home > why should I study Spanish?

Why should I study Spanish?
Spanish Training for Government in Washington DC, Maryland, Baltimore MD, Virginia, and Richmond VA


There are many and diverse reasons to learn Spanish:

• Spanish is the third most widely spoken language in the world , after Mandarin and English, and the second in the United States.
• In the United States, more than 35 million citizens have Hispanic origin (13% of the population). Almost all of them speak Spanish in their houses as a native tongue.
• Hispanic population in the United States has grown by 60% in just one decade (between 1990 and 2000). With the growing presence of these communities in the U.S., it has become essential to be able to respond to their diverse cultural backgrounds.

For State and Local Government officials and employees …

• Spanish is the second most common language in the United States after English.
  Spanish is expected to be the first language of 50% of the population of the United States within 50 years.
• According to the Kiplinger Washington Editors, the Hispanic share of the workforce will increase 25 percent by 2010.
• Although most of the Spanish speaking newcomers to the U.S. learn and speak English, Spanish is an important asset which can have a very practical use - both in your daily life and in your jobs/professional life.
• It increases the possibilities of upward mobility in the job market and better expectations of professional growth.

• Spanish is the first language in 21 countries: Mexico with 107 million speakers, Spain with 39 million, Colombia with 45 million, Argentina with 39 million, Peru with 28 million, and Venezuela with 26 million...
• Spanish is one of the official languages of the United Nations (UN). It is also one of the official languages of the Organization of American States (OAS), and in several International Organizations.
• The political map of Latin America is nowadays being redrawn. With a new wave of progressively inclined governments, the region has become an epicenter of dissent from U.S. dominance. Therefore, it has become crucial to respond to this new scenario and to understand fully the complexity -economies, politics, culture, and language- of today's Latin America.
• Latin American countries are experiencing constant economic growth and because of that, are becoming more important as trading partners as well as political allies. Spanish is a very important asset in the international arena.

NEWS:

America Moves to the Latin Beat, WorldScreen.com, May 2006

Hispanics in the U.S.: Breaking Down the Numbers, NPR, All Things Considered, June 9, 2005, by Robert Siegel

Hispanics now one-seventh of U.S. population
Census Bureau estimates 41.3 million in fastest-growing ethnic bloc, June 10, 2005

Hispanic Growth Surge Fueled by Births in U.S., By D'Vera Cohn
Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, June 9, 2005

Latinos Fuel U.S. Population Growth, by David Schaper, NPR, All Things Considered, June 9, 2005

Minorities Driving Growth in D.C. Area By D'Vera Cohn, Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, September 30, 2004

Multilingualism Is a Necessity In Many Jobs, America,The Seul Times, By Rita Zeidner