College is a huge step and an important part of life. Students are anxious and nervous about starting college. They are leaving their comfort zone and will soon experience the life of a college student. College courses are structured to prepare students for what their futures hold. Spanish is a college course that should be required in every student’s curriculum for many reasons; like the employment opportunities one can choose from are enormous; traveling to different countries can open up many abroad opportunities, and students will be able to communicate with millions of people who speak Spanish. Students will also have a better understanding of different Spanish speaking cultures. Many people do not see the enormous opportunities that learning Spanish has. Studying Spanish will help students gain an overall better knowledge of the Spanish language.
Spanish speakers are a fast growing population, especially in the United States because the U.S is where the majority of Spanish speakers migrate to. The Spanish language is spoken everywhere in the United States. Young children can now learn basic phrases and can count to ten thanks to educational television such as Dora the Explorer. Understanding and speaking Spanish is extremely valuable when it comes to employment opportunities. Many corporations are giving preference to bi-lingual candidates. These potential employees become more desirable, especially in a rough job market and in a down economy. Today, most companies and corporations buy, sell, or trade their wares to global markets. Sales positions can open up a whole new market for Spanish speaking employees.
In paraphrasing the article, “Spanish Language Interpreter Jobs” written by Sarah Rogers 2010, one can conclude that there are many different kinds of jobs where Spanish interpreters are needed. Rogers states that,
In the United States, hospitals and medical clinics in areas with large Spanish-speaking populations may have Spanish interpreters on staff in order to better help patients communicate with doctors, nurses, and other medical staff when seeking medical care. This type of interpretation work is done in person and often involves confidential or sensitive patient medical information. (Rogers, par. 4)
Most companies usually pay more for bi-lingual employees because they know they will also be able to communicate faster with others who speak Spanish. A number of international bodies that hold meetings and conferences with participants from a number of different countries like the United Nations, European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and Organization of American States, as well as international economic conferences, rely on Spanish conference interpreters to facilitate these international meetings for their Spanish-speaking participants (Rogers, par. 2). For example, conferences like World Economic Forum and political meetings, such as the G-20 summits, need Spanish Interrupters (Rogers, par. 2). Another sector of job opportunities is in the educational field. Since Spanish is the secondary language in our country, many teachers and administrative staff will continue to find employment. Since our culture is becoming so diverse, Spanish speakers can even find themselves working in the government sectors. Lawyers and city and state officials will find several positions available to them within their communities. Customer service and call centers currently advertise for bi-lingual employees. With the knowledge of Spanish language, endless possibilities arise across this country and abroad. Spanish speakers increase their marketability, as well as giving themselves a much better chance of job security. The article also discusses that Spanish legal interpreters are needed in the United States when Spanish speakers, who are not fluent in English, are involved with the legal system as defendants, witnesses, or in other capacities (Rogers, par. 4). Law offices may employ Spanish interpreters to communicate with clients or witnesses, and courts may employ Spanish interpreters to interpret a person’s testimony in court cases (Rogers, par. 4).
Understanding Spanish and speaking this language, allows us to travel abroad and experience different cultures. Traveling and vacationing are usually made within the confines of towns and cities where people can communicate with each other and speak to their citizens. Students of any age can now live in other countries to further their studies. This is a fabulous opportunity to expand a student’s knowledge and help them grow as individuals. The possibilities are endless as to where we can now travel. Mexico, South America and Peru are a few places to name a few. We can experience their way of living and see sights we would not have been able to see before. Traveling to these far off lands will be an adventure and expose us to territories we have read about. People can now have the ability to experience authentic foods and taste the flavors of their meals and beverages. Since people can speak their native language now, they can save money by eating and sleeping where the locals do. This will open up the eyes of students who are willing to gain this experience.
