30/05/2019 According to the publication Spanish in the world 2018 of the Cervantes Institute there are more than 577 million Spanish Speakers around the world. The report states that these numbers can be distributed in 480 million native speakers and more than 97 million second language speakers. In other words, 7.6% of the people in the world speak Spanish. That is to say that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world following Chinese.
The expansion of the Spanish language is parallel to the economic development of the Hispanic population in the different countries of the world. According to Cervantes Institute´s report the GDP of the Spanish Speaking Countries represents 6.9% of the world GDP. This trend promises to continue in the future.
Spanish language and Spanish presence are something to take into consideration when planning your future studies and your professional career specially if you live in the United States. As a matter of fact, Spanish is the most common non-English language spoken in the States today. According to the New York Post, the US Census estimates that by the year 2050 the US will have 138 million of Spanish Speakers, making it the biggest Spanish Speaking nation in the world.
Not only that, Spanish is becoming more and more popular in the United Kingdom as well. Talking about the UK Brexit is considered the main driving factor for British students to learn Spanish, as they consider that if and when the UK leaves the EU, there will be an increasing demand of Spanish speakers who are able to communicate and strengthen economic ties with companies in different countries of the Americas.
Prepare yourself to be successful in today´s Global Community: Learn Spanish and increase your Intercultural Competences.
Looking at the future business projections it is considered that by 2050 10% of the world´s population will be Spanish Speakers, either native or second language speakers. So, when preparing for your professional career it only makes sense to consider learning Spanish as the second language to learn in order to be competent to make business in the Spanish Speaking World.
But learning Spanish language is not enough. We also need to build up our intercultural skills to be able to relate and work with the people in different countries and cultures. In this global community we live in, language is not the only way to communicate any more. In order to be able to be successful we also have to learn how to relate and interact with people in a business environment, we should learn how to negotiate, coordinate teams, speak in public or even interview future employees. All of these competences will help us know our clients better and thus relate to them by setting a more comfortable and trusting relationship that will definitely help the way we do our business.
Increasing our communication and intercultural competences will help you connect both in the office and outside the office. It will not only improve our business relationships and decisions but also the overall customer experience. In a world where the impact of Spanish is always growing, we cannot turn our backs on it and ignore it.
But speaking Spanish and learning the cultural business competences may not be enough. You should be competent in reading and writing in our ever-present intercultural digital world. It is important to mention that Spanish is the third most used language on the Internet, therefore the importance of incorporating the language in your business strategy is even greater for students and professionals who seek to create or expand their business in a digital environment.
The future is multilingual
It is never too late to brush up on your Spanish. Even if it is at a survival level, for your own business or for looking for a job, speaking Spanish and having an immersion experience in Spain is definitely an asset in your resume. Sometimes it is not a matter of how fluent you are, or how good you speak, it´s a matter of trying. Your clients will appreciate your efforts. Linguistic competence will come with time and practice. Still, for those skeptics who may ask; “Is Spanish the only language that must be learned to succeed in the business world?” The answer is no, but it will certainly help!
Spanish is spoken all over the world. It is not only Spain or the different countries in Latin America, but also the US with 53 million of speakers. It is interesting to notice that the US has the highest concentration of Spanish Speakers in the world following Mexico. From the roughly 53 million people, 41 million are native speakers and approximately 11.6 are bilingual Speakers. That it more than Colombia (with 48 million) and Spain (with 47 million).
So, do you need any more reasons to pick up your high school Spanish? Take time over the summer and improve your language skills, focus on taking Spanish for Business course. Think that learning and improving your Spanish language skills will open up endless possibilities as you plan ahead for your professional future. Wherever you may go and whatever you may be, you will probably have to use your Spanish. You can get ahead and start now.