HVAC Spanish book help employers communicate with their Spanish-speaking employees

(22/02/2007)

A new book called HVAC Spanish is on the market to help employers communicate with their Spanish-speaking employees. HVAC Spanish, published by LAMA Books and written by Leo Meyer, is an on-the-job reference book that is small enough to fit into a pocket and contains 88 pages of commonly used HVACR terms, including safety phrases. The book translates terms from English to Spanish and Spanish to English.

According to the publisher, there were 883 Hispanic worker fatalities in the U.S. in 2005. The number was 11 percent higher than in 2003. In 2001 to 2002, the total Spanish-speaking worker population in U.S. was 38.3 million.

In a May 2006 issue of RSES Journal, vice president Mark Lowry said the socio-economic factors that alter the face of today’s workforce are a big challenge. “The single largest growing component of the American workforce is Spanish speaking,” Lowry said. “We have sought for years to translate our materials into Spanish and French. Since we cannot afford to do it on our own, we have to get creative to find another solution, because we cannot afford to not address this issue.”

The book costs $5. The company is also printing a much larger plumbing translation book, which will be for sale soon. LAMA Books, which is based in Hayward, California has sold about 2000 copies of the book so far. Half of those were sold to the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC).

The book’s author, Meyer, began his career as a sheet metal journeyman and then
worked as a sheet metal apprentice instructor. He has led teacher-training programs throughout the country, and has developed cirriculums for colleges. To date, he has written more than 50 books.

“We feel (HVAC Spanish) will be a classic for HVAC and HVAC/R employers and their employees,” Meyer said. “We know that job training increases employee moral and productivity, reduces callbacks and prevents job site injures. It’s to help the contractor and the worker communicate better and to save time and money.” said Steve Meyer, LAMA Books head of production. “The Spanish population is growing, especially in our states.”

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