Learning Spanish

Thanks. Well, I meant 3-8 weeks, not 3-8 people ...oops for lack of clarity on that one. You raise a very good point about Mexican v. Spain Spanish; I'd already had Barcelona on the "watch out for Catalan" list. But the hope is that it will European Spanish will still give him a leg up (as opposed to no exposure at all); maybe I'm wrong on that.
Plus, he'll already be in Europe already and I feel a bit safer with him in Spain then I do in Mexico.

"3 to 8 or more" what? People? Weeks?
If you want to be functional in Spanish for restaurant management in the US, you would be better off to find a program in Mexico. Pronunciation (and many words, especially slang phrases) are different in Spain than the Spanish we learn in the US, which is Mexican Spanish.

Nancy's right. I speak Castilian as well as, or maybe better than, English. Except for Argentina and parts of Chile, I do a lot of head scratching in anywhere in Latin America. It's as though one were trying to understand Portugese with only a knowledge of Spanish. Any of the Spanish regional dialects (neglectiing the separate languages) will only make it worse. It'd be a nice vacation, but totally non-productive for its purpose.

I face the opposite problem in wanting to find language programs that use Castillan Spanish instead of Latin American Spanish. Almost all "Spanish" language lessons here are Latin American.

Castillian is different in pronunciation but it is still the same language in terms of grammar and vocabulary. . (A few words are different, such as potato (patata, papa) but Spanish speakers understand both. If he wants to study in Spain for purposes of the restaurant trade in the US, where all kinds of Spanish dialects are spoken, he will be fine. A young friend of mind took an intensive Spanish course in Granada and then qualified as an interpreter (volunteer) at El Centro de la Raza here in Seattle. No one questioned her pronunciation, they were just surprised to see this blond Gringa speaking Spanish so well. She now practices medicine in a Spanish-speaking clinic in New York.

I agree with Nancy and Ed. If he wants to learn Spanish for use in the U.S., especially for working with people from Mexico and Central America, he should attend language school in Mexico. If he will be working with Puerto Ricans he should look into studying there. While he would learn sentence structure and verb conjugation in Spain, the terminology and cadence will be different than in the Americas. I have heard from several native Spanish speakers from Mexico that they had a hard time understanding the Spaniards. Just mentioning this to illustrate that what the young man learns and practices in Spain will be different than what he will need to use in the U.S. His workers will understand him--but make fun of him until he learns to speak like them. I recommend Guadalajara for a safe city in Mexico with many language schools. If he's set on Spain, then Madrid because they spoke better Castilian there.

Antigua Guatemala is also a nice location for attending Spanish school. It would be much less expensive that studying in Spain. There are several good schools in Antigua. One that is very reputable and highly recommended is Christian Spanish Academy. It is not connected with a religion or church. They can place a student with a family for room and board or possibly locate other lodging while studying. The Mayans are very nice and welcoming to Americans and you can practice your skills in the park with the locals. They will also customize your course of study and vocabulary
to fit your profession.

There are major differences between European Spanish and Latin American Spanish. But its not like he'll be fluent at either after only a few weeks. He'll know the basic grammer and sentence structure and some vocabulary. Has he learned any Romance language that would provide a foundation? Anyway, I think he'd be fine to study in Spain if he's already in Europe and will have the basic understanding to roughly communicate. He'd learn more for cultural bonding and some of the slang in Latin America but his co-workers will teach him that soon enough anyway.

Gracias a todos por sus ideas. Creo que todos estamos de acuerdo en que después de sólo un mes de aprendizaje los trabajadores se reirá de él un poco allí donde los estudios. Pero no tendrá un traductor de computadora como soy! gracias a todos.
(Good, eh?)

I studied in Antigua, Guatemala, at Probigua (1998). Living with a family helped a lot with the practice. I have heard good things about language schools in Granada, Spain. I wouldn't sweat the accent the grammar and vocabulary are most important, initially. Pronunciation gets picked up as you go, from the people around you - as is slang. As for me, I get by whether in Central or South America, or Spain. No matter where I go, I get understood and understand others even if I speak funny, or as they say in some places: "un poco feo"...

I have an honours degree in Spanish and feel that I was lucky to learn the language from people from all of the 20 odd countries where the it is spoken. Spaniards, Mexicans, Chileans can all understand each other with a little patience same as us Australians can understand Yanks, Canuks, Scots and other people who speak a strange version of English. (Just joking) By the way if the person concerned likes to contact me
[email protected] I have some contacts that may be useful

I speak moderate Latin American Spanish and I was able to "get by" throughout Spain recently - but I had to listen very carefully. I found, however, that the Spanish dialect in Sevilla was almost identical to what I spoke. Maybe you could find a language school there. I can think of MANY less interesting places to spend a couple of months.

I want to thank one and all for the comments and suggestions. As always, a overwhelmingly positive and helpful treasure trove of information. Ahh, if only Rick Steves covered Hawaii. I need to find other forums. TripAdvisor is pretty good, but to paraphrase Lloyd Bentson: I know Rick Steves, I've used Rick Steves, and you sir (whoever) are no Rick Steves !.

Late to the discussion... but for the record, if money ends up being an issue I agree with the schools in Guatemala. I went to one in Quetzaltenango and another in Antigua. Spanish class is one on one and so reasonable. I stayed at a great guest house in Antigua (2 blocks off the square) for $150 a week for room and board ...three meals a day except Sunday when Blanco (our cook) had the day off. It was a charming place, and the Spanish school was about $100 a week for 3 or 4 hours a day. If he takes classes in Spain he could follow up with maybe just a week in a cheaper place.

I studied at La Union Spanish School in Antigua, Guatemala in 2006. (http://www.launion.edu.gt/) I went there for about a month and a half and loved it. Four hours of one-on-one lessons M-F with an instructor at the school plus three hots and a cot with a wonderful family for less than $200 a week. Living down there on vacation cost me less than all my bills from living in my apartment in Spokane! Antigua is an awesome town, too. Quite affordable, but it feels almost European. In fact, you'll run into quite a few people from all over Europe at the school. We had an Australian, German, Brit, and another American come through the house I was staying at while I was there. Antigua is very comfortable, but you're never really insulated from the "real" Guatemala, especially if you take the chicken buses or ride a bike into the areas around town (Sta. Ana, Cuidad Vieja, etc.) As for the school, you'll learn colloquial Spanish alongside Castillian with the instructor letting you know which to use in various situations. The house I stayed at didn't allow you to speak anything other than Spanish after you'd been there 24hrs. Of course, they weren't rude about it, but they hoped to provide a total immersion experience which really paid off for me! (Plus, they didn't speak English anyway.) In a sink or swim situation, you'll learn quickly. Anyhow, Antigua is full of schools, but La Union was recommended to me by several people and I've convinced several others who in turn passed it on to others,... Kinda sounds like a Ponzi scheme now that I think about it,... :P Enough blathering,... La Union Spanish School in Antigua, Guatemala. Go there and have a great time.