Why Choose Spanish as Your New Foreign Language? Why is it Important to Learn Spanish?
Traditionally people from the United States are not obligated to learn another language besides English, but
times have changed. Globalization has been the big push behind the increasing importance of being able to
communicate with those from other countries. For that reason, (especially NAFTA), the second language US
citizens are choosing to learn is Spanish. The trend now shows that Americans are studying Spanish in
record numbers, but, most importantly, education in an international setting is becoming a top mandate
for the American government because people need to be economically competitive. In fact, according to
Businessweek magazine, more students studying for a MBA in today's world are choosing to become trilingual;
the choices being English, French, and Spanish. Moreover, two of the top ten MBA schools outside the U.S.
are located in Spain.
There are many other reasons why people are compelled to learn Spanish as a foreign language. Why is it
important to learn Spanish? For one thing, Spanish is spoken by almost 400 million people worldwide.
Even more compelling is the fact that about half of the population in the Western Hemisphere speaks
Spanish, making it the primary language for as many people as English in this region of the world. Most
of South America speaks primarily Spanish (aside from Brazil), as does just about all of Central America,
Mexico and Latin America - over 15 countries in total. In addition, within the United States, Spanish is
the second most widely spoken language after English - by a very wide margin. In the U.S. more and more
opportunities are increasing for those who are fluent in both Spanish and English due to the explosion in
the Spanish-speaking population. This means that being bilingual (Spanish and English) will continue to
become more valuable for people who live in the U.S. with each passing year. In this economy this is
extremely important to a working career.
In addition to in the U.S.,
Spanish is also gaining importance in Europe, where it is quickly becoming the foreign language of choice
after English. It's fairly obvious to see why. Phonetically, Spanish is nearly perfect which makes it easy to
learn. First, by learning Spanish fluently you can open the gateway to get by when communicating with people
who speak different languages. Secondly, Spanish is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world.
According to Wikipedia, English, Chinese and Hindustani are the most commonly spoken languages, but,
geographically speaking, they are only widely spoken in China and India respectively. Realizing that
Spanish is spoken in more than 21 countries make learning Spanish a good choice, particularly since the US
and Canada are in the same hemisphere and do business with many Latin American countries. In fact, as a romance
language, Spanish can open the door to communication with many millions of other people who speak one of the
other romance languages, which would create bridges to the European continent as well. Language acquisition
requires special skills that, once learned, can be used to become fluent in other romance languages in much
less time than it would take someone who is learning their first romance language. Basically, this is due to
the similarities in grammar structure and vocabulary. Understanding a language means understanding culturally
enriching aspects of different societies. In order to stay competitive in today´s world, it is imperative that
we learn more about other cultures and how they think.
The Facts to Support Choosing Spanish
Most people who choose to learn Spanish do so because of its popularity, especially in the Western Hemisphere
and in Europe. They know that learning Spanish will give them practical knowledge - both in their daily and
professional lives. The facts not only support these feelings, they show that Spanish leads other foreign
languages by a wide margin for usage within the Western World. They also show that the Spanish-speaking population
is expanding. For example, the projections for the Spanish-speaking population within the U.S. show that it is
becoming a larger percentage of the total U.S. population every year. Following are some facts that show just
how widespread the Spanish language is in the world and how it is projected to continue to grow in the near
future and beyond.
The World Speaking Spanish
- If you include the number of people who are fluent in Spanish as a second language, the total number of
Spanish speakers in the world is well over 400 million people. The list of countries where Spanish is
either the primary language or the largest secondary language covers 28 different countries: from Andorra
to Venezuela.
- Although most of the countries outside of Spain with a native Spanish speaking population are located in
the Western Hemisphere, there are some notable exceptions. Spanish and French share the role as the official
language of Equatorial Guinea, making it the only country on the continent of Africa with Spanish as a primary
language. However, Morocco and Gibraltar also have many Spanish speakers. In Asia, the Philippines are the lone
representatives for Spanish-speaking nations. As a matter of fact, the Cervantes Institute, a non-profit
organization created by the Spanish government in 1991, promotes the study and teaching of the Spanish language.
As of this writing, Cervantes Institute is expanding the exposure of the Spanish language and culture in the
Philippines, among other places. The population of the Philippines used to be under Spanish control, and the
natives already use many Spanish words. In all, Spanish is the primary language in countries across four
different continents.
The U.S. Population Speaking Spanish
- According to the Pew Hispanic Research Center, the estimated number of Hispanics in the U.S. as of
2009 is 44 million. This figure means that the United States has the fifth largest Hispanic population
worldwide (trailing Mexico, Colombia, Spain and Argentina - just barely behind Spain itself and Argentina).
The statistics also show that approximately half of U.S. immigrants are from Latin America, and this trend
does not show any signs of stopping. Moreover, this group has the highest birth rate. According to Pew
Research Center, 22% of infants born in the U. S. are Hispanic as of April, 2009. The latest data from
the Pew Research Center also shows the following:
- Seven-in-ten (70%) Hispanic students speak a language other than English at home.
- Nearly half (44%) of first-generation students speak English with difficulty, compared with 20% of
second-generation students and 5% of the third-and-higher generations.
- Another indication that the language will be kept vibrant for many years to come is the fact that
quite a large portion of the Spanish speaking population in the U.S. are children. In addition, by 2050,
the number of Hispanics in the U.S is projected to grow exponentially to over 100 million people, which,
at that point, will be approximately one quarter of the total U.S. population. That's over triple the 2000
figure in a 50-year span.
Spanish in the Media
- In the New York City area, the newscast on the Spanish-language Noticias 41 and Noticiero Univision, often
have higher ratings than 'the big three' network news shows on CBS, NBC, and ABC. Approximately 8.7 percent
of Internet users speak Spanish, making it the 4th most common language among the Internet community, trailing
only English (32%), Japanese (about 7.4%), and German (about 5%). A recent study of 25 metro markets in the U.S.
found that Spanish-language programming was the sixth most popular format.
- It's increasingly difficult to ignore the spread of Spanish in the United States. Bank ATMs offer instructions
in Spanish; the Yellow Pages in many cities have added a Spanish-language insert; and Spanish is working its way
into everyday use. Is there an American left who can't order fajitas with spicy jalapeños using the proper
Spanish-accented flair? (Say the J like an H: fah-hee-tas)
Spanish Education / Economic Facts
- Over the past decade the demand for Spanish Language Courses worldwide have almost doubled. In both the
United States and Canada, Spanish is the most popular foreign language to learn. In the U.S. Spanish is the
most popular by a very wide margin.
- As countries in Latin America are strengthening and expanding their economies, they are becoming more
important as trading partners. Many countries in Latin America have signed or are on the verge of signing onto
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), which was originally set up by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
This should further strengthen trade and business ties between these countries and the U.S. - making the Spanish
language an even more important asset for Americans in the business world.
- Just as in the past, when people had to educate themselves to keep up with the technology during post
industrialization, people now increasingly need to be educated in language to keep up with the digital world.
References:
Businessweek Magazine
www.businessweek.com/magazine
Wikipedia Encyclopedia www.wikipedia.com
Pew Research Center www.pewresearch.org
Now that you know a few of the important facts about the relevance of learning the Spanish language, take a step
further and start learning Spanish next Monday!. Please click on any of the following links to know more about our
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