The Value of Language Learning: Why Study Spanish ?

1. The Value of Language Learning:Why Study Spanish? ¡SE HABLA ESPAÑOL AQUÍ!

2. Top Ten Reasons to Study Spanish • Language of the Future! • Jobs/Employment • College Admission • High School Requirement • Travel Experiences / Study Abroad • Understanding of the world • Appreciation of other cultures • Expand Vocabulary • Better understanding of English • Increases your Intelligence!

3. Language of the Future! • Spanish’s influence in the United States and around the world is literally growing each and everyday. • Spanish is the 4th most spoken language in the world and 21countries claim Spanish as their official language. It is spoken by almost 400 million people worldwide! • Half of the population in the Western Hemisphere speaks Spanish, making it the primary language for as many people as English in this region of the world. • The Spanish-speaking population in the United States has skyrocketed in recent years, making proficiency in the language all the more important!

4. Spanish-Speakers in the United States

5. Jobs and Employment • Spanish can be an incredibly marketable skill and asset that can give you a significant advantage over the competition in our global economy. • Due to the increase in the Spanish-speaking population in the U.S., knowing both English AND Spanish will continue to become more and more valuable in the job market. • Individuals that are bilingual have more career choices and can make more money in the long run.

6. Jobs for Spanish Speakers • Learning Spanish can help you to acquire promotions at your job or can pave the way for you to move above and beyond to other career paths. Just having a reference on your resume that you can speak Spanish can often mean the difference between your resume winding up in the trash or acquiring the crucial interview! • What kinds of jobs can you get if you speak a second language? • Translator Interpreter • Teacher Reporter • Tour Guide Flight Attendant • Businessman Lawyer • Doctor Social Worker • …. And many more!

7. High School Graduation and College Admission • Yellow Springs Schools recommends AT LEAST TWO YEARS of a foreign language for graduation from High School. • Not only isproficiency in Spanish important for graduation, it is also significant for admission to colleges across the United States. • Increasing numbersof colleges are requiring 2 to 4 years of Foreign Language in high school as a pre-requisite for admission.

8. Travel Experiences & Study Abroad • Many colleges and universities across the world offer students the opportunity to study abroad – to live, travel, and take classes in a foreign country – for a semester or even a year. • Knowing a second language such as SPANISH increases the opportunity to immerse oneself in a foreign language and culture. • Studying abroad allows you to deepen your understanding of the language with more speed than in the classroom, and broaden your life perspective while discovering and appreciating the diversity of culture and the differences in the world around you.

9. Reflections on my TeachingAbroad Experience • “In Colombia, I experienced language immersion and cultural diversity, witnessed social class divisions first-hand, and challenged myself in ways I had never imagined.each day I grew more and more comfortable with the Spanish language. I taught English classes in bilingual schools in Cali, La Guajira, and Medellin as well as serving as the guidance counselor for two years. I went there with my son who was eight years old at the time and without any Spanish language skills! I developed a respect, appreciation, and greater understanding of foreign cultures and ways of life. I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to TEACH, learn, and live in another countryfor 12 years, and Colombia is in my heart forever.”

10. Understanding of Cultural Diversity • Learning about respect, tolerance, and cultural Diversity are some of the most significant and lasting benefits from studying in a foreign country. • Studying abroad also gives you the opportunity to become exposed to different types of foods, music, religions, and beliefs in general – and respect for these different view makes you a more worldly, knowledgeable, and well-educated citizen of the world.

11. Expand & Improve English Vocabulary • Learning SPANISH actually helps to increase, expand, and improve your ENGLISH vocabulary. • How is this possible? There are many words that look, sound, and mean the same thing in English and Spanish. • These are called COGNATES. • Cognates are important because they allow us to expand our vocabulary in Spanish and make meaningful connections between both languages.

12. ¡VIVA LATINOAMERICA!