Residents and visitors in states such as California, Arizona, and Nevada are apt to see more ads, signs, and stores written in Spanish than they have in years past. There is a good reason for this - the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 35 million people - nearly ten percent of our country's population - now speaks Spanish.
The large number of people who speak Spanish isn't just in the US - there are as many as 350 million people around the world who speak Spanish. This vast population means that there are a lot of opportunities for those people who do speak Spanish that don't exist there otherwise for the people who don't. If you haven't thought about learning Spanish before, here are 3 reasons why you should think about it:
1) Spanish is spoken throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, meaning you have a lot of places you can visit. Spanish is, of course, spoken in Spain, too, but don't forget that their Spanish (which is called Castillian) isn't the same as the Spanish spoken in the western hemisphere. There are so many places where Spanish is spoken, in fact, that it's the fourth most common language in the world. Only Mandarin Chinese, English, and Hindi are spoken more than Spanish.
Knowing Spanish will allow you experiences that you're unlikely to have on a trip to any of these destinations if you only speak English. Your English is going to be sufficient in large cities and resort towns, but once you leave those areas and venture deeper into the country, the ability to speak Spanish will be vital.
2) The job market is tough, and knowing Spanish can help. The current economy has led to a lot of people out of work and a lot of people finding new skills to compete for what jobs are out there. In a time when high unemployment and scarce jobs are the norm, certain skills are often the difference in choosing between highly qualified employees applying for the same job.
If you live in an area where some of those 35 million Spanish speakers live, speaking Spanish might be that skill that makes the difference. Many occupations - including nursing, teaching, and sales - are places where there is a high demand for people who speak Spanish and English. Plus, with the number of Spanish speakers in this country increasing every day, this job skill is one that can be useful for years to come.
3) Mastering Spanish can also help you master English. That may sound funny, but because Spanish is a Romance language, derived from Latin, many words and grammar rules are common between Latin and English, which is also partially derived from Latin. Once you start learning Spanish, you may see these commonalities and how they apply to English, meaning that you can essentially master two languages at once.
If you don't think you'll need to use Spanish for any of these reasons in the near future, perhaps you should consider learning Spanish now anyway. What may be the best reason to learn Spanish is that it's fairly easy to learn, so you can be on your way to learning it and be proficient by the time you do need it.
The large number of people who speak Spanish isn't just in the US - there are as many as 350 million people around the world who speak Spanish. This vast population means that there are a lot of opportunities for those people who do speak Spanish that don't exist there otherwise for the people who don't. If you haven't thought about learning Spanish before, here are 3 reasons why you should think about it:
1) Spanish is spoken throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, meaning you have a lot of places you can visit. Spanish is, of course, spoken in Spain, too, but don't forget that their Spanish (which is called Castillian) isn't the same as the Spanish spoken in the western hemisphere. There are so many places where Spanish is spoken, in fact, that it's the fourth most common language in the world. Only Mandarin Chinese, English, and Hindi are spoken more than Spanish.
Knowing Spanish will allow you experiences that you're unlikely to have on a trip to any of these destinations if you only speak English. Your English is going to be sufficient in large cities and resort towns, but once you leave those areas and venture deeper into the country, the ability to speak Spanish will be vital.
2) The job market is tough, and knowing Spanish can help. The current economy has led to a lot of people out of work and a lot of people finding new skills to compete for what jobs are out there. In a time when high unemployment and scarce jobs are the norm, certain skills are often the difference in choosing between highly qualified employees applying for the same job.
If you live in an area where some of those 35 million Spanish speakers live, speaking Spanish might be that skill that makes the difference. Many occupations - including nursing, teaching, and sales - are places where there is a high demand for people who speak Spanish and English. Plus, with the number of Spanish speakers in this country increasing every day, this job skill is one that can be useful for years to come.
3) Mastering Spanish can also help you master English. That may sound funny, but because Spanish is a Romance language, derived from Latin, many words and grammar rules are common between Latin and English, which is also partially derived from Latin. Once you start learning Spanish, you may see these commonalities and how they apply to English, meaning that you can essentially master two languages at once.
If you don't think you'll need to use Spanish for any of these reasons in the near future, perhaps you should consider learning Spanish now anyway. What may be the best reason to learn Spanish is that it's fairly easy to learn, so you can be on your way to learning it and be proficient by the time you do need it.
About the Author:
Teresa Rueda can help you find a Spanish language course that meets your needs. If you want to learn a different language, check out many different brands of foreign language software!
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