Breaking down language barriers
Viviana Quintero-Browne compares learning a new language to eating—you take one bite at a time
It takes patience, courage, and resilience to move to a new country, learn a new language, and pursue a career in that language.
Viviana Quintero-Browne CPA, CMA is fluent in Spanish and English. She has enjoyed a long, successful career in the oil and gas and agriculture industries. In many of her professional roles, she has reported directly to VPs and CEOs. But she readily admits that despite being technically strong in accounting and finance, learning English was challenging.
“In Colombia, Spanish is the predominant language. Then I moved to Western Canada where English is spoken 24 hours a day. Nothing prepared me for it,” says Viviana.
Similarities exist between English and Spanish. Both languages use the Roman alphabet, which helps build a phonological foundation. English-Spanish cognates—words that look, sound, and have a similar meaning in both languages—can also serve as a good starting point for a Spanish-speaking person learning English.
Yet, Viviana says there are significant differences between the two languages. At first glance, some Spanish words are deceivingly familiar. “Exito,” for example, looks like “exit” but actually means “success.” And “pie” means “foot” in Spanish.
“There aren’t many Spanish words that end with a consonant,” says Viviana. “Spanish speakers have a hard time pronouncing the ending of words, like the d in ‘hard’ and the g in ‘thing.’ This was a big struggle for me. I still drop the ending of words when I get excited and need to get my point across.”
When Viviana first moved to Canada over 20 years ago, she studied English by translating everyday vocabulary and technical accounting terms to Spanish. That proved overwhelming, so she made a conscious decision to fully understand concepts in English before cross-referencing and translating them into Spanish.
“At the time, my written English was very good but my pronunciation wasn’t. So most of my communication at work, including presentations, was done in writing. I thought, even if I mispronounce a word, they can read it,” says Viviana. “But as the presentations got bigger and included Q&As, it became impossible to write everything. I had to practice, practice, practice.”
Currently a Project Manager of Finance at United Farmers of Alberta, Viviana has no issues communicating with her team. She feels fortunate to be bilingual, an added advantage that many CPAs with international credentials have. Their bilingualism (or multilingualism, in some cases), combined with their CPA skills, sets them apart and helps them succeed, especially in today’s diverse workforce.