The advantages of learning a new language are clear. According to an article published in U.S. News and World Report, people who speak more than one language have greater success in business than people who speak only one language. Multilingual people earn 10-15 percent more than their monolingual co-workers on average. Research on children who grow up speaking two or more languages show clear cognitive advantages to being multilingual: Better decision-making skills, better judgment, less distractability, greater ability to focus, and more responsiveness to feedback.
Why should you learn Spanish for business? Business Insider listed these six reasons why business professionals should practice Spanish:
- Construction management, media, and nursing are some of the industries with increasing demand for Spanish-speakers.
- If you learn Spanish you can read books written in Spanish and watch Spanish-language movies without subtitles.
- Many popular vacation destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Spain, and South America are populated with Spanish-speakers (important if you work in the tourism and hospitality field).
- Spanish grammar is similar to English grammar, making it one of the easier language for English-speakers to learn.
- Spanish is the fastest-growing non-English language in the U.S. It’s estimated that Spanish is spoken by 12.9 million Americans.
- The British government considers Spanish the most important non-English language for British citizens to learn.
The Huffington Post also recently gave a list of reasons why Americans should consider going to Spanish school. They included the following:
- By learning Spanish, you allow yourself to remain independent and not rely on interpreters when in Spanish-speaking settings.
- Children are increasingly learning Spanish, so you can study Spanish to communicate with your children.
- Doctors, lawyers, social workers, and other professionals can communicate directly with Spanish-speaking clients.
- Learning Spanish actually helps improve your understanding of the English language because of their common Latin root.
- Learning Spanish helps you travel for work and/or work abroad.
- Those who study Spanish stand out in a fiercely competitive employment market.