1. Learning Spanish is
necessary to keep pace with popular culture.
Learning Spanish will enable you to keep pace with Hispanic
influence on culture which is strong and getting stronger. For example, do you
remember that Taco Bell commercial with the little dog? Did you know that his
motto, "Yo quiero Taco Bell" is actually a play on words? In Spanish, "yo
quiero" means both "I want" and "I love." So, that cute little dog was
actually pulling your leg as he said both: "I want Taco Bell" and "I love Taco
Bell."
2. Learning Spanish is
actually a medical device!
Research indicates that knowing and using two languages reduces
your chances of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease. The
scientists who studied this were motivated by earlier studies which showed
that bilingualism enhances mental abilities in both children and older adults.
Other studies show that studying languages can improve your memory and slow
age-related decline in mental acuity. And studying another language makes you
smarter! Your critical thinking skills will be improved as you learn to view
things through a different lens. Learning a second language stimulates
creativity!
3. For many, learning Spanish
is rapidly becoming a business necessity.
Spanish is becoming more and more important with regards to
business. Learning Spanish will enable you to better communicate with Spanish
speaking employees or co-workers. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to offer your
product or service to the 350 million people whose mother tongue is Spanish?
In North America, Hispanic consumers are the fastest-growing market segment.
As for job opportunities, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have Spanish on your
résumé. In the United States, knowing Spanish can be particularly helpful if
you work in healthcare or education. Increasingly, the building trades are
employing more and more Spanish speaking workers. One thing is certain. If you
are bilingual, you will be more marketable and have more career choices than
your monolingual counterpart. Globalization, with it's accompanying free trade
agreements is shrinking the business world, and those who know more than one
language will definitely have the edge.
4. Spanish, Spanish
everywhere.
With well over 50 million Spanish speakers in the United
States, and with over 40% of the population growth being among the Hispanic
people, the stage is set for an enormous increase in Spanish usage in the
United States. This has sparked a lot of interest among US citizens, a group
not particularly known for their multilingualism. This interest will only
increase as the Hispanic population of the US approaches 100 million by the
year 2015. But it's not only in the US where Spanish is popular. In Europe,
Spanish is the second most popular second language, after English. With over
400 million speakers, Spanish is the fourth most commonly spoken language in
the world. Only Mandarin, English and Hindi have more speakers. If you
count only native speakers, Spanish outranks English. Spanish is
an official language on four continents and is the mother tongue in 21
countries. The sheer number of Spanish speakers and their rate of growth makes
learning Spanish a smart choice.
5. Learning Spanish will
(truly) expand your universe.
According to Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, "the
limits of my language are the limits of my universe." There is no doubt that
learning Spanish will expand your own personal universe. As the Hispanic
population continues to grow at a disproportionate rate, it becomes more and
more likely that you might marry into a Spanish speaking family, have Spanish
speaking neighbors or encounter Spanish speaking people in your daily rounds.
No longer are the Spanish speakers in the US confined to the border states and
big cities. Today, nearly all areas have some sort of Hispanic population.
Wouldn't it be nice to say hello and chat with your fellow paisanos
(countrymen)?
6. Knowing Spanish will
completely transform your travel experience.
While it is certainly possible to travel to a Spanish speaking
country without knowing any Spanish, your trip will in no way compare with the
incredible adventure that awaits the traveler who speaks Spanish. If you only
speak English, you will be forced to confine yourself to popular tourist
resorts where nearly everyone speaks some English. But if you want to explore
the area and get to know the local people, you need to know Spanish. Even
simple things, such as reading signs and menus, asking directions or telling a
cab driver where you want to go requires some knowledge of the language.
Hispanic people are amazingly generous, and if you speak Spanish you will find
yourself being welcomed in a way that would never happen if you spoke only
English. Simply put, when you travel to a Spanish speaking country, knowing
the language will allow you to move from the role of observer to that of an
active participant.
7. Knowing how to speak
Spanish will enable you to help others.
If you are the type of person who likes to help others,
learning to speak Spanish will put you in a postion where you can help both
Spanish speakers who don't speak English and English speakers who don't speak
Spanish. Now that's what we like to call a "win-win" situation. Unfortunately,
the standard of living in many Spanish speaking countries is rather low by
normal Western standards. Sometimes, it is appalingly low. Without
stereotyping Latin America as a poverty stricken region (in many cases that
simply is not true) there are nonetheless a lot of people in serious need.
Learning Spanish will prepare you for taking the next step, --- actually going
there and making a difference!
8. There are reasons to learn
language for language's sake.
While Johann Wolfgang von Goethe may have been exaggerating
when he said, "he who knows no foreign language, knows nothing of his own," it
cannot be denied that by studying Spanish you will without doubt gain a better
understanding of English. Spanish is what we call a "Romance" language,
meaning that it is based on Latin, the language of the ancient Roman Empire.
Many English words are also of Latin origin, and so when you learn vocabulary
in Spanish you will simultaneously be expanding your English vocabulary. You
will also find that your understanding of the deep meaning of these Latin
based English words is greatly enhanced. Also, as you study the grammar of
Spanish, you will notice how it is similar to English, as well as how it is
different. This will raise your awareness of the grammar of your native
language. Because Spanish is very nearly phonetically perfect, you can look at
almost any word and immediately know exactly how to pronounce it. This
characteristic makes Spanish one of the easiest languages to learn. And, when
it comes to learning a third language, such as French or Italian, already
knowing Spanish will be a huge advantage because these languages, too, are
Romance Languages.
9. Learning Spanish will
allow you to better appreciate Hispanic cultural contributions.
For many people, developing a deeper understanding of Hispanic
culture is becoming more and more important. There is no more certain way to
gain this insight than to learn to speak Spanish. Reading Latin American or
Spanish newspapers and magazines will open a window into the Hispanic mind.
Knowing the language will prepare you to better appreciate some of the great
Hispanic modern and classic cultural contributions. From Miguel Cervantes to
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Hispanic literary contributions are monumental. From
the royal portraits of Goya to the surreal depictions of Picasso, Spanish
influence on the fine arts has been substantial. And let's not ignore
gastronomy! Learning Spanish can be the perfect excuse for enjoying the
cuisine of Spanish speaking peoples. Burritos, tamales, paella, papusas, arroz
con frijoles, ceviche, --- the list goes on and on, and is a delicious
indicator of the vast diversity of Hispanic culture. Is it any wonder then
that more and more people want to partake of these cultural delights?
10. Learning Spanish is fun!
Learning Spanish opens up lots of opportunities to have more
fun. Who doesn't enjoy reading a good book or watching a good movie? Music?
You bet! Food? The best! The satisfaction of accomplishment? It's there
waiting for you to grab it! For all of the reasons mentioned above, and a
whole lot that haven't been mentioned, learning Spanish can be one of the most
enjoyable things you will ever do. Whether your motivations are practical,
intellectual or sentimental, learning Spanish is something that will benefit
you for the rest of your life!
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