Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages due to the large number of countries in which the language predominates, and due to the number of speakers. This language (also known as Castilian) originated in the kingdom of Castile during the Middle Ages, and it is a Romance language derived from Latin. It is currently spoken in Spain, in all the countries of Latin America, in Equatorial Guinea, in Western Sahara, and in some areas of the Philippines. Not only in these regions is the language spoken, but in most of them it is the official language. That is why Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world as a mother tongue.
Nowadays, many people around the world decide to travel to any of these countries where the Hispanic tongue is spoken in order to learn it. In fact, thousands of foreigner students choose Spain as a destination to immerse themselves in its culture and learn Spanish. Many Spanish cities are overflowing with tourists and students interested in incorporating the language as a second or third language. Many decide to take a spanish course in Barcelona, or any other city they find attractive, to combine the adventure of travel and learning, creating an extremely enriching experience.
Back to the relevant data; there are more than 400 million native Spanish speakers in the world. Of course, the pronunciation of the language and its oral use varies from country to country, but the differences are not so strong that the language is incomprehensible to Spanish speakers in different regions. It is essential to note that Spanish is a very important language today; the Hispanic population represents one of the fastest growing segments in the world, especially in the United States. According to several experts, by the year 2050 there will be more than 530 million Spanish speakers, and 100 million of them will live in the United States. In the United States, the Hispanic population has already become the largest minority group of all.
There are many compelling reasons to learn Spanish as a foreign language, but perhaps the most compelling is its enormous relevance on a global scale. Spanish is not only a widely spoken and geographically widespread language, but it is also very influential and prestigious internationally, as it is one of the official languages of both the World Trade Organization and the European Union, and one of the six official languages spoken at the United Nations.
Advantages of studying Spanish as a foreign language
Learning Spanish as a second language is extremely useful for many reasons, many of which we have already mentioned above, such as the enormous number of speakers worldwide and its wide extension on a global scale. Other very important reasons why it is very convenient to learn Spanish are the great importance of the language in the diplomatic, political and business world, as well as its great influence on art, music, and cinema.
Speaking Spanish fluently will allow you to improve your resume, opening doors to great opportunities, and also implies a great advantage when traveling to other countries and trying to communicate with the locals.
The best part is that, due to the rise of Spanish as a foreign language, there are a lot of resources available for those who want to start learning the language. There are many ways to learn the Spanish language, whether it’s taking private lessons, studying through a virtual platform, or traveling to take a spanish course in Barcelona. Whatever the way, as it is a very studied language, it is very easy to meet other students of different levels with whom to communicate, practice and share tips.
As we have already mentioned, knowing Spanish is a great advantage in the business world, since the agreements of various countries with Hispanic regions are in full growth, and have led many people to want to learn Spanish to be able to carry out commercial agreements. Although English is still the most widely spoken language in the business world, with 67% of all workers worldwide, 5% currently use Spanish to communicate with colleagues or clients in other countries, ahead of Chinese (4%), French (3%), Italian, German, Hindi, Arabic, or Russian, with 2% respectively. The growing importance of the Latin American economy has made it a very important market for Europe and the United States, making Spanish the second language that foreigners most want to learn, behind only English.
Another advantage of knowing Spanish is that once you have mastered this language, learning any of the other Romance languages, such as Italian, French or Portuguese, is much easier. This means that once you have mastered Spanish, it will be easier to master a new language in a short period of time. This is due to the similarity that exists between Romance languages, which generates a greater intelligibility between them. In other words, those who speak Romance languages can understand each other better. In fact, the lexical similarity between Spanish and Portuguese is 89%, and the similarity between Spanish and Italian is 82%. Of course, this is not why we are going to learn Spanish first if we actually intend to learn Italian! But it is interesting and advantageous to understand that this mother tongue can easily bring us closer to incorporating a third or fourth language when referring to the Romance languages.
On the other hand, knowing Spanish can be a great opportunity to work abroad. A huge advantage for those who already have a perfect level of Spanish is that nowadays there is a great demand for teachers in some countries around the world. This is due to the fact that, nowadays, many people want to learn this language, generating a high demand for teachers. In fact, the demand is such, that in some countries, like China, it is impossible to meet the demand and many students have been left out of Spanish courses in recent years because there are no qualified teachers to teach the classes. It is essential to clarify that to teach Spanish classes it is necessary to have the DELE certificate, which certifies that the person has the methodologies and knowledge necessary to teach Spanish.
Conclusion
As you can see, the advantages of learning Spanish are endless and very convenient. Whichever way you do it, start incorporating this language as soon as possible and enjoy its benefits instantly!
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