Seemingly simple: numbers and the language gaps students bring to community organizations

In nonprofit settings, numbers are ubiquitous. Therefore, when Spanish community service-learning (CSL) students work in nonprofits, they, too, must manage and manipulate numbers accurately —in Spanish. This can be surprisingly difficult for second language learners of Spanish. This chapter details the author’s experiences with upper-level Spanish CSL students enrolled in a language for specific purposes (LSP) course about social entrepreneurship who volunteer in local nonprofits. In nonprofits serving Latino immigrants, the seemingly simple—numbers—is embedded within the complexities of the immigrant experience in the United States today. LSP instructors should explicitly address numeracy to prepare students for professional tasks that require accuracy and to better understand the issues behind the numbers.