5 Reasons It’s Important to Learn Spanish

As today’s world continues to change, it has become increasingly clear that cultures around the globe are becoming intertwined. For years now, English has been considered a vital language to learn for native speakers of Spanish and many other languages. That is why many Spanish people have made use of English lessons from places such as Effortless English in order to become fluent in an important foreign language. Nowadays, the intertwining of cultures is apparent with the continued wave of Spanish culture sweeping the world, and in particular the United States. A generation ago, learning Spanish was a skill that if learned might be used little if any. However, those who today learn how to speak Spanish are now finding themselves open to more opportunities in numerous areas. For those of you wondering about the benefits of being able to speak Spanish, here are five reasons why it’s much more important than ever before.

Getting a Job

If you’ve looked through the job listings lately, you’ve probably noticed many companies today want people who are bilingual in English and Spanish. That’s because according to the United States Census Bureau, over 12 percent of United States residents now speak Spanish in their own homes. With that number only expected to rise over the next decade, the need for people who can deal with customers in either English or Spanish will also rise.

A New Generation Will Speak Spanish

According to data from the Association of Spanish Language Academies, the United States will be the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world by 2050. This means today’s kids will grow up learning to speak and use Spanish as part of their daily lives, just as previous generations did with English.

Useful When Traveling

Spanish, with almost 330 million native speakers, is now the second-most commonly spoken language around the world. As more people travel to countries where Spanish is the primary language, knowing how to speak it well can make any vacation much more pleasant.

Protects Against Dementia

Research has shown that people who learn a foreign language and then use it on a consistent basis have a much lower chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. In addition, it has also shown that being bilingual helps to improve other cognitive skills unrelated to language.

It’s Easy to Learn

While many people automatically assume any foreign language will be very difficult to learn, that is not always the case. Of all the languages people can learn as a second language, Spanish is considered one of the easiest. For example, the Chinese language requires learning certain tones in order to be fluent, while French has spellings that prove difficult for some people to learn. However, because Spanish is spelled phonetically, many of its words are similar to their English counterparts, making it a much easier language to master.

So while learning any foreign language requires much practice and dedication, it’s clear being able to speak a second language such as Spanish can be helpful in many ways. Whether it’s the deciding factor an employer uses to hire a person for a job, or a way to make a vacation much more fun, learning Spanish is a must in today’s world.

Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes for Bureau Translations a leading company that provide translation services for businesses.