Did you know that the U.S. doesn’t have an official language? It makes sense considering what a great melting pot our country is. Although English is the dominant language in our country, the increasing ethnic diversity in the U.S. population is making the use of foreign languages more and more essential. Many areas of the U.S. have large pocket communities of minority ethnicities in which a non-English language is more commonly spoken. Many professionals in the U.S. are starting to see the value of learning the basic terms and phrases for their industry in common foreign languages so that they can better serve increasingly diverse communities. This is especially true with Spanish because it is one of the most commonly spoken foreign languages in the U.S. Every American should make the effort to learn at least enough Spanish to communicate with Spanish-speakers on a basic level. Let’s take a closer look at why learning Spanish should be important to you:
According to myclasstracks.com, “As per the latest data for 2023, there are approximately 57 million people in the United States who speak Spanish, with around 42 million native Spanish speakers and 15 million being bilingual”. This makes Spanish the second most spoken language currently in the U.S. Spanish-speakers represent about 19% of the U.S. population. Recently the U.S. has seen a large influx of immigration from Latin American countries, especially fueled by the current political and economic turmoil in countries such as Venezuela, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Cuba, among others. Mexico, our neighbor on the border, has always been one of the highest contributing countries to immigration in the U.S. People from all of these countries primarily speak Spanish. While many immigrants come to the U.S. with the intention of learning English, it can take a long time and a significant amount of education to become fluent. Depending on age and circumstances, some immigrants many never achieve a high level of fluency in English and may continue to speak Spanish in most situations. Spanish-speakers gravitate towards other Spanish-speakers who can understand them and help them when they are not as comfortable or capable speaking in English. Even if you aren’t fluent in Spanish, knowing some basic phrases can be extremely helpful to native Spanish-speakers who need to communicate in order to live and function in the U.S. Even phrases as simple as directing someone to a restroom or telling someone how much an item at the grocery store costs could make a native Spanish-speaker’s day!
Hispanic and Latino communities in the U.S. have been steadily growing over the past several years. The U.S. Census shows that between the years of 2000 and 2022, the Hispanic population nearly doubled from 35.3 million to 63.7 million. As a result, Hispanic culture is becoming more visible and more vital to the makeup of our country’s demographic. Though a large portion of Hispanics in the U.S. speak English or are learning English, as with any culture, native language is an important part of the Hispanic culture. Learning Spanish is a great way that Americans can make an effort to connect with the Hispanic population in their communities.
Many Hispanic communities like to promote and celebrate their cultures by putting on festivals that celebrate certain ethnic groups or certain countries. For example, in my home state, many cities hold Latino festivals or festivals celebrating specific Latin countries. Speaking Spanish at events such as these will connect Americans to Hispanic people on a deeper level. There are few things that show a more genuine effort to get to know a person than trying to learn their language. Speaking Spanish can break down communication and social barriers between you and another person who may either speak little English or just prefer to speak Spanish in general. At the very least, learning how to pronounce words in Spanish will make you sound like less of a gringo when you’re ordering some delicious food from that Mexican taco truck or Salvadorean pupusa stand because you may actually be able say the names of the menu items correctly! Most Hispanics will be very impressed if you can roll your r’s when you ask for a birria taco or accent the correct syllable when you order a delicious agua de maracuyá. If you don’t know what those food items are, look them up, and trust me, you’ll want to know how to order them correctly the next time you get the chance!
