Manual for Relatively Painless Medical Spanish: A Self-Teaching Course

Rating:
Summary: DRAFT 1
Review: I am a medical interpreter in a large hospital. I still consider this book to be in its draft form. There are spelling and grammar errors in both the Spanish and English. The format looks like it was type set with an ancient word processor. Before you purchase this manual check it out at your local bookstore, however if you still decide to purchase it do so on amazon.com so that you save enough money to buy a better one later.

Rating:
Summary: Good book for individual learning
Review: I am a Spanish/English bilingual medical student who teaches a course in Spanish for medical students. This book is an excellent text for students and workers in the allied health professions to learn to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients. The book takes a subject which is inherently boring (learning a language) and makes an excellent effort at spicing it up. The author uses humor appropriately (a lesson taught with humor is a lesson retained), and practical examples to drive lessons home.

That said, I chose not to use this book for my course because it does not lend itself well to group instruction. While I recommend it as an additional reference to my students, I would recommend that medical Spanish instructors review other books that might include group exercises and better facilitate lesson planning.

Rating:
Summary: Relatively Painless Medical Spanish
Review: I began to work in a clinic for the working poor in which 80+% of the patients are Spanish speaking. I speak English and German, neither of much help.

I purchased a copy of this book in a local outlet mall and have been exceptionally pleased. The material presented in the book is very well targeted to medical Spanish and has enabled me to pick up pertinent words and phrases very quickly. The book does not spend much time on non-medical Spanish so it is not for the person trying to learn to speak Spanish in general.

I don't know how much my knowledge of German has sped the process, there is no doubt it helps, but I believe this book is very good for anyone needing to learn the basics of medical Spanish. Actually, since it is in workbook form, I have ordered another copy so that I can go through it repeatedly until the material becomes second nature.

Rating:
Summary: Good book for individual learning
Review: I have been teaching Spansih for 10 years and now I own a business which provides customized Spanish curricula for businesses of all types. I purchased this book thinking I might use it for my medical clients. Was I ever wrong! This amateurish and awkwardly designed curriculum for "medical Spanish" is useless. First, it is virtually impossible to learn to SPEAK Spanish by just studying a book. On the grammar side, the "grammar" lessons are sprinkled with ridiculous sample sentences such as "The foot is big. The foot is in the mouth." There are a few helpful phrases, but a medical provider buying this book thinking it will help them learn medical Spanish will be very disappointed. As for me, I decided to design my OWN curricula which is TAUGHT to my clients so that they role-play and otherwise practice SPEAKING medical Spanish! Don't waste your money. - Wanda McDonald, The Language Connection USA

Rating:
Summary: Manual for Painless Medical Spanish
Review: I have used the book, "Manual for Painless Medical Spanish" by Ana Malinow Rajkovic for my classes this past semester and every person said they really liked the book. The book was used in a class rather than independent study and they all liked the text.

Several factors contributed to this factor. They liked the print, the practice exercises, the answers for reinforcement and the size of the book. There is a manageable amount of work with a good variety. I would highly recommend the book and am using it again this fall.

There are a few typing errors which could easily be corrected. It was a pleasure to use the book and would look forward to a sequence to this book along with a tape for reinforcement.

Rating:
Summary: DRAFT 1
Review: I recently joined a Medical/Surgical expedition to Peru. This book was invaluable in giving me a quick overview of spanish before this trip. I recommend it very highly!! It not only helped me with communicate with Peruvian physicians and patients but it has also stimulated my desire to continue the study of spanish for future use.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I'm a medical student without any prior Spanish, and I did find this book to be a relatively painless way to learn Spanish. Her approach is good because: 1) She interjects humor and her exercises are somewhat funny and therefore more memorable 2) She is not too rigid. She will tell you the correct way of saying something but recognizes that the reader's purpose is to be able to communicate, even if one's grammar isn't perfect (We're not learning to be a translator for the UN). 3) She mixes things up so that one doesn't get bored. For example, her vocabulary lessons are well-interspered throughout the text.

Nonetheless, it is difficult to learn medical Spanish from this book alone. I had to consult my wife, who is a Spanish speaker, for feedback about correct pronunciation (which can be somewhat difficult to get out of this book alone). Also, of course, it's difficult to learn without practicing with other people.

I short, I think that this book is an extremely worthwhile purchase, but I am looking to supplement it with an audio or CD-ROM purchase and possibly a course.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!!!
Review: This book actually teaches you all of the things you really do need to know to work with spanish-speaking patients. It is a workbook in which the exercises form the bulk of the text although every now and then she will add some short, information-filled paragraphs. It is this teaching technique that makes this manual so successful. This is not to say that you don't have to work at it but as she claims she makes it relatively painless and even fun. I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with spanish-speaking patients in a medical setting but who are not themselves, spanish speaking.