roberts3I have a small insult calendar on my desk that gives me an insult a day (a gift from my boss, I do enjoy a good insult)…to the point though. Today’s insult was from the writer Willy Rushton and reads:

German is the most extravagantly ugly language – it sounds like someone using a sick bag on a 747.

Now, I must disagree with Willy here, because I feel that the German language sounds like trying to cough up a non-vital organ or the better part of a burger that has been caught in your throat (sorry for the disgusting mental imagery). However, it did get me thinking about the need for learning a second language.

Most everyone at some point in time has taken a bit of foreign language. I took 2 semester in High School and one in college, until I learned that when pursuing a Civil Engineering degree it is only necessary to speak Engineer-eze (a combination of math and geek speak, which is a foreign language unto itself). I also feel that most everyone will be approached with a situation at sometime when knowing a foreign language is useful. If not the entire language at least know how to say “cheese” (queso), for when you go to the really good Mexican restaurants. Even though knowing how to say cheese is probably the most useful word in most languages, you should probably go a bit further.

Not too long ago, my wife and I went to Texas and it was awesome to meet her friend who had been taught both Spanish and English from birth. I honestly felt dumb, and for those of you who know me you realize how rare that is. I knew when they were talking about cheese in Spanish but got lost quite often in the rest of the conversation. Even before that, my wife and I desired to learn a second language…I have tried out a few online sites and podcasts but I am actually anxious to try out the Rosetta Stone software. The main question is why? So here is a small list of reasons why you should to learn a second language.

1. Not everyone speaks English..if you have ever called a tech support line you are painfully aware of that. Just face the facts. If you want to communicate effectively with people then you need to speak the same language. This is also why men and women don’t communicate well…the language barrier. I’m not sure what we both speak, but it’s definitely not the same…I must digress. I would also like to take this opportunity to completely skip over all issues related to illegal immigration in America and how it effects the United States in social and economic ways. Thank you.

2. Better Pay and more job opportunities. Jobs simply tend to pay better if you can communicate in more than one language… Again with tech support I’m not even sure if you have to speak it well. Most jobs are willing to pay more if you are bi-lingual. In fact, job applicants get can expect on average 27.43% better pay if they can speak a second language in most cases (yes…I just made this statistic up, but it sounded good right?). Want some more incentive about jobs just check out listing on Careerbuilder.com or see this article at Career Ramblings on the need for bilingual employees in the U.S.

3. You just sound smarter. That’s right, if you can flip back and forth between languages you sound much more intelligent, especially since no one else know what the hell your saying at times… Even speaking Pig Latin can help. As a side note, I should mention that it also helps you seem more intelligent if you can speak your own language correctly. Seems to be a lost art now.

4. You won’t look like an idiot when visiting a foreign country. This kind of goes along with number 4 but in a different way. Tell you what go to Germany and try to communicate with the locals. While your there, don’t be too surprised when you find out someone just charged you $100 instead of $1 for the authentic lederhosen you bought. Also, you won’t be seen as the dumb tourist and you’ll earn a lot more respect from the locals if you can communicate in the language native to the land.

5. It will help you with the ladies. Especially if they don’t speak English. Then again maybe that is what you want, a date that won’t talk much. Either way, I can’t really prove this, so just take my word it’s true and we will move on.

6. You might challenge yourself and learn something. Now I realize that actually wanting to learn something is a foreign concept to most people..heck look at mySpace for more than 10 minutes and you will be sure that the pursuit knowledge ended long ago is is no longer taught in schools.

7. Confusion. If none of that made any sense or if you just don’t care, just read this funny shirt and have a good laugh. You’ll feel better and your mind won’t hurt…like it would if you tried learning another language.

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