Command Spanish, an innovative language-training program for professionals who work with or supervise Spanish-speaking people and who want to communicate more effectively, will be offered by Coastal Carolina University's Division of Continuing Studies. Courses are custom designed for the special needs of participating businesses and organizations and delivered on-site.

The focus of the class is on correct speaking and pronunciation. No prior knowledge of Spanish is necessary and each course includes a textbook with CDs or cassettes. Instruction is low-stress, direct and lasts between eight and 24 hours.

"You're going to learn just what you need to be in command of the situation. You'll learn vocabulary related to your specific business or field," said Command Spanish instructor Sue Russell.

About 330 million people in the world speak Spanish as their first language, and the demand for Spanish courses has doubled worldwide in the last 10 years. In the United States, 13 percent of the population speaks Spanish as their first language.

Workshops may include, but aren't limited to, the following fields: hospitality, law enforcement, nursing, banking, health care, business and industry, public service and education.

For more information, contact Peter Balsamo, dean of Coastal's Division of Continuing Studies at 349-2648 or visit the Web site at www.coastal.edu/learn.