If you’re a student, by learning Spanish you’ll be able to travel, meet new people, and learn about other countries and cultures. But these are just some of the exciting benefits you can get. Learn what is waiting for you when you speak Spanish.
Improve your chances of getting into a top university
A great number of universities consider knowledge of a second language a prerequisite for admission. In some programs, graduate students require a certain knowledge of other languages as a degree requirement, especially in masters and doctoral programs, because important research is often published in a non-English language. Therefore, knowing a second language is likely to make you a more competitive candidate in the admission process.
Get a scholarship to study abroad
If you are able to speak more than one language, you might get a scholarship and study abroad. Learning Spanish opens up study opportunities at renowned universities in Latin America and Spain. Students with a good level of Spanish are eligible to enroll in undergraduate and graduate courses in any Spanish-speaking country, where you can get involved with the culture and the traditions of the locals.
Make new friends
One of the best ways to make new friends is by learning a new language. As you need to practice and develop your language skills, you will find a great deal of resources on the internet where you can make friends all over the world and have conversations sharing a common interest in a language and culture.
Get hired by the best companies
The best companies in the world do business abroad and, therefore, have the need for bilingual or multilingual employees who can proficiently communicate with the foreign publics or potential clients where they do businesses. But also, the travel industry, the field of education, government agencies, economics, international law, engineering, scientific research, and many other service sectors need to hire people with foreign language skills.
Get the job of your dreams
Whatever your career goals are, knowing a language certainly won't hurt your employability. Chances are that knowing languages will open up employment opportunities that you would not have had otherwise. And you will be able to command a greater salary in the workplace. All else being equal, knowing languages gives you an edge over monolingual applicants competing for the same jobs.
Sharpen your cognitive and life skills
Researchers have found that when studying languages, scores on college and grad school exams go up. People who speak more than one language show a cognitive development in different areas, such as creativity, problem-solving, mental flexibility, and reasoning. Also, the encounter with diverse cultures leads to acceptance of different customs and stay of living, and improves the ability to communicate with people from different backgrounds.
Travel
Spain is the third most visited country in the world, whereas Mexico is the tenth tourist destination. Apart from these two countries, Spanish is spoken in other seventeen countries in Latin America. Learning Spanish would make so much more enjoyable your visit to Cancun, Machu Picchu or Punta Cana, to name only a few travel destinations. In addition, a new language would give you an insight into the Hispanic culture, mentality, and way of life. When you know the language of the locals, you are able to successfully order meals in restaurants, find accommodations, ask for directions, and talk with natives, whom, in return, might be friendlier and turn you on to better spots to visit.
Open up the world
After English and Chinese, Spanish is the third most used language on the Internet, and the second one on the two main social networks: Facebook and Twitter. Also, Spanish is the second most important language of Wikipedia by a number of visitors. Having the ability to understand Spanish offers a different view of the world through communication with Spanish speakers from all over the world, and through news from different Spanish-language international media. In addition, many of the most important world’s literary and artistic works have been written in languages other than English. Spanish is handy to be able to appreciate literature, music, and film in their original form.
Do you know any other benefits students will get by learning Spanish?
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