CAMP DARBY -- Since the announcement of the Livorno health clinic closure, Sabrina Ashman, an Italian national married to an American service member, realized that many people would face some difficulty because of fewer clinic interpreters.
To help the community, she decided to offer Italian language classes at the local library, after duty hours once a week.
"I felt like I needed to share my knowledge of the language and Italian traditions with the families here," she said. "I proposed a basic class that would teach how to live and talk while on the economy, to be independent."
The class begins with alphabet study and numbers, but quickly follows a list of phrases to help solve simple daily transactions.
"I teach my students how to make a restaurant reservation over the phone, but also how to order a meal from the menu," explained Ashman. "[For example], I teach how to call the doctor and I provide a list of medical phrases, but also [give them a] list of fruits and vegetables to help them while grocery shopping. At the end of the course I hope I helped my students in their day-to-day lives."
Ashman's classes focus on her personal experiences, when she is on the economy and faces real-time situations, that is the moment when she realizes American families' needs and challenges.
"I was at the gas station the other day using gas coupons and I thought that maybe that was a potential challenge for those not knowing the language, so I prepared a list of phrases specific for gas station services," she said.
Ashman has already offered two four-week-long classes, at 1 1/2 hours each session, with over 20 students per class. She said that in February she would like to combine students from both classes and offer an advanced Italian language class.
Anyone interested in participating in Ashman's free language class should contact the library for more information.
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