Think
Spanish!
Have you
been in a happy slumber thinking about just how lucky you were
about having English as your native tongue? Do you think about
how far ahead you are in the rat
race because you can communicate with a vast number of people
all around
the world? Well good for you, but it is probably time to wake
up and smell the linguistic roses, it's time to get your blood
boiling with the language of love.
At the mention
of this ambitious line some of you will probably say (and quite
proudly) that they've spent some great holidays in a French
summer Camp, enjoying the warm European summer after a year
in the best French
school France had to offer. Or maybe that wasn't it and
you got to learn
French in France because of your job or because of a personal
hobby of yours. Whatever the reason is, I'm sure a lot of you
are seasoned connoisseurs of the "true" language of love and
are quite happy with it. However, you would be wise to remember
that there is another language of love, the language of passionate
desire and the youthful "gusto" for life. That language is Spanish,
and there's much more to it than a juvenile desire for the exotic.
Learning Spanish might actually be the boost to your career
that you were waiting for.
Some
statistical factoids to tip your scales!
- Hispanic
population in the USA has grown by 60% in just one decade
and their combined buying power is thought to exceed the
$1000 million mark by 2010.
- If
you live in the United States and are over 5 years old,
there is a 10% chance that you speak Spanish and are part
of a huge consumer market.
- Since
Hispanics are becoming such a large part of the market,
there is an increasing demand for Spanish language media
(like radio, TV, newspapers and so on.)
- David
Graddol (world famous language researcher) gives Spanish
his "thumbs up" and says that Spanish and
Arabic are the key languages of the future.
- Your
dating success will increase in a 24,7% (research is
not yet finalized though.)
I understand
if you are still sceptical. "Why is it so important to learn
Spanish?" you may ask. Well, for starters, because it will
let you communicate with almost 500 million people worldwide
that you couldn't reach before. If you're looking for a job
just think of the employment options that can bring you, not
to mention the ability to interact with attractive Latin American/Spanish
girls or boys if you choose to embark in a holiday or take a
small trip. On the business side of the scale, you will find
Spanish to be a pivotal tool for your success as well. Spanish
is nowadays the world's third most spoken language (after Mandarin
Chinese and English) and ranks second in terms of native speakers.
Hispanic clients and customers are, without doubt, the fastest
growing market segment in North America. Finally, Spanish is
the second most used language when it comes to international
communications, plus it is an official language of the United
Nations and all its organizations.
It's obvious
that learning Spanish is becoming increasingly important in
terms of the global economy and it can also play a major role
in your own personal development. The question then, is not
whether you should learn Spanish (you most definitely should)
but rather when to start!
