What We Do
CLEaR advances language access and intercultural understanding through research, community partnerships, curriculum development, and innovative solutions for professional and public service settings.
Research
We conduct transdisciplinary research to better understand multilingual communication and language access in professional settings. Our work informs educational programs, workplace interactions, and policies that improve communication across languages and cultures.
LSP Areas of Focus
- Spanish for First Responders
- Spanish for Veterinarians
- Animal Health Spanish
- Criminal Justice Spanish
- Medical Spanish
- Academic English
Connecting Research Areas
- Artificial Intelligence
- Assessment
- Augmented Reality
- Heritage Language Learning
- Intercultural Communicative Competence
- Second Language Learning
- Virtual Reality
Research Spotlight
Found in the Fire
Designing a Bilingual, Immersive, Interprofessional Disaster Response Model for Rural Colorado Communities – This project will design a bilingual, immersive Spanish-language disaster response training model for wildfire contexts, bringing together language professionals, emergency responders, medical personnel, veterinarians and Spanish-speaking rural community members.
Curriculum Development & Delivery
CLEaR faculty and staff develop Languages for Specific Purposes curricula tailored to specific professions and career paths. Each program is grounded in extensive research into the language and intercultural needs of the professional field and uses custom-designed learning materials based on authentic workplace communication. Courses and programs are designed to replicate real-world professional interactions, giving learners opportunities to develop and practice the language and intercultural skills they need to communicate effectively in their fields.
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Undergraduate Programs
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Graduate Programs
Conferences & Presentations
The ISLSP/CIBER International Symposium is part of a longstanding international conference series bringing together scholars and educators in Languages for Specific Purposes and Business Language Studies. Faculty and staff from CLEaR have been presenting at this conference since 2016. The 2026 symposium at Wake Forest University focused on advocacy and leadership through research, innovative teaching, and real-world professional applications.
The National Association of Medical Spanish (NAMS) Annual Conference brings together healthcare professionals, language educators, researchers, and students committed to improving communication with Spanish-speaking patients and advancing language-concordant care. CLEaR faculty have been presenting at this conference since 2020. It highlights research, educational innovation, and practical strategies related to Medical Spanish, multilingual healthcare, language access, and health equity.