Spanish for Remote Workers

JOHN SHAFFER is a language educator, remote‑work consultant, and lifelong traveler who has lived in six countries across Latin America and Europe. With a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin, John has spent over a decade designing Spanish‑learning curricula for professionals in fields ranging from tech to hospitality. He is the founder of *NomadLingua*, a platform that provides tailored language training for digital nomads and remote teams, and has coached hundreds of freelancers to feel confident conducting business in Spanish.

John’s approach combines second‑language acquisition research with real‑world demands. He has worked as a remote software project manager himself, giving him firsthand insight into the communication challenges that arise when your office is a roaming device. His courses emphasize scenario‑based learning—from negotiating contracts in Bogotá to troubleshooting a server issue over a Colombian support call. He regularly speaks at digital‑nomad conferences and contributes articles on language and remote work to outlets like *Nomadlist* and *Working Nomads*.

When he is not teaching or writing, John can be found in a coworking space in Medellín, testing out new dialogue exercises with unsuspecting baristas, or hiking in the Andes with his wife and two dogs. He believes that language is not a barrier to be overcome but a door to be opened—and he wrote this book so that every remote worker, no matter where they start, can walk through that door with confidence.