Course Description

​

Spanish for Bankers 2 is an intermediate-level course designed for banking and financial services professionals who have completed Spanish for Bankers 1 or possess equivalent basic Spanish language skills. The course builds upon foundational banking vocabulary and introduces students to more complex financial transactions and professional conversations. Emphasis is placed on practical spoken Spanish used in customer service, lending, credit and debit card services, digital banking, compliance, problem resolution, and explaining financial products and services.

​

Through role-playing, banking simulations, listening exercises, and practical written activities, students will develop greater confidence in communicating with Spanish-speaking customers in realistic financial services situations.

​

Prerequisite

Spanish for Bankers 1 – BIFS 103, or equivalent introductory Spanish proficiency.

​

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students will:

• Strengthen their conversational Spanish for professional banking environments.

• Expand their vocabulary relating to banking products, lending, payments, cards, digital banking, and compliance.

• Communicate more confidently with Spanish-speaking customers regarding financial needs and transactions.

• Explain banking procedures, requirements, fees, interest rates, and financial products in clear Spanish.

• Handle customer complaints and more complex service issues professionally.

• Conduct basic KYC and customer due diligence conversations in Spanish.

• Improve listening comprehension when interacting with customers from different Spanish-speaking countries.

 

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will be able to:

1. Conduct an extended banking conversation with a Spanish-speaking customer.

2. Explain different types of bank accounts, financial products, fees, and services.

3. Discuss loans, credit applications, interest rates, repayment terms, and supporting documentation.

4. Assist customers with debit cards, credit cards, ATMs, online banking, and mobile banking.

5. Ask appropriate questions relating to customer identification, source of funds, and transaction information.

6. Respond professionally to customer complaints, disputed transactions, and service problems.

7. Write basic professional emails and banking correspondence in Spanish.

8. Demonstrate appropriate cultural awareness when communicating with Spanish-speaking customers.

 

Course Content

Unit 1: Review & Developing Professional Conversation

• Review of key concepts from Spanish for Bankers 1

• Building longer sentences and conversations

• Asking follow-up and clarification questions

• Giving instructions and explanations

• Professional telephone conversations

• Making appointments and transferring customers

• Improving pronunciation and listening comprehension

 

Unit 2: Accounts & Advanced Banking Transactions

• Current, savings, fixed deposit, and other account types

• Account balances and transaction histories

• Transfers between accounts

• Domestic and international transfers

• Standing orders and recurring payments

• Bank fees and service charges

• Explaining transaction processing times

• Foreign currency and exchange transactions

 

Unit 3: Loans, Credit & Financing

• Personal and consumer loans

• Mortgages and vehicle loans

• Credit applications

• Income and employment information

• Interest rates and repayment periods

• Monthly payments and loan balances

• Collateral and security

• Documents required for loan applications

• Approvals and declined applications

• Discussing overdue payments professionally

 

Unit 4: Cards, ATMs & Digital Banking

• Debit and credit card terminology

• Activating and replacing cards

• PINs and security

• Lost or stolen cards

• Declined transactions

• ATM problems

• Online and mobile banking

• Password and login problems

• Electronic transfers and payments

• Basic discussions concerning suspected fraudulent transactions

 

Unit 5: KYC, Compliance & Customer Identification

• Customer identification and verification

• Proof of address

• Employment and occupation

• Source of funds

• Purpose of transactions

• Beneficiaries and third parties

• Requesting additional documentation

• Explaining why information is required

• Politely handling customers who are reluctant to provide information

• Essential AML and compliance terminology in Spanish

 

Unit 6: Customer Complaints & Problem Resolution

• Listening to and understanding customer complaints

• Apologising professionally

• Asking questions to identify the problem

• Incorrect or disputed transactions

• Unexpected fees and charges

• Delayed transfers

• Frozen or restricted accounts

• Escalating matters to a supervisor or another department

• Explaining what will happen next

• Providing timelines for resolution

 

Unit 7: Financial Products & Customer Needs

• Identifying a customer's financial needs

• Savings products

• Loans and credit facilities

• Credit cards

• Fixed deposits

• Basic investment terminology

• Insurance-related terminology

• Explaining product features and benefits

• Comparing financial products

• Making appropriate recommendations without using overly technical language

 

Unit 8: Professional Written Spanish for Banking

• Writing professional emails

• Responding to customer inquiries

• Requesting documents and information

• Appointment confirmations

• Simple banking letters

• Completing financial forms

• Reading banking notices and instructions

• Common written terminology used by financial institutions

 

Unit 9: Practical Banking Simulations

Students will participate in realistic banker-customer scenarios including:

• Applying for a loan

• Reporting a lost or stolen card

• Querying an unfamiliar transaction

• Conducting a KYC interview

• Requesting an international transfer

• Resolving an online banking problem

• Discussing account fees

• Handling a dissatisfied customer

• Explaining a banking product to a Spanish-speaking client

 

Students will be expected to conduct increasingly longer conversations primarily in Spanish.

 

Recommended Course Materials

• Instructor-prepared Spanish banking vocabulary and dialogue sheets

• Spanish-English financial services glossary

• Sample banking forms and customer documentation

• Audio and video listening exercises

• Role-play scenarios based on actual financial services situations

• Spanish-language examples of banking correspondence and customer communications

 

Course Assessment & Evaluation

• Class Participation & Conversational Exercises – 15%

• Written Assignments & Banking Correspondence – 20%

• Practical Banking Role-Play Assessment – 25%

• Final Oral Examination – 20%

• Final Written Examination – 20%

 

Final Practical Assessment

As part of the final assessment, students will participate in a simulated interaction with a Spanish-speaking banking customer. The student will be required to identify the customer's needs, ask appropriate questions, explain the relevant banking procedure or product, and resolve or appropriately escalate the customer's request.

​

The emphasis will be on effective professional communication rather than perfect Spanish grammar, reflecting the practical needs of employees working within the banking and financial services industry.