The importance of being bilingual

I can honestly say that this semester’s Spanish class has been one of the most helpful classes I have ever had.  From reading books in Spanish to writing blogs and compositions, and even a less conventional method of using twitter, I have never felt so confident in learning a new language.  But as I look into my plans for the future, I cannot help but think of how thankful I am to have the opportunity to learn another language.  Most students take Spanish as merely a requirement for some sort of credit fulfillment.  However, what most students don’t realize is that the Spanish language is one of the most rapidly growing languages in the United States and is now the second most commonly spoken language.  With the amount of Spanish speaking immigrants the United States accumulating, along with the growing population of Hispanics, of which is about 40 million people, Spanish could soon become the dominant language of the United States.  However, we should not think of this growth as a hindrance to our native language English, we should instead think of it as a broadening of knowledge and an opportunity for us to become more educated and worldly.

I constantly hear people say, “You’re in America, so speak English.”  However, what most people in today’s society don’t realize is that most Spanish speaking individuals who live in the United States either already know English, or are in the process of learning it, and continue to speak Spanish because it is there native language.  Americans wouldn’t simply do away with English just because they’re in a different country.  Thus, why should we criticize them not abandoning their native language?  Instead, I feel like we should take advantage of this opportunity of having so many bilingual individuals in the United States and learn their native language.  What could it hurt?  This will only help with communication among individuals in the United States and overseas and if studied thoroughly, it could result in many students obtaining higher status jobs.  Because the Spanish speaking population is so rapidly increasing, being bilingual in today’s society is valuable to almost every business and occupation.  From working at a police station to working as an international translator, knowing another language will no doubt increase a student’s chances of obtaining a job.

With all of this said, I strongly encourage anyone who is not current learning a language, to enroll in some sort of class.  It doesn’t need to be Spanish, but just a language in general.  To learn another language is not only useful in today’s world, but also an eye opening experience.  To capture the basis of another culture’s way of life and communication system only demonstrates how intricate our world really is and this complexity is truly a beautiful aspect of our world.