This article appeared recently on the net, and I for one agree.
In the UK we are taught French as our main second language and generally German as an alternative later.
Memo to Global Executives - Learn Spanish
In the global economy it is not uncommon for an American executive to deal with suppliers in China, developers in India and clients in Europe. Though that scenario is rife with potential communication hurdles, when it comes to learning a foreign language, most U.S. executives have focused their attention on the fastest growing population in this country.
According to a survey conducted by TheLadders.com, the world’s leading $100,000+ jobs Web site, a solid majority of job seekers in the $100k+ market say Spanish is the most important second language for today’s business people.
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Food for thought for an English teacher!
Interesting, I would've thought German would have been more important for business.
Probably would be at a purely economic level.
I agree that Spanish is important due to the large and growing Hispanic population in the U.S. and the fact that Spanish is spoken all over Latin America and in Spain.
I just discovered a new Spanish podcast called 'Finally Learn Spanish'
by Edufone.com. I've had a year of Spanish classes so many
of the Spanish podcasts were too basic for me. I want to learn Spanish
quickly and I want to learn the Spanish that is really spoken in Mexico. I was thrilled to learn how to order at a restaurant through their
dialogs of real world situations. After listening to the podcasts, I
was able to order almost all in Spanish at the local Mexican
Restaurant. Their language learning tips are helping me learn Spanish
much faster than I’d been able to learn with CDs.
Check it out and let me know if you also think it's helpful.
Gloria