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Why Study Spanish?
- Spanish, after English, is the second most spoken language in the USA.
- Spanish, after Chinese, is the second most spoken language in the world.
- More than 37 million people speak Spanish in the USA.
- 29 million US residents above the age of 5 speak Spanish at home. That's approximately 1 of every 10 US residents, an enormous consumer and business-to-business market.
- According to the Census Bureau, Hispanics now represent the nation's largest minority group.
- Spoken by 352 million people, Spanish is the official language of more countries in the world than any other language except English making it one of the largest markets for businesses and one of the most useful languages in the world for travel.
- It is crucial to employ Spanish-speaking individuals to be able to compete in the international marketplace.
- Spanish has a rich tradition in the USA dating back even earlier than the first English settlements.
- Because of its Latin roots, nearly identical alphabet and pronunciation rules, Spanish is one of the easiest languages for an English speaker to learn.
- Spanish is the official language in 21 countries (Mexico: 98 million, Spain: 39 million, USA: 39 million, Argentina: 35 million, Colombia: 36 million, Venezuela: 22 million, Peru: 20 million…)
- Spanish is also an official language in the European Union, UNESCO, GATT and many other international organizations.
- A large body of literary work is written in Spanish and Spanish language films continue to receive praise from the film industry and viewers. At last count, there were more than 16,000 Spanish publications, 250 Spanish TV stations and 5,100 Spanish radio stations.
- Cervantes' Don Quijote, the second most translated book after the Bible, celebrated its 500th anniversary in 2005 with worldwide celebrations.
- Learning a new language increases problem-solving skills and improves memory, self-discipline, and self-esteem.
- The NAFTA treaty with Mexico, Canada and the United States has opened the doors for additional trade and communication among these countries.
- For more information on the importance of studying a foreign language, please visit: "A Rationale for Foreign Language Education"
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