Speaking Spanish allows us to communicate with millions of people. New friendships can be formed by opening up a much larger circle of people to get to know on a personal level. Having Spanish friends will give people the opportunity to speak their language, which gives them free practice lessons. They can help us master the language and, in turn, we can assist them with our language. With the new friendships formed, they will be able to share their arts, music, and interesting facts with us that we might not have had access to. Since Spanish is the second spoken language in the United States, people can double the number of populace that they can communicate with. New relationships will be formed. People will have wonderful opportunities to meet someone they might have not have been able to meet before. In fact, according to the article, “Why Choose Spanish as Your New Foreign Language? Why it is Important to Learn Spanish?” provided by Imac Spanish Language Programs in Guadalajara, Mexico 2011, Spanish is considered a romance language (“Why Choose Spanish,” par. 7). Spanish can open up the door to communication with millions of other people who speak one of the other romance languages, which would create connections to the European continent as well. Once a person has learned a romance language, learning a different romance language will take less time, due to the similarities in grammar structure and vocabulary (“Why Choose Spanish,” par. 3). If one’s partner, in-laws, relatives, or friends have a romance language back round, learning that language will help to communicate with them. It will also give people a better understanding of their culture and way of thinking. This article also stated the facts that the Spanish language is growing in the United States. In the article, provided by Imac, it is affirmed that, Most people who choose to learn Spanish do so because of its popularity, especially in the Western Hemisphere and in Europe. They know that learning Spanish will give them practical knowledge both in their daily and professional lives. The facts not only support these feelings, they show that Spanish leads other foreign languages by a wide margin for usage within the Western World. They also show that the Spanish-speaking population is expanding. For example, the projections for the Spanish-speaking population within the U.S. show that it is becoming a larger percentage of the total U.S. population every year. (“Why Choose Spanish,” par. 4)
There are many foreign languages a student can choose from. Spanish is the most popular choice for a foreign language. There are millions of Spanish speakers in America and it is the largest minority group as well. There are many more Spanish speaking minorities to come as the years go by. Spanish is a course that will teach students many skills that they will use later on in life, and they will also gain a good sense of comprehension. If a student wishes to transfer to another school, most universities will award them the credit they earned for the Spanish course.
Some would say learning Spanish is a pointless class for a student to be required to take because it is their minority coming over to the United States. Some might ask, why learn their language when they are moving to our country? Students take Spanish because they need it to have credit for college classes, not to have better chances of having a nice career or travel and be able to communicate with millions of different people. Many people believe and have the attitude that English alone is enough. In fact, this creates self-imposed limitations. It is understandable why people have these accusations, but Spanish is the most popular foreign language to learn in the U.S by a very large margin (“Why Choose Spanish,” par. 2). About half the population in the Western Hemisphere speaks Spanish, and just about all of Central America, Mexico, Latin America and over 15 countries in total (“Why Choose Spanish,” par. 2). People will most definitely want to know how to use the most popular language. Learning the Spanish language will give people advantages knowing that the Spanish language is increasing rapidly. In paraphrasing the article “Integrating Language-and Culture Teaching: An Investigation of Spanish Teachers’ Perceptions of the Objections of Foreign Language Education” written by Paloma Castro, Sercu Lies, Mendez Garcia, and Maria del Carmen 2004, one can conclude that Spanish teachers are willing to try to attain culture learning objectives in foreign language education. With respect to culture-teaching objectives, teachers prioritize the promotion of pupils’ familiarity with the culture over the acquisition of an open mind (Castro, etal, 101). The authors state, The Spanish Curriculum explicitly states that linguistic and sociocultural objectives are organized according to three dimensions: a cognitive dimension, which involves knowledge and information regarding the linguistic and cultural elements of the foreign language; a behavioral dimension, which is related to procedures regarding how to deal with that information, and, finally, an attitudinal dimension, which is oriented mainly towards the development of attitudes of understanding and acceptance. (Castro, etal, 102)
From this quote, one can attain that Spanish teachers know the importance of learning Spanish as a secondary language, because it will allow students to be open to other ways of understanding reality, develop students’ cultural world, and promote the growth of attitudes of openness and relativity toward other cultures. Spanish teachers not only teach their students grammar, but also teach the importance of the culture of the language.
Everyone has a dream or goal to be successful. Success can be measured by wealth, career, knowledge, and prosperity. Spanish is the largest growing language in the world. There are many amazing things a student can learn and gain from this course. Everyone wants to achieve the American dream, and learning how to speak basic Spanish will help most students to lead to achieve this goal. A student does not necessarily need to master the Spanish Language. Knowing the basics of the Spanish language is and will be beneficial to the student since the language is growing so rapidly. There are many words in Spanish that are extremely similar to the English Language. Upon graduation, some students will realize the value of this required course. Learning the Spanish language will open up new opportunities and will give students a better perspective that they might have never encountered otherwise. Personal, professional, social, and economic considerations all point to the advantages of learning Spanish. The job opportunities are enormous. There are a number of reasons that students should study Spanish, along with many beneficial facts. Many students will have exceptional advantages because they have taken Spanish courses.

Works Cited

Castro, Paloma, Lies Sercu, Maria del Carmen, and Méndez García. "Integrating Language-and- Culture Teaching: an Investigation of Spanish Teachers' Perceptions of the Objectives of Foreign Language Education." Intercultural Education 15.1 (2004): 91-104. EBSCO. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
Rogers, Sarah. “Spanish Language Interpreter Jobs” Government and Public Service Careers 2010. Web 2 April 2011.
“Why Choose Spanish as Your New Foreign Language? Why Is It Important to Learn Spanish?" Learn Spanish Abroad: IMAC Spanish Language Schools | Spanish Language Courses. Imac Spanish Language Programs, 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2011.