Spanish is one of my passions. I absolutely love learning it. In school, I am in the fourth year of Spanish, and in college I plan to major on the subject, along with a science that is yet to be determined. I don’t know what it is that makes me enjoy it so much, but I always have. I like the idea of being able to talk with other people in a language that isn’t native to my own. Plus, as I have mentioned before, I plan to study abroad, and a Spanish speaking country is at the top of my list!
The past few days in Spanish class, we have been talking about why Spanish is such an important language to be learning, as well as discussing the reasons that people don’t want to learn it. Regarding the latter, we talked about how Spanish is seen as useless, or too difficult. We talked about how a lot of people in America think that Hispanic-Americans should learn English, because “that’s what we speak here”. While everyone is titled to their own opinion, I just want to share a few facts that I learned that show that maybe people should think twice before blowing off the language.
To start off, I would like to make it clear that the U.S. does not have an official language. Sure, we do mainly speak English, but the number of people speaking Spanish is creeping higher year after year. Spanish is spoken by roughly 37 million residents of the United States. What I find crazy is that predictions state that, by 2050 (36 years from now), the U.S.A. will be that largest Spanish speaking country in the entire world. This is only a prediction, but it is still an astonishing thought!
As far as Spanish being hard goes, I would like to point out that English isn’t all that easy either. In fact, if you think about it, we have a pretty difficult language! My Spanish teacher shared a few images with us that prove this fact, and I will share one here:
This cute, little poem speaks profoundly of how tough English can be. There is no saying that Spanish isn’t hard, however, it is most definitely not out of anyone’s reach.
There are multiple other reasons as to why it is a good idea to learn Spanish. In efforts to get a job, having that ability to speak in Spanish will help immensely, especially in the years to come. This can be said for all jobs, but speaking Spanish could also land you a job as a translator, which can pay quite nicely. In the future, I plan to become a PA (Physicians Assistant), and I would love to be able to implement the the use of the language if I see any patients who who feel more comfortable speaking Spanish. Jobs aside, you just never know when you will run across the need for the language. It could be as you are walking through the grocery store, or it could be in the midst of an emergency situation. It is a good tool to have!
All in all, I think that we all need to look up and become aware of the cultures around us. There is so much out there to be discovered! I, personally, can’t wait to keep learning more about Spanish, and hopefully someday I will be able to visit Spain or another Spanish speaking country and experience the vibrant culture first hand. Until then, I plan to keep on studying the language and to keep on encouraging others to do the same.
¡Adios!