WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)–The White House is preparing to launch a Spanish-language version of its Web site, Whitehouse.gov, by the end of the year, according to the company doing its recruiting.

Earlier this week, Rock Creek Strategic Marketing sent out four job postings that, when filled, will expand the first White House Office of New Media by almost 50%. In addition to a video editor, Web writer and designer, the White House is looking for a Spanish-language writer and producer, according to the ads.

“They’re hoping that by the end of the year – if not sooner – they can have a Spanish-language version of Whitehouse.gov launched,” said Scott Johnson, co-owner of Rock Creek Strategic Marketing, a Washington-area communications firm.

The White House authorized his company to begin gathering candidates to help expand the new-media office from its current size of roughly 10 employees, he said.

“These people for the most part have been on the campaign trail with Obama for up to two years,” Johnson said. “They eat poorly and sleep intermittently. These guys are not just in there punching the clock – they are passionate about what they’re doing.”

Would-be hires should be prepared, the ad warns: “Long work hours and short deadlines will be the norm.”

The White House hasn’t made an official announcement about a Spanish-language edition of the White House Web site. Currently, the site has only biographies of the president, vice-president and their wives translated into Spanish.

“The president and the administration use new Web-based tools to keep the public updated on important issues, promote transparency, and provide opportunities for meaningful engagement,” an administration official said. “We are constantly looking at ways we can strengthen and expand the White House’s online program.”

In late February, Obama appointed Macon Phillips as his director of new media. Previously Phillips supervised online communications during the transition and developed Change.gov, according to a White House statement.

Appointed at the same time, Deputy New Media Director Cammie Croft also worked in both the transition and campaign, where she managed the Web sites FighttheSmears.com and UndertheRadar.com. And the White House recently borrowed Bev Godwin, now director of online resources, from the U.S. General Services Administration, where she runs the Web site USA.gov.

“Did you know your government may be cooler and more approachable than you think?” Godwin wrote May 21 on the White House’s blog, The Briefing Room. “It really is. I know. I work here.”

-By Kristina Peterson, Dow Jones Newswires

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090611-715461.html

In the basement below United Educational Credit Union’s lobby on Riverside Drive, nine employees commit to memory the phrases, “This is a deposit slip,” and, “How can I help you?” in Spanish.

Some of its credit union tellers, asset managers and maintenance staff were learning a few banking-related phrases to help bridge language and cultural barriers for potential clients who do not speak English fluently.

“It won’t be perfect, but we are definitely making an effort,” said Joan Miller, an executive assistant who presented the 2009 marketing plan to her employers. “We think it will be a mutual benefit to both.”

Most Spanish-speaking residents in Battle Creek are from Mexico, where personal banking is not as common or accessible as it is in the United States, said Yolanda Campos, who is leading the eight-week language course.

Instead of opening a savings account where their money can earn interest, many people chose to carry their money with them or keep it at home. They tend to turn to predatory lenders offering high-interest-rate loans and check service centers that charge exorbitant fees, said Kate Kennedy, Latino/Hispanic Community Project director.

“They are very unbanked for the most part and use a cash economy,” Kennedy said. “They’ll pay $30,000 down for a house — in cash.”

About five or six years ago, local banks started to realize the potential for new business in the Mexican-American community and began hiring bilingual staff who could help people apply for tax identification numbers. The nine-digit number acts like a social security number for non-citizens who want to open a savings account, Kennedy explained.

“Still a lot of people are tending to use cash,” she said.

Kennedy said United Educational has done more than any other credit union in Battle Creek to reach out to the Spanish-speaking community. It is promoting a bilingual staff member, Elizabeth Hurtado, from part-time to full-time and it is planning to hire another part-time, bilingual staff member as well, Miller said.

“Quite honestly that’s what’s going to attract people,” said Kennedy, who has worked with Hurtado on the Latino/Hispanic Community Project. “They’ll seek Elizabeth out.”

But often the first contact potential clients have is with a teller, so it is prudent that the member services representative at least know how to say in Spanish, “Wait, I’ll get a translator.”

The students joke that after six classes the only phrases they know by heart are “nada” and “no comprendo,” but they say learning about Mexican culture has proven to be an enlightening experience. They won’t make the mistake of forming an “OK” symbol with their thumb and forefinger touching with fingers extended, they said, because they learned that the gesture can be offensive.

They also have learned that the husband typically handles finances for the family. They have become familiar with geographic names of states in Mexico and their proper pronunciation.

“You’re eventually going to see people from all of these states,” Campos told the class.

They certainly hope so.

Source: http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20090604/NEWS01/906040320/1002/NEWS01/Credit+union+staff+learning+to+speak+Spanish