Reap the Benefits of a Different Language

"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18:20). In the world that we live in today, you can look around and see five or more cultures at any given time. I can personally sit on the bus today and recognize people from India, Mexico, China, Korea, and Arabia. There are forty-six million people who speak two languages in the United States. There are benefits to learning another language in the United States.

The ability to learn a second language will assist you in obtaining additional job offers. The Modern Language Association reports that there are nearly thirty different languages spoken in the United States. Many companies are finding the need to cater to the Multi-cultural ethnicities of the United States. In 2004, Sears changed ninety-seven stores to create an atmosphere and clothing selection for the Spanish, African and Asian consumers.

The ability to speak a second or third language will give you the ability to work effectively. No one knows precisely how many U.S. workers have limited or non-existent English skills, says Bob Losyk, Greensboro, North Carolina, author of Managing A Changing Workforce. Many people today are going back to school to learn a second language to communicate with their employees. Bruce Fryer of Fryer Roofing Company, Inc. is one of these exact people. He returned to school to learn Spanish so that he could communicated with his employees that did not know English. It is my personal experience that employees are open to communicate more when you personally know their native language. A connection is made, be it respect or friendship, through the common language. I personally know that I would have not made it as a manager at McDonalds, if I did not now a few words in Spanish.