Being bilingual in today’s society isn’t just a sign of intelligence and culture, but also a way to boost your job opportunities and connect with an entirely new and diverse society of people. With more than 37 speakers worldwide, Spanish is the most-spoken language in America today. It’s also one of the fastest growing, with a 233 percent increase in speakers from 1980. Below are 5 reasons why learning Spanish is a great decision.
1. Become More Marketable
Job opportunities for Spanish speakers are abundant, as companies expand and the need for international representatives increases in order to accommodate a diverse client base. The rapidly expanding amount of native Spanish speakers immigrating to the United States means more and more job openings will be seeking a person who is fluent in both English and the new customers’ native tongue.
You don’t have to be completely fluent in order to begin working with the Spanish speaking community. Intermediate level speakers are able to communicate efficiently and effectively across a variety of industries, particularly if they tailor their learning to build up their vocabulary and knowledge of terminology in a specific field.
2. Become Part of a New Culture
With 50 million Spanish speakers, the U.S. is the world’s second largest Spanish speaking country. With that many people, it’s inevitable that their language and accompanying culture is going to become a part of the incredible melting pot that is America.
You can become a part of this and open your eyes to an entirely new language, people and experiences without having to leave home. Speaking Spanish or any other language helps diversify a person and increases their potential of meeting new people and learning about an entirely different culture that they can take and make their own.
3. It’s Easy
Due to its spelling and grammatical proximity to English, Spanish is one of the easiest languages for English speakers to pick up on. You can learn words and phrases very quickly, especially once you’ve mastered pronunciation and el alfabeto español.
4. Discover Your History
The Spanish world and language has played a much larger role in the US’s past than meets the eye. California and the Southwestern states were part of the Spanish empire, and learning the language will allow you to gain an interesting and riveting insight into the mark the past has left in the present.
Spanish is an integral part of North America’s past, with word names still vastly abudnant throughout the nation. California for example holds places such as the cities of Merced (mercy), Fresno (ash tree), Madera (wood) and Modesto (modest).
5. Become a More Well-Rounded Person
Due to its accessibility in the form of people, shops, TV and radio in the US, Spanish is incredibly easy to practice and study. Within a few months, you could be conversing with your neighbors and getting to know new friends in their native language. Learning a different language inevitably leads to the study of that language’s culture, and in analying the origins and traditions of the Spanish people, you’ll discover an entirely new world that will grant you a profound and more accepting worldview.