Mexican universities create business Spanish program

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Tec de Monterrey, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and Anáhuac University have launched the Business Spanish: Essential Communication for the Workplace program on Coursera.

This is a specialization designed for English-speaking professionals who want to do business in Spanish-speaking work environments.

Academics from the three institutions agreed that this language has become a key tool for leadership, negotiation, and building professional relationships.

"Having over 639 million speakers, Spanish is no longer just a second language. It has huge economic, cultural, and business value", stressed Andrea Calero, Strategic Accounts Leader for Latin America on Coursera.

Tec de Monterrey professor Xitlally Rivero Romero

A program that supports students from the basics to executive negotiation

The specialization consists of three courses that can be taken independently or as a complete learning route.

1. Spanish for the Workplace: From Basics to Business, prepared by Anáhuac University
2. Spanish for Professionals: Communication at Work, developed by UNAM
3. Spanish for Executives: Negotiation and Presentations, taught by Tecnológico de Monterrey

The first course, Spanish for the Workplace: From Basics to Business developed by Anáhuac University, focuses on learning the basics of the language for people who want to work at places where Spanish is spoken.

For Anáhuac University professor José Ignacio González Sosa, learning Spanish involves much more than memorizing vocabulary.

"Learning a language means stepping outside your comfort zone. We want people to understand how to introduce themselves, how to make themselves visible, and how to enter a professional setting in Spanish", he explained.

The second course, Spanish for Professionals: Communication at Work developed by UNAM, focuses on effective communication at work.

UNAM professor Fernanda Fernández Meneses explained that the greatest challenge for many professionals is not grammar but understanding the culture behind communication.

"In Latin America, communication tends to be closer and more relationship based. Tone, courtesy, body language, and trust-building are essential", she said.

The course uses real-world office scenarios to help students take part in meetings, write professional emails, and interact more confidently in Spanish-speaking workplaces.

This specialized program is designed to develop Spanish oral and written communication skills applied to the workplace. Photo: Coursera

The Tec course: Leadership and negotiation

The third course, in the advanced stage of the specialization, was developed by Tecnológico de Monterrey under the title Spanish for Executives: Negotiation and Presentations.

This course is aimed at executives, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and decision makers who want to use Spanish as a strategic tool in negotiations and corporate leadership.

Professor Xitlally Rivero Romero, who co-created the course, explained that Spanish has become an essential language in global industries such as technology, manufacturing, finance, energy, and tourism.

"Spanish is no longer a regional language. It's now used by multinational teams who collaborate to produce, innovate, and manage projects between the United States, Europe, and Latin America", she remarked.

For the Tec academic, speaking Spanish in a corporate environment is no longer an additional skill.

"English is now the expected minimum. Spanish demonstrates adaptability, cultural awareness, and engagement with international markets", she said.

One of the main focuses of the Tec course is teaching students how negotiations work in Spanish-speaking cultures, where personal relationships play a central role.

"In the Spanish-speaking world, negotiations are deeply relationship-based. Building trust is as important as talking about numbers or contracts", Rivero Romero explained.

The professor added that as many disagreements are not expressed directly in Spanish-speaking contexts, understanding cultural nuances and knowing how to "read between the lines" can make the difference in a negotiation.

"It's not just about translating words or contracts. It's about building credibility, leadership, and influence in Spanish", she elaborated.

How is the Tec course divided up?

It is taught for 20 hours over four modules.

1. Negotiation and conflict resolution
2. Chairing meetings and managing business relationships
3. Communication and presentations
4. Business writing

At the end of this course, students receive a professional certification that can be added to their LinkedIn profiles or résumés.

One of the main focuses of the Tec course is teaching students how negotiations work in Spanish-speaking cultures. Photo: Live.Tec screenshot

Learning Spanish through real-world scenarios and AI tools

Besides their academic content, these courses incorporate interactive exercises, simulations, and tools based on generative artificial intelligence to practice workplace conversations and situations in real time.

Participants can obtain individual certificates for each course or complete the full specialization to receive a joint diploma backed by the three Mexican universities.

For the participating academics, the project also represents a unique collaboration between Mexican institutions to position Spanish as a global strategic skill.

"The language doesn't just open the door to work opportunities. It also enables people to connect, build community, and understand other cultures", concluded González Sosa.

Coursera is a global virtual education platform that provides courses, specializations, and university degrees in collaboration with top universities and companies around the world.

It operates 100% online, enabling students to learn at their own pace through videos, practical projects, and evaluations.

If you only want to take the course without getting a certificate, you can do so for free.

However, if you want to get a certificate, you need to request it on the platform where you took the course, which varies in cost.

If you're a student, Tec graduate, faculty member, or employee at Tec de Monterrey, you have access to certain MOOC courses on Coursera or edX with free certification. (Remember to use an @tec.mx or @exatec.tec.mx email address for your Coursera or edX account. You won't be able to access these benefits if you don't.)

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