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Learning Spanish is NOT more marketable then many other things one can learn in less time. You take a high school graduate and teach him/her Spanish. I'll take the same graduate and teach them Computer Programming or Engineering or Accounting and see who has the more marketable, higher wage employee. Learning takes time and that is time taken from other areas. Yes the kid who learns Spanish while his friend is smoking pot will do better, but his other friend who learned accounting instead of Spanish will have more job opportunities and higher pay then mister Spanish speaker.
Many Americans choose to learn that which gives them the best edge for their future. This is why so many people in OTHER countries learn English. It gives them a better chance to make money.
If I need someone to translate Spanish to English they are EASY to find. I could put an add up at my local Safeway grocery store and get any number of good Spanish/English speaking immigrants who would happily do the job for $10-$15 an hour. They will speak Spanish better then 95% of non Hispanic Americans who have taken their time to learn the language. If I want someone who speaks English and can do Sequel Server programming for medical records it will take me a long time to find, $25-$50 an hour AND full benefits.
Random
I remember several years ago before we moved to Arizona from Oregon,
there was a lot of negativity that the police force in Hillsboro had to learn Spanish in case they arrested someone that could only speak Spanish.
The ratio of Mexican people in Salem Oregon is almost 50% now.
There are many Mexican people that are quite good with computer programming and white collar jobs, they don't all work in landscaping or working the fields.
I remember several years ago before we moved to Arizona from Oregon,
there was a lot of negativity that the police force in Hillsboro had to learn Spanish in case they arrested someone that could only speak Spanish.
The ratio of Mexican people in Salem Oregon is almost 50% now.
There are many Mexican people that are quite good with computer programming and white collar jobs, they don't all work in landscaping or working the fields.
Never said or implied that some Mexicans can't program. However the number of Bilingual English/Spanish Sequel Server programmers is a very small subset of Sequel Server Programmers.
The fact remains that an American who spends time learning Spanish as opposed to the other areas I mentioned will not make as much or go as far on average. Yes if Someone learns Computer Programming and Spanish they will do better then the person who learns computers and goofed off. But the person who learned Computers AND accounting will out do both of the put together.
The point is we have a finite amount of time. If your goal is to further your job, career and finances, then Spanish ranks low compared to many other areas of study. Since many Americans rank Jobs high on there list, learning Spanish is not a priority.
If you enjoy learning Spanish, Go for it. But there are dozens of other things that need to be pushed in our schools LONG before Spanish makes the list.
Never said or implied that some Mexicans can't program. However the number of Bilingual English/Spanish Sequel Server programmers is a very small subset of Sequel Server Programmers.
The fact remains that an American who spends time learning Spanish as opposed to the other areas I mentioned will not make as much or get as far on average. Yes if Someone learns Computer Programming and Spanish they will do better then the Peron who learns computers and goofed off. But the Person who learned Computers AND accounting will out do both of the put together.
The point is we have a finite amount of time. If your goal is to further your job, career and finances, then Spanish ranks low compared to many other areas of study.
If you enjoy learning Spanish, Go for it. But there are dozens of other things that need to be pushed in our schools LONG before Spanish makes the list.
Random
I disagree. I've done SQL stuff before and I speak Spanish. I've done a lot of other stuff too. It's always best to speak the language that the majority of the world speaks.
It is not to acquiesce, rather to improve oneself and there is nothing wrong with that. He is merely advocating that we become just like others in this world who speak more than one language - like any educated person should strive to do.
What you say is true. Still, it's curious that Obama (as far as I know) has never made a point of advising people to eat plenty of vegetables...or to excercise regularly..or to drive cautiously....or to avoid smoking, lose weight, install solar panels, or take up tennis..or EVEN to learn Mandarin Chinese, or Tagalog, or Arabic, or Greek. He never even advised us to take a course in World Religions, or to look into Eastern philosophies. While ALL of these things would be examples of one's making efforts to "improve himself", it's a little odd that the ONLY way Obama advised us to 'improve ourselves' was to make sure our kids learned Spanish. (PARTICULARLY odd, given the fact that he seems to think all immigrants will learn English on their own...who, exactly, are we supposed to 'use' our Spanish on, anyway?).
