Company helps construction workers communicate

Think fast: How do you say flat-head screwdriver in Spanish?

When a contractor is racing to wrap up a job, the last thing he needs is a lengthy caucus to differentiate between a destornillador with a cabeza plana or a cabeza Phillips. With that in mind, former roommates at the University of Tennessee have created a translation tool for Spanish and English-speakers in the construction industry.

Jeremy Watson and Kevin Buchmeier, both 26, along with Ann Elizabeth Lyon, Buchmeier's wife, have teamed up to create Working Translations, a start-up business that has produced a pocket-sized, waterproof translation guide for local contractors.

They're marketing guides tailored to various construction specialties, and the trio is eventually hoping to branch out into other industries, such as the food service or janitorial fields.

Buchmeier said the idea grew out of his experience as foreman of a Spanish-speaking landscaping crew in Charleston, S.C. Communication was minimal and tasks often had to be redone.

The entrepreneurs initially aimed for a fold-out translation guide that would snap closed, but that proved to be impractical. Instead, they went with the pocket-sized guides that have approximately 600 words apiece. Although none of the partners speaks fluent Spanish, they got assistance with the translations, including aid from a friend who worked at Home Depot with an employee from Guatemala.

Construction has been a linchpin of Hispanic job growth in recent years, particularly for immigrants. But a June report from the Pew Hispanic Center reports that the construction slump has hit the Hispanic community hard, with the number of foreign-born Hispanics working in construction falling from 2.3 million in the first quarter of 2007 to 2 million in 2008.

(Contact Josh Flory of The Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee at floryj(at)knoxnews.com.)