Photo credit: peruisay

Given that workplace compensation for bilingualism is becoming more and more scarce in the U.S., I am grateful that I can reap the benefits of my Spanish skills as a self-employed tutor. While I do not get paid more per hour for being bilingual, I often book Spanish-speaking clients, whose business I would otherwise lose due to an inability to communicate.

In Orlando (where I live) and all over Florida, there is a particularly great need for ways to bridge the gap between immigrants and their first-generation children, especially when it comes to educational quality. Many of my students struggle in middle and high school with English reading and writing skills because their monolingual parents cannot reinforce these at home. Along with catering to the Latino market for day-to-day academic tutoring needs, I want to someday specialize in assisting bilingual teenagers with the college and scholarship application processes. The potential roles of Spanish in a family-oriented business such as mine are infinite. I can only hope that my Spanish communication continues to be appreciated as it becomes more and more necessary for this rapidly transforming demographic to easily acquire the same goods and services as monolingual, English-speaking Americans.

On a personal note, I am enjoying every little opportunity to conduct my professional life in my second language. It serves to shift the balance between the two languages in my life in a more challenging direction: the Spanish direction. It makes my spontaneous Spanish (as opposed to the planned, expected Spanish use) much more advanced and comfortable. My cultural knowledge also allows me to earn the long-term respect of my clients, since many of those who can speak Spanish only in a business context do not pay attention to variations in nationality, dialect, and customs.

This shift has had an effect on the amount and complexity of Spanish that my son hears me using. It used to be that I would speak Spanish to him and English to everyone else. Now, he overhears my phone calls in Spanish with current and potential clients and listens to me reading my business materials aloud to myself as I translate them. Without explicitly stating it, I am showing him yet another benefit of speaking Spanish in his community. In the same way that it is important for bilingual children to be acquainted with the casual, personal purposes of both of their tongues, it is essential that they absorb the more substantive, professional uses so that they ultimately perceive language as the multifunctional tool that it is for all of us.

I anticipate Spanish becoming an even bigger part of my work life. Luckily, work and home often collide in my world, and the way that I incorporate Spanish in my job supports my ongoing decision to parent a bilingual.

I am interested in hearing from the SB community: do your children have an opportunity to observe your professional, more formal Spanish usage?

Last week, Chelsea Kyle shared on our Facebook page an excellent opinion piece by New York Times columnist, Nicholas D. Kristof, titled Primero Hay Que Aprender Español. Ranhou Zai Xue Zhongwen (First learn Spanish. Then study Chinese.) The point he cleverly, and even bravely, makes is that even though Chinese is growing in popularity as the language of choice for parents who want to give their children an educational advantage, Spanish is the language every child in the United States needs to learn. Kristof states:

Look, I’m a fervent believer in more American kids learning Chinese. But the language that will be essential for Americans and has far more day-to-day applications is Spanish. Every child in the United States should learn Spanish, beginning in elementary school; Chinese makes a terrific addition to Spanish, but not a substitute.

In recent years, the Mandarin language has acquired a level of prestige for over-achieving and competitive parents who want their children to be able to fairly compete in our 21st Century’s business world.  However, the argument is made that the real social and economic advantage in today’s world comes from knowing how to communicate en español.

The reasons are very clear:

1.  Spanish is the second most-spoken language in the United States. In fact, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau numbers, 34 million people in the U.S. speak Spanish at home, making this the country with the second largest population of Spanish-speakers in the world.  That’s ahead of Spain and following only México. Think about that a second or two.  You would allow your child to grow up, say in Argentina, and not teach him the native language?  We have more Spanish speakers here than they do in any of the countries in Latin America, except for one!  A child that does not speak Spanish is at a disadvantage when it comes to engaging in many of the day-to-day activities and interactions that make up the thread of this nation.

2.  U.S.–Latin American relations are increasingly more closely knit. Barriers have blurred and, no matter how high the walls we try to build, we live a co-dependent existence with our neighbors across the border.  The NYT columnist points out that the economies in the Latin American region were some of the few which nicely survived the economic crisis.  We are more and more doing business together, as well as traveling back and forth as Latin America becomes highly attractive in every sense.  Our children will most likely encounter many career, business and lifestyle opportunities south of the border, and speaking Spanish will be essential.

3.  Spanish is becoming the language of business in the United States. No matter which career you choose nowadays, you will likely encounter a need to speak in Spanish in the U.S.  Not only is it usable in daily interactions, but also to expand business and reach a wider net of the population.

4. Spanish is an “easy” language to learn and get exposed to in daily American life. Kristoff argues that although it is important to learn Chinese, it is pretty much a career to do so because of the complexities of the verbal and written language. Spanish, on the other hand, is easy to grasp, practice and put to use in every day life.  There are many opportunities to engage in it, to find peers to practice with, to inexpensively travel to immerse yourself in it and to feel an immediate sense of accomplishment by using it often.

I really hope there comes a day when it will be absurd to write a post listing reasons, as if convincing people, about the need to learn Spanish at an early age.  I know that if you are reading this you probably have more personal reasons–such as heritage, family connections, academic benefits, etc–to teach your child Spanish.  I hope this article serves to reinforce your decision and as a document to share with those who are hesitant to make the sacrifices necessary to guarantee a bilingual education for their children.  The benefits are just so clear.  We’ve written about it many times in the past:

• Why Raise Bilingual Children
• Yes, It Is A Great Idea To Raise Them Bilingually
• A Closer Look At Why Raise Bilingual Kids

Tell us, what are your reasons for teaching your child Spanish? 

Encuentra este y más de nuestros artículos favoritos en español en el blog Mamás Latinas: Hijos Bilingües de Discovery Familia.

{Image by TrinitroX }