Benefits of Speaking Spanish
Chinese, English and Spanish are the three dominant languages of the world. Most Chinese speakers are limited to China, but English and Spanish cover a large part of the rest of the world.
The U.S, has a huge number of Spanish speaking citizens. Being able to communicate with neighbors in their own language is flattering and friendly. It also helps to break down barriers because a foreign speaker then becomes a person just like everyone else and not someone different.
For anyone in a trading organization, having a second language is not only useful, it is vital. There are always companies from Spanish speaking countries who speak some English but if you can offer them fluent Spanish you have an edge over competitors to get their business. With the whole of Central America and most of South American speaking Spanish there is a large market available. There is also Spain and the countries of the far east who speak Spanish as well as their own languages.
For these reasons when anyone is job hunting having this particular second language to offer has a marketable skill on top of other skills.
There is evidence from research that suggests learning a second language also helps to keep dementia at bay. Not something someone young might be concerned about but certainly useful for those who are older. The activity the brain uses to command another language helps to keep it active which is an excellent thing.
Knowing something of the Spanish culture is an enriching experience. The culture that someone grows up in is known so thoroughly that person is unaware of any differences with another culture just because it is so familiar. Learning a second language offers the opportunity to learn another way of life. Spanish has a rich literary and art culture which varies with the different areas where Spanish is spoken. Mexico has different art from Spain for instance. There are customs adopted by English speakers without them necessarily knowing the origins. The beating of a pinata at a birthday party to get to the sweet things inside is one.
Learning Spanish allows someone to understand that the concerns of Spanish speakers are the same as English speakers. Everyone needs a job, family, a home and enjoyment.
Spanish is a latin based language. There are an enormous number of English words with a latin origin. Suddenly the meaning of a word comes to life when the connections are made with the Spanish word. However beware of false friends. Those words which look like they mean the same in Spanish as English but mean something quite different.
Learning Spanish has many benefits both for the individual and for the community.
