Learn Spanish
Spanish, Spanish everywhere.
With well over 35 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 50 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 some 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.
Spanish Second Language. Easy to learn
Arabic has a completely different alphabet, French spelling and pronunciation is incredibly specific and tricky, and Chinese requires learning unique tones. Written Spanish, on the other hand, is almost completely phonetic — look at any Spanish word, and you can tell how it is pronounced. While mastering the grammar of Spanish can be a challenge, basic grammar is straightforward enough and many vocabulary words are similar to English. Since the number of Spanish speakers in the U.S. continues to rise, chances are it will become even easier to learn and practice this language.
Learning Spanish will help your career.
With such a large Latino population in the U.S. and booming Latin economies outside the U.S., employers are desperate for people who speak Spanish. There is a huge demand in the U.S. for Spanish-speakers in nursing, teachihing, construction management, and media, among many other positions.
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.
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
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!