?Como se dice "job shadow"?

Question

Is there a ready phrase for the idea in Spanish, or is it one of the things that needs a whole sentence to translate'

Answer 1

work shadowing apparently refers to merely following a worker around to watch the job

Exactly. I think I defined it's purpose as "learning a job or skill" but it is really "learning about a job or skill".

Answer 2

I don't think apprentice, trainee, or understudy will work, because all of those involve doing the job, while work shadowing apparently refers to merely following a worker around to watch the job and what it entails.

Answer 3

I, too, had never heard this expression. In the old days, you could have said "apprentice" (which really just means "one who is learning" but was used almost exclusively for learning some sort of trade). There's also on-the-job-trainee but that lacks the specific reference to following (or learning from) someone who is experienced. "Understudy" does, I think, retain that sense of learning from someone experienced but is not much used outside of the theater/movie world.

Answer 4

I had never heard this either, but it seems that the more common form is "work shadowing." There is no set translation for this in Spanish. "To shadow" is seguir de cerca in Spanish, but that won't work here. Nathaniel has suggested "observación profesional," but work shadowing isn't limited to professional jobs, and could apply to any job, be it flipping burgers or performing surgery. I would therefore suggest observación en el puesto de trabajo. Clearly, you will have to write around this term in Spanish.

Answer 5

You could always say "Observación Profesional".

Answer 6

. . . I think I've figured out how I'm going to say it, thanks for your help.

I didn't realize that people might not be familiar with the idea- I just kinda assumed it's something everyone has done at some point. "Job shadowing" is following someone of a certain profession around on the job to get a feel for what the work is actually like.

Answer 7

HI Sarah, I don't know this expression either, please give context.

Answer 8

There really isn't a way to say this directly. You are better off just saying "El Job Shaddow", and then clarifying by explaining what one's purpose is while do the activity, or something along those lines. Sorry!

LatinaPunk

Answer 9

I don't have an answer but I thought some clarification might help. I wasn't quite sure what you meant in the English until I Googled it.

I think what you need is a Spanish equivalent of the English verb to shadow. Could be in the context of a job, but you could shadow someone engaged in almost any activity.

to shadow: To follow around like a shadow for the purpose of learning a skill or job.