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Since the introduction of the Internet international business
has grown significantly requiring more employees to have language skills.
Not to mention globalization and the many markets becoming one larger
world market. As a direct result of this, applicants with language skills
have a higher percentage chance of being hired than their monolingual
counterparts regardless of past experience. Consider the following additional
benefits of speaking another language.
Job Opportunities
As stated, more and more job opportunities are available to individuals
with language skills, with the most desirable languages for US companies
being Spanish, French, German, and Mandarin. Considering NAFTA many
US companies have moved to Mexico and Central and South America necessitating
more Spanish speaking skills than others. In addition to this, one of
the fastest growing populations in the United States are Latinos, and
many do not speak English. However, they work and have money to spend
so companies are interested in their business and want to provide employees
who speak Spanish to help the Latinos.
Simply drive down the main street in your town and you
will likely see signs in front of many restaurants, car dealerships,
banks and other businesses that say "se habla espanol," which conveys
to Latinos that someone in that company speaks Spanish. More and more
companies are catching on to the need to have employees who speak Spanish
or other languages and include that in their job opening descriptions.
So, learning to speak Spanish is incredibly important for Americans
for job opportunities as well as communicating with their neighbors.
Although, with globalization Americans will find many opportunities
with other language skills as well.
Communication
When you learn another language you increase your ability to communicate
with individuals in the world. Since a large percentage of the world
speaks either English or Spanish, if you speak both you will most likely
be able to communicate with the majority of people you encounter. This
is especially true in the United States.
For example, many workplaces employ Spanish speaking individuals
that do not yet speak English. For example, many factories and fast
food restaurants hire a large number of Spanish speakers because they
are lower paid labor and typically have factory experience. However,
their managers do need to communicate with them regarding job responsibilities,
work schedules, pay, rules and regulations and if the manager speaks
Spanish it will help communication significantly. Of course, you might
say those individuals should learn English, and while this might be
true you will increase your communication level and job performance
by speaking Spanish.
Expand Your Mind
Another benefit of learning a second language is simply expanding your
mind. By learning a second language your will create more synapses in
your brain and likely reduce your chances of diseases that affect the
minds of older individuals like Alzheimer's. Studies are still being
conducted, but results point out that individuals who speak two languages
have a significantly reduced chance of illnesses such as this. As a
result, it is certainly worth studying a second language to reduce your
chances of developing a disease such as this.
Learning
No matter your age, whether you are still in school, recently graduated,
or are a senior citizen you can still learn a foreign language. There
are many courses offered in universities, private tutors, online courses,
and teach yourself options that are available to you. You simply need
to evaluate your budget, schedule, and time frame you want to learn
the new language. Learning a new language requires practice, memorization,
and immersing yourself in the language. You will know when you speak
another language well when you can think in that language rather than
thinking in your native language and translating.
If you don't currently speak Spanish or another popular
world language then you should consider learning one. Evaluate your
occupation, or future occupation, and which second language would be
most beneficial in your line of work or proposed line of work. Once
you have pinpointed the language you may begin searching for courses
or tutors to help you learn, or give it a go on your own. Regardless
of which way you learn a second language it will benefit you in all
areas of your life, so start studying today. You will be surprised how
easy it is to learn another language once you start trying.
Written by: University-College.net Staff Writer - Copyright University-College.net
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