Are there any benefits to learning Spanish?

Question

My brother wants to take Spanish in college but I always tell him that it is a worthless language and that he'd only be wasting his time.

I mean Spanish is only useful if you want to travel to Europe or South America or if you want to catch illegals for the border patrol.

He say's he's dream ez to advertise used vehicles to Mexicans en the Las Vegas area. I think he's crazy!

Answer 1

For him and his dream definitley yes! Otherwise it still is a great language considering that it's the 2nd most commonly spoken language in teh world I think!

Answer 2

You don't have to advertise vehicles to Mexicans in any state. They are buying up all the older vehcles they can find. And are so good at it that you cannot find an older pickup truck anywhere in Texas to purchase. Evidently they take them back across the border and make a nice profit on the sale.

Now for the real question:

The languages of the Iberian Penninsula are only second to Chinese in the number of people on the planet speaking them.

Spanish is the official language of Spain, all mainland countries south of the US border except for Brazil, and many of the former Spanish colonies such as the Philipines and Cuba.

Portugese is spoken in Portugual, Brazil, and some of their former colonies such as Macau in China. Also Creole which is based on Poruguese is spoken in many African and Asiancountires as well as the Caribbean.

Then there are the Basque language, Euskara. It is spoken in areas on both sides of the Pyranees Mountains in both Spain and France. While it is not a language that is spoken around the world it is an Iberian Peninsula language.

Lastly there is the US. Spanish is an integral component of life in the southwest US. From Texas to California 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc generation US citizens speak Spanish. Their ancestors emegrated from any of the before mentioned Spanish speaking countries. One of the most embarrasing things I know of is to be of Hispanic decent but have never learned to speak Spanish.

You brother is not crazy, just misguided. He should change his major to "International Business" and minor in "Spanish".

You don't need to learn Spanish to travel to South America or Europe. Nor do you need more than a few words of Spanish to be a Border Patrol agent. Most of the people in those counties are bi-lingual sometimes tri-lingual, even the kids. Particulatly the illegals in the US.

You do need to learn the language to conduct business in those counties. But most important, If you can speak the language when you encounter someone from a Spanish speaking country you will be treated as an intelegent and interesting person worthy of respect. If you can only speak English you will be treated like just one more norte americano lacking in manners.

Answer 3

Europe and South America is all you can think of?
Hmm....that is a pretty limited view.
What if he wants to further his career later and be a Mediator in Conflict Resolution? What if he wants to do more than sell cars?
He could be a voice for people that need help.
He can use it on his vacations to Puerto Rico, Acapulco, to order drinks, following your train of thought.
More than illegals speak the language here in the US.
If he resides here, he may be able to encourage Spanish speaking individuals to learn English.
Now, if he wanted to learn Latin, I would discourage him, unless he has a passion for the origins of language. I suspect that you do not.
The US is the only country where most people do not speak a second or even third language.
I think it may be due to limited thinking.
Leave the backyard and you will find that there is much more out there.
Like spell check.

Answer 4

Having a second language is a fantastic asset in the business world!!! Spanish seems to be the most popular due to Mexico and South America being so close...I would suggest to your brother that he learn a language like Arabic or Farsi, he could make a ton of money as a translator!!!! He's very smart to want to be fluent in another language!

Answer 5

Why speak English?… The reason is simple communication with our spanish neighbors. By speaking spanish, we can enjoy each other, get a job done or get a better understanding of each others culture.

Spanish like English has numerous dialets all over the planet while basic spanish will allow you to talk with someone from Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Argentina and more. Your ear must adjust to tonal inflections and slang from the region you’ll be able to enjoy your visits to these places even more.

If you live in the USA there may be more practical reasons for learning spanish like communicating with your child’s nanny or a co-worker on a construction job. Learning spanish also helps the student understand the culture more. Simply greeting your friend or co-worker in their native language i.e. “Buenos Dias” ( good day) may put them in a great mode.

The bonding in learning each other’s language also helps in creating a deeper bond between people. Why is that important? Ask any championship team. The bond between them is strong because they communicated on verbal and non-verbal plane to win.

Learning to speak Spanish can open new career opportunities and enable your life to be more enriching.

Answer 6

No, your brother knows what he is doing and could be successful if he don't take advantage of people. He's going to have to be able to speak Spanish if his plans come about.

It's never worthless to learn a different language. He could land a better job just because he knows how to speak Spanish. There are many jobs out there looking for people who know how to speak Spanish.

I hear a hint of prejudice in what you're saying hear. Think it's time for you to grow up and get rid of the prejudices. Like you're any better than the next person ... don't think so!

Answer 7

Do you know how many beautiful Spanish women there are that don't speak a word of English. Millions. Do you know how many Spanish women there are that are attracted to American men who speak fluent Spanish. Millions. Now tell your brother it's a worthless language. By the way, that millions i'm talking about-their in the good ole U.S of A.

Answer 8

Spanish is the largest growing language in the United States. Knowing how the speak it will be of great benefit.
Employers typically will pay more for people that speak Spanish.

Answer 9

i think you're a f ucking ignorant racist....wtf do u mean are there any benefits to learning spanish?! hello, have you ever stepped outside of your little redneck town?! more languages are spoken in the U.S than english, you bigot. You're brother would do well to learn spanish, it would really help him. he could have a plethora of more job opportunities and he could get the chance to become more intelligent and cultured. And "illegal mexicans" arent the only ones that speak spanish. GOD i cannot believe you are so close minded


please do everyone favor, and go find yourself a f ucking brain!

Answer 10

Well, try living in Florida.... especially the Miami area. If you don't know Spanish you are S.O.L.! It's almost the primary language in Florida. Si Amigo ! Same is true for California. Besides there are great advantages to being bilingual .... oops did I just say a naughty??

Answer 11

Good to learn. As much as it is being used in the US.
Our company has 3000 employees and we are always trying to hire multi language speakers. we have customers from all over.
My friend speaks 4 laugauges and a great job he can almost pick his company and price. He spends his time in the US, Canada (French) and South America. He has seen so much of the world.