Travel to Spanish speaking countries. Admittedly, English does get you far. Yet from my personal experience I can say that English has its limits. When traveling to Spanish speaking countries, and there are plenty of which are major travel destinations, knowing some Spanish will enable you to expand your experience further than merely visiting tourist places and opens the door to directly engage with local people.
Spanish everywhere? Spanish is spoken by over 350 million people worldwide and is currently the 4th most spoken language. 25 nations in the world have Spanish as either their official or primary language.
Use your Brain! Learning a language requires a certain mind frame, once this has been developed through studying a second or third language one can apply it to solve everyday life situations. Furthermore, research has revealed that knowing two languages decreases the risk of developing dementia. It also enhances your ability to think critically and boosts a person’s creativity!
Boost your employability. Language skills are desirable in every CV, especially when pursuing a career that involves international trade, communication or tourism. In the United States and Canada, these days Hispanic consumers are the most rapidly growing market segment. And surely Central and South America have experienced considerable economic growth in recent year which indicates an expanding job market for the years ahead.
Basis for other Languages. Spanish, as being part of the Romance Languages, will be useful when aiming for expanding you knowledge of languages further. Structurally, it is close to French, Italian and Portuguese and also shows similarities to German and Russian.
Embrace Spanish culture. Spanish or Latin American literature, art and cinema have long had a significant global influence. Cervantes’ “Don Quijote de la Mancha” is the world’s second most translated book (after the bible). Artists such as Picasso, Salvador Dali or Frida Kahlo continue to be on the top list of the world most important painters. Movies by directors such as Almodovar or Alejandro González Iñárritu have received international awards and Spanish language writer such as Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez are leading bestseller lists worldwide.