Taxes in Spanish?

Liberty Tax Service is offering scholarships to the Interpreter Training Institute for bilingual employees who agree to work the full tax season at one of the preparer's offices. The firm freely admits (in a press release) "the hourly rate may not be what other companies pay but the educational perk truly can't be beaten."

Dona Dezube, who pointed this out to me, wondered in an e-mail:

Okay, so they're not the top of the accounting food chain, but apparently tax preparers need to speak Spanish. Can it be long until accountants need the same skills?

It's a good question, especially for CPAs in the West and Southwest. And, Dona adds, weekly Spanish classes at your local community college probably aren't particularly expensive.