OJAI : Language Group Gathers at Library

Using hand signals and laughter, an informal group gathers three times a week at the Ojai Library to teach each other English and Spanish.

The group, made up of native speakers of both languages, meets for two-hour sessions on the library’s patio so members can coach each other in conversational skills.

Ojai resident Jennifer Golden organized the free workshops in mid-September, modeling them after a similar group she joined when she lived in central Mexico several years ago. “We tend to run about 50-50” between people who are fluent in English and fluent Spanish speakers, said Golden.

She estimated that there are 50 regulars who drop in at least weekly to polish language skills, one-on-one or in small groups. Many of the English speakers are retired people or educators, while Spanish-speaking participants are mostly younger manual laborers, Golden said.

A cultural interchange takes place along with sharing languages. ‘They all come as equals,” Golden said. “When you look at the way the cultures are divided, Mexicans are working for Americans who own the ranches and the hotels. The owners come with rusty Spanish, and each has something important that the other wants and needs. That makes for less intimidation, and the less intimidation you have, the more freedom to express yourself in another language.”

Jose Quintana, a cook at a private school in Ojai, has not missed a meeting.

“I read better than I talk,” said Quintana, who added that he learned to read from recipes and television. “I need practice in my pronunciation.”

On the job eight years, Quintana said he works almost exclusively with Spanish-speaking co-workers. The library group is the only place that he speaks English. “It’s fun,” he said. “Everybody smiles.”

Janet Maynard, a bookkeeper with the Ojai Recreation District, said the group gives her a chance to practice Spanish. “I was too embarrassed to speak the Spanish I knew,” Maynard said. “I was afraid I would say something wrong or stupid. I have spoken out three times on the job.”

This week, the conversation group began meeting indoors for the winter at the Boyd Recreation Center in Sarzotti Park, 510 Park Rd., Ojai. The group meets Tuesdays from 5 to 7 p.m., Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 3 to 5 p.m. Call 646-1872 for more information.