course builds upon the previous session.

This certificate can help strengthen your skill set in assisting Spanish-speaking clients as each position in the Legal setting works closely with assisting clients through intakes, interviews, documentations, phone calls, emails, writing, and others.

While this certificate focuses primarily on legal contexts, the foundations of Spanish applications can be applied to working in other fields that assist Spanish-speaking clients, such as non-profit organizations.