Several store employees at Sawgrass Mills are finding that a simple hola can translate into mucho dinero.

Since opening in 1990, Sawgrass Mills has become a popular stop for South American tourists, many of whom either speak little English or none at all.

The large numbers of Spanish-speaking shoppers haven’t gone unnoticed by managers at the Sunrise-based outlet mall. In late June, they began offering a two-week language course to merchants and their employees.

The 90-minute classes meet twice a week. Instructor David Gonzalez said lessons focus on basic vocabulary and key phrases such as asking whether the purchase will be cash or charge.

“They may not be able to hold a conversation, but at least I can teach them how to communicate with the customer,” said Gonzalez, who heads the foreign language department at Plantation High School.

Sawgrass managers believe that their program is the only one of its kind at a major mall in Broward County, said Joellen Ferguson, marketing director.

While stores and management offices have bilingual employees to handle questions, there have been no requests from retailers for similar programs at the Broward Mall in Plantation, The Fashion Mall at Plantation or Pompano Square in Pompano Beach, said spokespersons for these shopping centers.

Although English-speaking shoppers may still outnumber Latins at most of the county’s business establishments, Gonzalez thinks it’s in the best interest of store owners to learn a smattering of Spanish.

“I remember when you had to travel to Miami to hear Spanish being spoken,” Gonzalez said. “Today I hear it in the shops along Davie Boulevard, where I grew up.”

Watching the Spanish-speaking population take root in his own back yard, he said it came as no surprise when he was asked to conduct classes at the mall.

His first attempt at teaching merchants was last October. The course was held as a test run, to determine whether there was enough interest to bring Gonzalez back for more lessons.

When the word got out that another course was going to be held in the summer so many people wanted to take classes that a second session had to be scheduled, Ferguson said. About 60 store employees signed up.

Another series of classes is planned for the fall, she said.

“We have a high percentage of international customers — almost one-third come from outside Florida — but the Europeans and the French Canadians are more fluent in English,” Ferguson said.

“The South Americans aren’t and that’s why we had a lot of requests from our merchants to hold Spanish lessons when we discussed offering the language classes,” she said.

Saul Blaustein, a part-time sales clerk at S&K; Men’s Wear, said being bilingual is a necessary tool of the trade if one wants to do business at Sawgrass.

“A lot of South Americans and Cuban-Americans come here,” he said. “It helps if you can converse with them in their native tongue.”

Richard Gonzalez, sales manager at A-1 Bus Lines in Miami, said many of the tour company’s South American clients are very appreciative whenever someone makes the effort to communicate with them.

“Being comfortable and doing business in Spanish matters a lot to them,” he said.

The company makes stops at several shopping districts. Most, however, are in Miami, where there are retail centers that cater primarily to the area’s large population of Spanish-speaking residents and visitors.

“Sawgrass is the only stop we make in Broward County and it’s only because the mall is so big that you can spend an entire day there,” said Richard Gonzalez.

With July being the height of the South American tourist season, he estimates that the company took between 2,500 and 3,000 people to Sawgrass.

Sharon Katz, a manager at the Vanity Fair Factory Outlet store, said taking classes has better prepared her for the summer rush.

“I may not be able to understand everything they say, but it beats pointing at things,” she said.

SHOPPING IN SPANISH

To better accommodate Spanish-speaking shoppers, merchants at Sawgrass Mills mall in Sunrise are being taught sales speak en Espanol. Below are a few of the phrases they are learning from instructor David Gonzalez:

Hola. Translation: Hello.

Hasta luego. Translation: See you later.

Muchas gracias. Translation: Thank you very much.

Lo puedo ayudar? Translation: May I help you?

Cuanto cuesta? Translation: How much does it cost?

Que talla? Translation: What size?

En efecto, cheque o tarjeta de credito? Translation: Cash, check or credit card?