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Knowing How To Speak Spanish Can Be A Plus In Today's Job Market
- By George Dodge
- Published 02/1/2009
- Personal Development
- Unrated
Since the ability to speak Spanish enables more effective communication between employees, co-workers, clients and customers, speaking Spanish is becoming more important in business and career development. Bilingual speakers of English and Spanish are finding an increasing demand for their skills.
Speaking Spanish is also becoming more important in business and career matters. People who are bilingual in English and Spanish are in increasing demand in the market place. Knowledge of Spanish will enable you to more effectively communicate with co-workers, clients, customers and employees who speak Spanish as their native tongue.
According to recent marketing studies, the Hispanic population is the fastest growing segment of the market in North America, and many companies find themselves scrambling to catch up with the new changing market place. This increases the demand for bilingual English/Spanish speakers enhancing the value of learning to speak Spanish.
This translates into improved career opportunities. Learning Spanish can help you gain promotions in your job or it can pave the way for you to move into a different career that might be more interesting to you. Just having a notation on your resume that you speak Spanish can often mean the difference between your resume ending up in the round file or getting the all-important interview. Speaking Spanish will serve you particularly well if you happen to be involved in the building trades, in the educational field or in healthcare, especially in the US.
There are well over thirty-five million Spanish speaking citizens in the US, and estimates say that over 40 percent of the increase in the US population is within the Hispanic community. This means that, as time passes, the need to learn Spanish will continue to increase. With the increase in globalization and free-trade between the US and Mexico and other countries in Central and South America, there is no doubt that the people who take the time and make the effort to become bilingual, especially in Spanish, will have a clear advantage over those who are only English speaking.
The Spanish language is not only growing in popularity in the US, but also in Europe where it is the second most studied second language (English being the first). Worldwide, over 400 million people speak Spanish as their native tongue, making it the third most widely spoken native language after Mandarin and Hindi. Considering the growth rate of the Hispanic population worldwide, choosing to learn Spanish as a second language is a wise choice.
It is also a certainty that Spanish will help to expand your universe of experiences and people. With the continued growth of the Hispanic population, it will become increasingly likely that you will have more interactions with people from the Hispanic community. For example, you or a relative might marry into a Hispanic family, you might have Spanish speaking families in your neighborhood, have Hispanic employers or employees, or simply have more interactions with Spanish speaking people in the routine course of your day. I know I do.
For example, as my son did, you or a close family member may marry into a Spanish speaking family, or you might have Spanish speaking families in your neighborhood as my wife and I do. Also, if you don't already, you might also find yourself with Spanish speaking employees or employers. Your interactions with the Spanish speaking community are increasing daily, whether you realize it or not. Just look at the signs sprouting up everywhere these days.
If you are interested in having a fuller understanding of the unique and rich heritage of the Hispanic people, learning Spanish is an excellent way to do that. World culture has been greatly enriched by the contributions of artists, writers, architects, musicians and others over the centuries who herald from Hispanic roots. Add to that the wonders of the rich and flavorful food that come to us from Spanish speaking communities, and there is even more reason to embrace the Spanish language and culture.
Speaking Spanish is also becoming more important in business and career matters. People who are bilingual in English and Spanish are in increasing demand in the market place. Knowledge of Spanish will enable you to more effectively communicate with co-workers, clients, customers and employees who speak Spanish as their native tongue.
According to recent marketing studies, the Hispanic population is the fastest growing segment of the market in North America, and many companies find themselves scrambling to catch up with the new changing market place. This increases the demand for bilingual English/Spanish speakers enhancing the value of learning to speak Spanish.
This translates into improved career opportunities. Learning Spanish can help you gain promotions in your job or it can pave the way for you to move into a different career that might be more interesting to you. Just having a notation on your resume that you speak Spanish can often mean the difference between your resume ending up in the round file or getting the all-important interview. Speaking Spanish will serve you particularly well if you happen to be involved in the building trades, in the educational field or in healthcare, especially in the US.
There are well over thirty-five million Spanish speaking citizens in the US, and estimates say that over 40 percent of the increase in the US population is within the Hispanic community. This means that, as time passes, the need to learn Spanish will continue to increase. With the increase in globalization and free-trade between the US and Mexico and other countries in Central and South America, there is no doubt that the people who take the time and make the effort to become bilingual, especially in Spanish, will have a clear advantage over those who are only English speaking.
The Spanish language is not only growing in popularity in the US, but also in Europe where it is the second most studied second language (English being the first). Worldwide, over 400 million people speak Spanish as their native tongue, making it the third most widely spoken native language after Mandarin and Hindi. Considering the growth rate of the Hispanic population worldwide, choosing to learn Spanish as a second language is a wise choice.
It is also a certainty that Spanish will help to expand your universe of experiences and people. With the continued growth of the Hispanic population, it will become increasingly likely that you will have more interactions with people from the Hispanic community. For example, you or a relative might marry into a Hispanic family, you might have Spanish speaking families in your neighborhood, have Hispanic employers or employees, or simply have more interactions with Spanish speaking people in the routine course of your day. I know I do.
For example, as my son did, you or a close family member may marry into a Spanish speaking family, or you might have Spanish speaking families in your neighborhood as my wife and I do. Also, if you don't already, you might also find yourself with Spanish speaking employees or employers. Your interactions with the Spanish speaking community are increasing daily, whether you realize it or not. Just look at the signs sprouting up everywhere these days.
If you are interested in having a fuller understanding of the unique and rich heritage of the Hispanic people, learning Spanish is an excellent way to do that. World culture has been greatly enriched by the contributions of artists, writers, architects, musicians and others over the centuries who herald from Hispanic roots. Add to that the wonders of the rich and flavorful food that come to us from Spanish speaking communities, and there is even more reason to embrace the Spanish language and culture.
George Dodge
George Dodge has been a student of foreign languages and linguistics for over 40 years. Presently his top two basic Spanish language learning programs are Rocket Spanish and Learning Spanish Like Crazy.
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