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More and more U.S. jobs are requiring fluent Spanish speaking as a prerequisite for consideration. This is wrong on many levels, including the fact that the schools systems in the States do not prioritize or focus on fluency in other languages.
This has been going on for years in places with a lot of Latino/Hispanic populations. It would be wise to learn Spanish to make yourself more marketable--there are free programs online or tapes from the library.
It's common sense if you're in a Spanish-speaking market. If you're finding that jobs in your field/locale are indeed requiring it then enroll in courses to learn the language. I've rarely seen a job advertised which requires "fluency" in any foreign language but many where a working knowledge is required.
No, I am seeing many "fluency required," not simply reading comprehension a plus. I do not live in a major Latin market. These are not jobs with an international market or global footprint (in Spanish-speaking nations) either.
Apparently they want "another skill" at these jobs.
Like I said, maybe it is "not fair" but these things happen in every job. They want you to know XYZ programming language or have experience in Accounts Payable even if you are only going for an Admin. job.
I've seen positions for "Korean" or "German" required. Okay, both seem strange but the employer must want those skills and someone will get the job if they have the edge.
Maybe their vendors are in Mexico.
Maybe they have facilities in Mexico.
It's a job qualification. You either have it or you don't. It can't be "wrong" on many levels. That's like saying jobs that require a clean driving record are wrong because they don't teach driving in elementary school.
If it's keeping you from getting hired, you might consider getting it.
If you just have some kind of political problem with it, write your congressman.
It would be an asset to have people who are multilingual. We are in a global economy and should emphasize learning languages from kindergarten up.
The reason we do not in the USA is because right now English is the international language of business and communications, just like French was in the past, and Latin before it.
My son has been studying Spanish for years and I hope he keeps it up.
Over the past 10 years, I have seen a shift with schools paying more attention to foreign languages and introducing such languages as Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and Arabic in addition to the usual core of Spanish/Italian/French. This is very helpful, what would also be helpful if schools have made it mandatory for students to take Greek, Latin and German. Most of the common words in the English language have German origins and most of the complex words have Greek or Latin origins.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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It depends on where you are. When I lived in the Bay Area (CA) being able to speak Spanish was a big advantage in hiring.
Here in Seattle it would not help in the least, while most Asian languages would be a plus, especially Hindi. The ESL kids in the schools here come from many different countries, mostly Asian and European, few if any from Mexico.
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