If you learn to speak Spanish as a second language, you can build a positive relationship with those who speak this language as their native language and are part of our population. The Hispanic population has an increasing influence on the United States and the rest of the world. Our economy is becoming increasingly global; Spanish is currently the third most commonly spoken language. Therefore, if you know how to speak Spanish, you will be rewarded with a number of benefits. If you are bilingual in Spanish and English, you are much more likely to be in demand in the marketplace. If you can speak Spanish, you'll be much better able to communicate with coworkers, employees, customers, and clients who are native Spanish speakers. It is also becoming much more important to be able to speak Spanish in regard to business and career matters in general. Recent marketing studies have determined that the Hispanic population is the most rapidly increasing segment of the consumer market. This means that companies are scrambling to attract and accommodate those who speak Spanish. What does this mean for you? If you learn to speak Spanish, this can give a good boost to your career. Additionally, this need is only going to increase, because the Spanish-speaking population is only going to continue to increase. Globally, Spanish is the first language of more than 40 million people. It's the third most common native language spoken, behind Mandarin and Hindi. Because there is such a broad use of Spanish currently, and because Hispanic culture worldwide is growing, you can see why it's smart to choose Spanish as a second language. It's certainly true that if you can speak Spanish, you'll be able to interact with more people in more situations. For example, if you develop friendships or a romantic relationship with someone in a Hispanic family (or if one of your relatives does), it will be necessary to know how to speak Spanish. Or you might have Spanish-speaking families in your neighborhood, have Spanish-speaking employees or employers, or simply have situations in which you are going to have to communicate with Spanish speakers during the course of a normal day. Besides that, Hispanic communities give us many rich and flavorful foods, which means that it's even more intelligent of you to embrace both the Spanish language and culture. If you don't have the time to enroll in a Spanish language course, you can choose to do independent study at home. With these programs, you can learn Spanish as your schedule permits. Some of these courses are only available in audio; these are good if you just need to learn to speak the language, but don't need to learn to read the language. However, it's likely that you're going to want to do both. If this is true, you're going to want to look at a more comprehensive program that teaches you to both read and speak the language. Finally, if the course you choose is interactive, this will give you the greatest retention.
Spanish is the most commonly spoken foreign language by America's largest immigrant group.
It is the dominant language of our closest foreign language neighbor?Mexico.
It is the primary language spoken in more than 21 countries.
It is spoken by more than 300,000,000 people.
More than 52,000,000 people will speak Spanish in America by the year 2010.
Los Angeles is the fifth largest Spanish-speaking city in the WORLD.
There are 24 U.S. Banks in Mexico City. Many American companies are conducting business in Spanish-speaking countries.
Cognitive Benefits - Children in foreign language programs have tended to demonstrate greater cognitive development, creativity, and divergent thinking than monolingual children. Several studies show that people who are competent in more than one language outscore those who are speakers of only one language on tests of verbal and nonverbal intelligence (Bruck, Lambert, and Tucker, 1974; Hakuta, 1986; Weatherford, 1986). (A Rationale For Foreign Language Education - A Position Paper of The National Council of State Supervisors of Foreign Languages (NCSSFL)
Academic Benefits - Studies also show that learning another language enhances the academic skills of students by increasing their abilities in reading, writing, and mathematics. A 1994 report on the impact of magnet schools in the Kansas City Public Schools showed that students in the foreign language magnet schools had boosted achievement significantly (Eaton, 1994). It reported that students in the language magnet's first kindergarten, starting in the program in 1988, had surpassed national averages in all subjects by the time they reached fifth grade. And the foreign language students performed especially well in mathematics. Similar studies with students in intensive second language programs show these students scoring as well as or better than their monolingual peers on standardized achievement tests in basic skills. (Ibid)
Societal Benefits - People who communicate in at least two languages are an asset to the communities in which they live and work. Increasing numbers of jobs now require people who are capable of interacting with people who speak languages other than English and can adapt to a wide range of cultural backgrounds. In addition, the ability to communicate in a foreign language contributes to a student's overall achievement of personal and professional career goals. (Ibid)
The main reason I think people who would really like to learn Spanish, but who don't, are those who suffer from Xenoglossophobia. They are just plainly and simply afraid. I think that fear works out in some of the following ways:
They think they will not be able to master the thousands of vocabulary words required for communicating in the language.
They are terrified at the thought of having to learn grammar rules. I mean, who wouldn't be? Can you imagine anything more boring?
They are afraid they are too old. They are convinced that had they started as children they would have had a fair shot at mastering Spanish.
Here is the BIG ONE: They are scared to death of making fools of themselves.
Not living in as close proximity to another foreign country, as people do in Europe, they do not perceive the need to learn a foreign language.
I talk to people all the time who voice these concerns. They are genuine. They would love to live in Mexico and to take advantage of all its benefits of retirement or expatriation, but these five objections loom so largely in their brains that they cannot move past them.
Unbelievably, this Xenoglossophobia is such a real disorder that some people cannot get past it without professional help. Sometimes all the knowledge in the world will not convince someone so afflicted so that they can get past their fears and start to acquire a second language.
If you are afflicted with this and yet it is a life goal to master Spanish, get the help you need.
Both George Dodge & Douglas Bower are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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