Reply to Which foreign language(s) would you suggest that your kid learn?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I love that I know how to speak Spanish. I didn’t choose it in high school because I wanted to be different but I realized it would be useful so I took it in college. It’s not just useful (I’m a stay at home mom in nova and I use it all the time, surprisingly), but it’s also just as culturally sophisticated as French or Latin. For some reason this did not occur to me in high school.

My kids refuse to take Spanish because they had FLES in elementary and they hated it and it ruined Spanish for them. Maybe someday they will come around.

But Spanish really is the best for somebody in the United States (and who doesn’t have family connections to a different language). [/quote]

Okay but as far as job opportunities go, it depends. If you actually want to use your language, id say mandarin or Arabic, and perhaps Russian. But often Spanish and other languages can look good on a resume because every once in a while it’s just useful to know. [/quote]

That is an idiotic take. I spend a huge chunk of my professional work day speaking Spanish. My fluency in Spanish has been endlessly useful and the winning ticket in many contracts. Also, if you plan to live and work in Texas, Fl, CA, AZ, NM or a handful of other states, it is easily a part of your day-to-day. If you work in law, medicine, business, IT, telecommunications, or similar, Spanish all day[/quote]

I have no idea how what you’re saying refutes what I’m saying.

My point is that if somebody has a dream of using a foreign language in their career and they are choosing a language solely on that basis, the best bets are mandarin and Arabic. But that doesn’t mean that if you pick Spanish you won’t be able to use it in your job.  [/quote]

My point is that your premise is totally false. You don't sound like someone who has ever used a foreign language in a professional setting and seems to believe that the State Dept. is the only place to use a foreign language. For those of us that speak multiple languages, we use it pretty much everywhere. Spanish is the second most widely used language in this country - by a mile. There are endless opportunities for the use of Spanish in a professional setting here. We are an Arabic speaking household. The uses for Arabic in the workplace here are incredibly limited. I don't think you understand what it means to be bilingual on the job. [/quote]

Gah. Yes I have used a foreign language (Spanish and Romanian) on the job and I have seen DH use his (Russian) on the job.

When you’re in ninth grade, you really have no idea whether or not whatever job you’re going to get will require a foreign language unless you’re gunning for something really specific and yeah I do think foreign service is a great bet if using a foreign language is your dream. Lots of people have jobs that don’t ever present an opportunity to use their language skills. But like I said, fluency in any language will always be a bonus because it can be very useful. [/quote]

Fluency in a language is very difficult to attain and takes many many years.  Most classroom learners will never get there.  So probably best to choose a language based on immediate interest or how it will help with high school or college credits.  I majored in languages and know a few of them, and it's been useful, [b]but only the same way that being able to write a 5-paragraph essay is useful.[/b]  That is, it helped with school and requirements for this and that, but has no practical application that actually pays a decent salary.[/quote]

Exactly. The AP language courses and the College Board curriculum is such a rip-off. You have to spend some time in the culture to really learn it.[/quote]

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