Everyone should learn Spanish?

No, they should not.  Now I am not saying no one should learn a foreign language, but to say everyone should learn Spanish is just plain insulting and foolish.

America is significantly different than Europe.  Here, Maryland speaks the same language as Delaware, as Virginia, as Pennsylvania, as the rest of the states.  In Europe, people speak different languages, and people travel between them more like we travel among states.  So there is no real advantage in daily life for most Americans to speak any foreign language let alone Spanish unless you happen to live in a predominately Spanish neighborhood.  If you do, learn Spanish by all means.

I studied Spanish for four years in high school and college, as well as French.  In the 40 years I have been out of school, never once have I said “Wow, I’m really glad I learned to speak Spanish”.   For me, it was a total waste of time and energy.

If you want an edge in the high tech sector though, a foreign language can be very beneficial.  Having been in that situation most of my life, I know that speaking either  Mandarin, Hindi, or both would have been very helpful, and would have been an advantage for me in the technology fields since those are the languages most spoken by the foreigners who come here to work in the high tech industries.

English is spoken over most of the world.  Why is that?  It is because America has been  a world leader for the last century and it is always an advantage to speak the language of those who hold power.  In the coming decades that might well be China.

So, if you don’t speak a foreign language, do not put yourself down about it.  If you are considering learning a new language, look into one which can help your career.

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