Just as the number of native Spanish-speakers in the U.S. has grown, so has the demand for Spanish-speakers in the job market. Speaking Spanish, even at a basic level, can be a huge plus on your resume when you’re applying for a job, especially if you live in an area or work in a field that serves a significant Hispanic community. Additionally, companies that want to expand to international markets or who work with partners internationally always need people who can speak foreign languages. A report by Blueback Global noted that many Latin countries have the potential for expanded market growth because of factors such as good business incentives for global expansion, strong infrastructure in their countries, economic stability and safety, and a rich talent pool. While these characteristics are not true of every Spanish-speaking country at this time, the report noted that “countries such as Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru generate almost 40% of the GDP of all Latin American GDP”. What’s the largest commonality between all of these countries? You guessed it—their primary spoken language is Spanish! Even from purely a numbers standpoint, of all the foreign languages a person could learn, Spanish just makes sense. 20 major countries have Spanish as their official language. An estimated 488 million people worldwide speak Spanish as their native language – that’s 89 million more people than the population of the U.S. If that isn’t enough to convince you, some research indicates that people who are bilingual are paid as much as up to 20% more on their salaries than those who are monolingual. Think about the opportunities that could be opened to you by simply knowing how to communicate decently in Spanish! (If you're still not convinced, check out this list of Essential Bilingual Employment Statistics in 2023)
Aside from the personal career advantage of speaking Spanish, you can be a superhero at work by being able to translate. Spanish translation is becoming essential in many professional settings. In the service industries in particular, people who speak foreign languages, especially Spanish, are in high demand. There are many scenarios in which bilingual skills may come in handy or even be vital to helping someone. For example, how are a patient and a doctor going to communicate in the emergency room if the patient only speaks Spanish and the doctor only speaks English? How is a clerk at a government office who only speaks English going to help a client who only knows Spanish understand what information they need to fill out important documentation? These are real and challenging situations that many workers encounter when there is a significant language barrier. In such situations, being able to speak Spanish can be invaluable. For companies and organizations that need these problems resolved, you’re likely to be hired on the spot if you have Spanish skills in addition to qualifying for the job. You can be an everyday hero at work by stepping in and breaking down the language barrier, and in some situations, you may literally be able to save someone’s life!
Native English-speakers like you are probably some of the luckiest people in the world. Why, do you ask? Well, English is considered a “global language” that is widely used in many important industries. U.S. citizens naturally have an advantage when it comes to global communication simply because they were lucky enough to learn English as their first language. On the other hand, many people from other countries have to struggle to learn English because of its dominance in the sciences, business, medicine, and other important fields – not to mention, knowing the basics to survive if they immigrate to an English-speaking country like the U.S. There is an interesting lack of expectation for U.S. citizens to learn foreign languages, although this is a common practice in other parts of the world. For example, a Pew Research report shows that around 90% of public school students in Europe are actively learning a second language. Many Europeans can communicate in two or three languages by the time they are adults. It’s clear that learning a second or even a third language can be advantageous intellectually, professionally, and socially, so why do relatively few Americans learn a second language? The lack of encouragement for Americans to learn a second language not only holds us back from advantageous opportunities, but can also create a lack of empathy towards non-native English speakers who are trying to learn our language. Learning Spanish to communicate with others can be a way for you to develop greater empathy for those who are working to learn English to be able to communicate with you.
For many generations, speaking English with an accent was looked down upon or even punished in public schools in the U.S. Spanish-speakers have a history of unfair discrimination and ridicule for their struggles to speak English and conform to the normative standard. Times have changed a lot since our grandparents were in school, but this doesn’t mean that struggling to speak English and feeling embarrassed for your abilities isn’t still a common experience among many Spanish-speakers. If you are a native English speaker and you feel silly or embarrassed for trying to speak Spanish, welcome to the club – you’re certainly not alone in that feeling, and, in fact, it may do you some good to learn what it feels like to get out of the comfort zone of your mother tongue. It’s very likely that Spanish-speakers will be happy to help you with your Spanish. In fact, they may even feel a stronger sense of fellowship and camaraderie with you as they see you also struggle to communicate. We all know that our world needs more empathy and understanding between people, and in my opinion, making a genuine effort to learn another person’s language is one of the best ways you can cultivate empathy for others. And who knows, between your broken Spanish and another person’s broken English, you may have some fun conversations and make some new friends on your language-learning journey! At the very least, you’re sure to make a Spanish-speaker smile as you finally figure out that saying estoy embarazada, doesn’t, in fact, mean that you feel embarrassed (Check out this article to learn some other Spanish words that are commonly confused with the meaning of similar-sounding English words--you're welcome!)
