It has been reported that in Tulsa, Oklahoma, police cadets are taking crash courses and learning Spanish. The influx of a population with Spanish as its primary language creates a variety of difficulties stemming from the language barrier. Previously officers had to wait at the scene of a crime, wasting precious moments, waiting for a translator to come so as to provide a method of communication between officers and Spanish-speaking suspects or witnesses. The importance of learning Spanish is evident in the amount of time saved.
America’s situation, whilst far removed from the situation in the United Kingdom in regards to immigration, is not entirely without important lessons to be learned for those of us who speak only English. As the world expands and Spanish-speaking peoples spread culturally and geographically, the usefulness of learning Spanish is becoming greater and greater.
There are many reasons for the British person to start learning Spanish, and, depending on your reasons for wanting to begin learning Spanish, these reasons can be cultural, educational, or commercial.
The excitement of grappling with and mastering a new language is perhaps the best catalyst towards the decision to continue or begin learning Spanish. Although one stumbles a bit in the beginning as the different sounds seem to stick in the mouth and the grammatical patterns make you scratch your head, as one progresses, the opening cultural and communicative vistas become a source of excitement and wonder. For one simply interested in understanding a new language, Spanish (the second most spoken language in the world) offers a host of linguistic variations from English which shed light on, and better create understanding on the latter. Likewise, as one’s knowledge of English increases, one’s ability to craft new thoughts and expressions in Spanish will increase.
A burgeoning business that hopes to capture a stake in the global market will surely compel several of its employees to make an attempt at learning Spanish. As the Spanish-speaking market is so large, anyone interested in competing globally must become competitive, and the best way to do this is to remove the communication barrier by encouraging employees to begin learning Spanish.
These are just a few of the benefits in learning to speak Spanish, and as you begin your journey, the many more unlisted benefits will become obvious to you (and will be a constant source of delight).
Happy learning!
Fancy learning Spanish? Check out our Learn Spanish Resources here.
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