In view of the rather contentious situation that exists just now over the issue of illegal immigation, it just seems a little suspicious that Obama chose "learning Spanish" as 'the' way to improve Americans' 'selves', rather than an attempt to 'pander' to these folks. I'm not sure I believe his motives in quite the way you do.
As I've said, it's a moot point with me, as I learned the language several decades ago out of neccessity. Guess it just raises my "BS indicator", the way this is being presented at this time.
What you say is true. Still, it's curious that Obama (as far as I know) has never made a point of advising people to eat plenty of vegetables...or to excercise regularly..or to drive cautiously....or to avoid smoking, lose weight, install solar panels, or take up tennis..or EVEN to learn Mandarin Chinese, or Tagalog, or Arabic, or Greek. While ALL of these things would be examples of one's making efforts to "improve himself", it's a little odd that the ONLY way Obama advised us to 'improve ourselves' was to make sure our kids learned Spanish. (PARTICULARLY odd, given the fact that he seems to think all immigrants will learn English on their own).
In view of the rather contentious situation that exists just now over the issue of illegal immigation, it just seems a little suspicious that Obama chose "learning Spanish" as 'the' way to improve Americans' 'selves', rather than an attempt to 'pander' to these folks. I'm not sure I believe his motives in quite the way you do.
Be that as it may, what he says is true, whether you see it to be pandering or what have you. I think he's a realist, as am I. This country at some point will have more Spanish speakers than English speakers, so makes sense to learn Spanish, right? After all, in spite of the fact English may be the dominant world language, Spanish is spoken by more than English. Time to roll with the times. I think the guy is just on top of his stuff.
Be that as it may, what he says is true, whether you see it to be pandering or what have you. I think he's a realist, as am I. This country at some point will have more Spanish speakers than English speakers, so makes sense to learn Spanish, right? After all, in spite of the fact English may be the dominant world language, Spanish is spoken by more than English. Time to roll with the times. I think the guy is just on top of his stuff.
Are you just stupid, or have you not bothered to read the numerous threads here discussing Spanish speakers and their relevance in today's world? Spanish is spoken by more than English??
I disagree. I've done SQL stuff before and I speak Spanish. I've done a lot of other stuff too. It's always best to speak the language that the majority of the world speaks.
Which is English as far as geographical distribution is concerned-----outside of Spain/Latin American, there is little 'need' for Spanish.
I disagree. I've done SQL stuff before and I speak Spanish. I've done a lot of other stuff too. It's always best to speak the language that the majority of the world speaks.
I didn't know you spoke or were advocating speaking Mandarin Chinese. I thought we were talking about Spanish. But since I live in America I speak the number one language HERE. On the average a person will go farther learning any number of skills besides Spanish. English, Arabic and Mandarin for instance
Are you just stupid, or have you not bothered to read the numerous threads here discussing Spanish speakers and their relevance in today's world? Spanish is spoken by more than English??
You should quit smoking your product, dude....
As usual, I am just ahead of myself...
Quote:
By 2030, Spanish Will Be the World's Second Most Widely Spoken Language After Chinese
- Outclassing English
By: Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
Tired of English? Start learning Spanish, because in less than 25 years, English will be anyway outstripped, as this language of Latin origin is set to go up from the fourth place to the second, behind Chinese. Finally, a soft and musical Romance language instead of a harsh Germanic one.
By 2050, the US will be the country with the largest number of Spanish speakers. "Till 2050, in the US, 2,5 Hispano-Americans will be born per minute, 3.700 per day and more than 100.000 per month", sustained Lopez.
Better just get used to it.
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