Latin America and Spain have a lot of popular travel destinations for Americans. If you haven’t yet traveled to a Spanish-speaking country, you’ve probably met at least one American who’s been to Cancun or Cabo San Lucas. Of course, it’s possible to travel to foreign countries without knowing their dominant language. This is especially true if you plan to go to popular U.S. tourist sites. In such areas, the locals likely know enough English to communicate with the average gringo visitor as a part of their tourism work. But if you want to have a much more culturally immersive experience, you’re gonna want to stray away from the typical tourist towns – and probably much further away from English-speakers. Imagine this: You’re a tourist walking the streets of Mexico and you see a vendor that’s selling some delicious-looking drinks and snacks. As you approach, the vendor sees that you’re American and they figure that you’re going to have to use hand signals to ask for what you want, or that they’ll have to endure through some painfully broken Spanish to get through the interaction. Imagine the street vendor’s surprise when you order un elote para llevar or un agua de tamarindo without skipping a beat. In addition, if you can understand what they’re saying, the locals are less likely to try and take advantage of your ignorance and overcharge you for things. Aside from knowing Spanish, understanding the money system in whatever country you’re in will probably help with this, but in either case, addressing a vendor in their own language will make them more wary about trying to pull the wool over your eyes.
Beyond the typical pleasure excursion to a dreamy beach resort in Mexico or a cruise along the coast of Argentina, there’s a lot of meaningful volunteer work you can do in many Spanish-speaking countries for people that are in need. For example, I once went on a humanitarian trip with other American volunteers to help at an orphanage in Mexico, and it was very special to be able to speak with the kids in their native language and connect with them in a deeper way. No matter your age, career, or economic status, there are a myriad of opportunities to go to Spanish-speaking countries and volunteer: Building schools for children, teaching English, helping with environmental preservation, or even offering medical and dental services for impoverished communities, just to name a few (If you're interested in these kinds of opportunities, check out this list of volunteer programs). While anyone with a good heart can volunteer, having even some basic communication skills in the native language of the people you are serving can be really helpful, not only to them but also for the other volunteers you might work with. Spanish is a very useful language to know when traveling to many countries around the world.
We’ve talked about the struggles of learning a second language, but it’s important to mention that there’s also a lot of rewards for learning Spanish! In comparison to many other foreign languages, Spanish is probably one of the easier ones to learn. It’s a Latin-based language, so a lot of roots of Spanish words will sound familiar to English speakers—but be aware, not all Spanish words that sound like English ones mean the same thing as their “matching” words in English! Learning a second language can be like a fun puzzle—as you come to understand more grammar patterns and add new vocabulary to your knowledge base, you’ll see the pieces come together and be able to form more fluent and coherent sentences. Making the connection between an image in your mind and the way that it is pronounced is a fun exercise for your brain as you challenge yourself to go beyond the basics and find more ways to express what you want to say.
Aside from the logistics of a foreign language, Spanish has a variety of rich and fascinating cultures associated with it. Spanish-speakers are often passionate, emotional, and excited about life. You’ll see this in a dramatic way if you ever watch a Spanish telenovela. While the Spanish soap operas that are popular in many of these countries may be an exaggerated depiction of Spanish-speakers, it’s true that life with Hispanics is never boring—between their love for fun dance and music, their amazing talent for cooking delicious food, and their great affinity for socialization with family and friends, you may find that speaking Spanish opens you up to an exciting new world of the vibrant Latin and Hispanic culture.
So what are you waiting for? Crack open the Spanish textbooks and start learning some Spanish today! If I can offer any Spanish-learning tips though, my number one advice would be to make sure you don’t get your head too stuck in the books. Speaking Spanish with native speakers and immersing yourself among Hispanic culture is going to be your best bet for eventually reaching fluency. Talk to Spanish-speakers often, go to their cultural events, learn more about them and share your time with them, and soon enough you’ll be able to both ask where the restroom is at the Mexican market and direct a Spanish-speaker to the nearest restroom at Walmart. Not only will you save yourself some potential potty-accident embarrassment, but you might just be your Hispanic neighbor’s next favorite gringo at the grocery store. And who doesn’t want to be able to feel like a hero every once in a while? Buena suerte, y ¡que te vaya bien en tu aprendizaje del bello idioma de español!
Sienna Galvez is a senior English major at Utah Valley University. Being of half Mexican descent, she loves connecting to her Latin heritage through speaking Spanish, eating delicious Mexican food, and going out Latin dancing whenever she has the chance. She also loves writing about culture and people and finding ways to connect with others through her work.