New languages can be mucho benificio

By

Opinion

April 9, 2018 - 11:00 PM

An obligation of U.S. high schools is to give students a strong foundation in English. They also should provide introduction at the very least to one foreign language. Bound by tradition, those often found are Spanish and French.

Iola High offers both Romance languages. Humboldt, Yates Center and Marmaton Valley offer Spanish.

Students would be wise to take advantage of such opportunities, and those who matriculate on to college should be careful to find time in their studies to hone at least a rudimentary knowledge of a second language.

With the preponderance of Spanish-speaking folks who populate our nation and it being the primary language in Latin American countries, knowledge of Spanish is of obvious advantage.

Being able to understand — better yet converse — in Spanish, or a language other than English opens doors for a greater number of employment opportunities. According to research done by Adzuna, a global job search engine, those proficient in a second language are more apt to be better paid.

Spanish is valuable. Others may be more so.

China’s economic predominance on the world scene, including whatever trade war may develop at President Trump’s behest, makes Chinese languages a good, in many cases better, option for anyone who has designs on working internationally.

Imagine the demand for a trade negotiator — at any level — who understands and can translate between English and Chinese.

The Adzuna research indicates Polish is the third language in demand by U.S. employers, but on average those who speak German earn the highest salaries.

WHILE IT is presumptuous to presume a legion of Allen County students will find their ways into jobs that are made easier with proficiency in Spanish, Chinese or German, having a background in a foreign language can enhance everyday life.

Anyone who has had to conjugate Spanish verbs, which vary by mood, tense, number and gender, often finds the same exercise in English less trying.

Worldview also changes, sometimes dramatically, when a person has a better idea of what is occurring due to familiarity of the language spoken.

World travel is far from the rarity it once was and knowledge of Spanish, French and other languages makes getting along on excursions far less of a chore.

LOCAL HIGH schools are somewhat limited in what they can offer, because of enrollment and attendant finances, but it is the wise student who takes advantage of what is offered — in all disciplines.

— Bob Johnson

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