ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2006 > December > 14 > Entry
Learning another language can benefit you!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In our changing world, speaking another language can make you more marketable and make your life more interesting. In almost any industry, being bilingual is a career asset that can make the difference among candidates for a job. International business opportunities are exploding and one day you may find your skill becoming an asset to your company.
For some reason, when my parents forced me at age 12 to take Spanish, those pathways for language were laid in my mind and I have never regretted it. I’ve developed my expertise over the years - waxing and waning at times due to lack of practice but I have always found that speaking Spanish has opened the doors to opportunities that would not have been available otherwise. I’ve also found that a wide, new world of people, culture and experience can be experienced at a far deeper level of understanding. You don’t have to choose Spanish, think of the other languages represented in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Yes, for an adult, becoming fluent in a language can take years of study but it’s worth it. I’m always amazed when language courses are among the first to be cut in hard budgetary times in our schools. Our children need to be learning another language while their minds are still flexible and malleable. As adults, the task of learning a language becomes difficult and almost impossible unless we use it daily. As adults we have to see immediate results and receive a reward or gratification to stimulate us.
So, I encourage you, look at your industry, and imagine situations or possibilities that would make your bilingual skills an asset. Encourage your kids to take another language, demand that your college age offspring take language courses while they have the study-time to devote to them.
Does anyone out there agree with me? You know what they say, trilingual people speak three languages, bilingual people speak two, what do you call a person who only speaks one language? An American!
Comments
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By Rosie Reyna
December 14, 2006 5:09 PM | Link to this
You are perfectly right!…it is absolutely necesary nowadays to speak another language. I am bilingual myself and It took me three years at the age of 15 to speak english fluently, but I did it! and now I do sales from time to time and I make decent money, I also translate in court sometimes and over the phone too… I can even do it in portuguese since this languages are so similar. I make 35 dlls an hour doing it and actually now that my daughters are older and go to school I have a lot of free time during the week. Anybody needs a bilingual Sales Rep. or Customer Service Rep?….I got a lot of experience!
Rosie
By mmk
December 19, 2006 9:44 AM | Link to this
I speak 3 languages fluently and find it very rewarding, its so much easier to get along with people when you can communicate in their own language, you get a better understanding of their culture instead of critisizing. I had good jobs too and now I volunteer at hospitals and also at doctors offices to help people in pain so they can get the help they need, especially little children. In my native country you couldnt graduate from High School unless you had 4 yrs of 2 different languages plus a “dead” one like Latin or Greek. It wouldnt be a bad idea to adopt this method here, we need to get along with the rest of the world, whether we like it or not.
By Roslyn
December 20, 2006 3:59 PM | Link to this
I agree that a second language is important. Does anyone know of a cheap Spanish class for adults?