Why learn Spanish?

A few points to think about…

1. In 2015, nearly 470 million people speak Spanish as their first language

2. It is the official language in 21 countries but it is also spoken in many countries as an unofficial language

3. Spanish is the second native language in the world by number of speakers, after Mandarin Chinese

4. Spanish is the third language most commonly used on the internet.

5. More than 21 million students study Spanish as a foreign language

6. By 2050 the United States is expected to become the country with the largest Spanish speaking population (it is currently the second)

7. Spanish is one of the official languages used by the United Nations

8. Business around the world takes place at an international level, and so job candidates with Spanish skills are increasingly in demand

9. A Spanish speaking candidate appeals to employers as both a linguist but also as a significant asset to developing links with new clients and businesses across the world; due to the sheer number of Spanish speaking countries.

10. Spanish is almost completely phonetic — look at any Spanish word, and you can tell how it is pronounced, making it’s pronunciation less challenging

11. Spanish speaking culture influences other cultures all over the world. Cervantes' classic Spanish novel Don Quijote de la Mancha is second only to the Bible as the most translated book in history. Guadi´s architectual designs are celebrated around the world as are paintings by Picasso and Dalí to name just two.

12. Spanish and English are very similar as they share many words of Latin origin. So with prior knowledge of English or Latin, you will find that you may understand a lot more Spanish than you originally thought!

13. Spanish is a Romance language (of Latin origin) so if you have already studied other Romance languages such as French or Italian you may notice similarities in vocabulary. If you haven’t, you’ll be ahead of the game if you want to learn them later on.

14. It’s an enjoyable language to learn; why wouldn’t you want to?

Have a look at these articles…

Spanish: speak the language of 400 million people
https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/spanish-speak-language-400-million-people

Spanish: the global language of the future
http://www.studyinternational.com/news/spanish-the-global-language-of-the-future

US now has more Spanish speakers than Spain – only Mexico has more
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/29/us-second-biggest-spanish-speaking-country

A Guide to Spanish – 10 facts about the Spanish language
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/guide/facts.shtml

Languages for the Future
Spanish section – pages 41-48
https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/languages-for-the-future-report.pdf