Did you know that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world? In terms of the number of native speakers, behind only Mandarin Chinese. This means that there are more native speakers of Spanish than native speakers of English.
Worldwide, there are 20 different Spanish-speaking countries that use Spanish as an official language and represent approximately 440 million native speakers. Spanish is even one of the six official languages of the UN. The importance of Spanish is clear and anyone who can hone their skills in that language will stand out from the crowd. You don't have to be fluent. Even having a speaking level would be an advantage.
The benefits of learning Spanish are becoming more and more evident, so it's no surprise that its popularity is growing all over the world.
So how did Spanish become so important, and why is it so widely spoken? How did it become the second most spoken language in the world by the number of native speakers?
The history of the Spanish language is a fascinating story that goes back hundreds of years. In this article, we'll look at how Spanish history has shaped its position as one of the world's major languages today.
THE BENEFITS OF LEARNING SPANISH
Learning a new language has many advantages. At a very basic level, learning a foreign language allows us to travel more freely and more easily, and having this additional skill makes us more employable in the eyes of many different companies and organizations around the world.
When it comes to the Spanish language, this couldn't be more true. In fact, Spanish is regularly featured on lists of the most useful languages to learn, which is why recruiters love Spanish speakers!
However, improving your Spanish language skills has many different benefits and advantages to improving your career prospects than simply learning business Spanish.
1. One of the best languages to learn for travel
As of 2016, there were 437 million Spanish speakers worldwide. That's 17% of the entire world. This weight number makes Spanish not only the second most spoken language in the world but also the official or national language of 21 countries. 418 million people in America speak this language, and in the European Union, 8% of people speak it as a first language and 7% as a second language.
The point of all these wacky facts and numbers is that if you learn Spanish, you will have a hard time going somewhere where at least some people don't speak it. This will make you a better-equipped traveler, allowing you to meet more people and enrich your personal experiences.
You will also be able to speak like a professional in some of the most beautiful countries in the world where Spanish is the official language:
- Argentina
- Colombia
- Mexico
- Peru
- Panama
- Costa Rica etc.
2. Learning Spanish makes you more employable
At this point, we're pretty sure it's not surprising. Spanish is one of the six official languages of the United Nations and is the third most used language in the media. The importance of Spanish as a business language is indisputable. With the economic development of many Latin American countries, Spain being the 14th highest country in the world in terms of GDP, and the influx of Spanish speakers into countries like the United States, anyone who speaks or learns Spanish will be at a great disadvantage. According to The Economist, learning Spanish will save you $51,000 more than life.
Oh, did we mention that 10% of the language used on the Internet is Spanish?
3. A world of art, literature, and beauty will open up to you
One of the greatest benefits of learning Spanish is that you will gain access to the incomparable world of rich Hispanic culture. Watching classic movies, like Pan's Labyrinth, in their natural language is more enjoyable than watching them with subtitles. The same goes for reading literary heavyweights, such as Gabriel García Márquez and Pablo Neruda, in the way they originally wrote their books. Interacting with works in their original language gives you a deeper insight into them than you can access through translations. And although art may not have an exact language, being able to speak Spanish can help you better enter the minds of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and many others. The same extends to the music of the greats, such as Gloria Estefan, Celia Cruz, and Tito Puente.
4. It may not take you too long to learn Spanish
For sure, how long it takes to learn Spanish depends entirely on who you are, how you study, and whether you have studied before or learned a similar language before. According to the American Council on Foreign Language Teaching (ACTFL), languages are divided into two classes:
- Group I: Spanish, French, Portuguese, among others
- Group IV: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean
Languages including Spanish in Group I require 480 hours of professional curriculum to achieve intermediate fluency. It is important to remember that the definition of "fluency" here is purely subjective. Some people say they are fluent in a language if they can read and write without a dictionary. Others argue that true fluency is impossible because it would take a lifetime to understand all the cultural traits if you didn't grow up in it. Either way, Spanish is considered one of the easiest languages to learn, so you can have basic reading and speaking skills in no time.
