| as a time when speaking a second language was a | | | | people. |
| skill that only the rich and famous strived to acquire. | | | | As the number of Spanish language speakers |
| It was a delightful when someone knew just the | | | | continues to grow, colleges and corporations are |
| right French phrase to drop at a party. Only United | | | | responding to the pressing need for foreign language |
| Nations translators actually needed foreign language | | | | publications and marketing materials as well as foreign |
| skills to earn a living. But all of that has changed. | | | | language radio and television spots. |
| First jet aircraft cut the world to half its size, | | | | U.S. businesses are reaching out to Spanish foreign |
| followed by the Internet which has shrunk the world | | | | language speaking consumers through advertising |
| to one global neighborhood. Now, no matter what | | | | outlets such as CNN en Español, CBS Telenoticias, |
| your job title is, you're just as likely to serve a | | | | Univisión, and Telemundo. Being able to communicate |
| customer or client who speaks Spanish, French or | | | | in a foreign language is big business and people who |
| Japanese as you are to serve a client who speaks | | | | do not have foreign language skills will be left behind. |
| English. | | | | Missing out on the income opportunities of speaking a |
| It's no longer a luxury to be able to speak a foreign | | | | second language doesn't make sense now that the |
| language. In fact, for many jobs, being bi-lingual is | | | | methods of teaching people to speak a foreign |
| either an absolute job requirement, or you'll at least | | | | language have changed so dramatically. |
| be at a competitive disadvantage against other | | | | Today, one of the easiest and most fun ways to |
| applicants who do speak a foreign language. | | | | learn a foreign language is through a process called |
| And it's not just police and fire dispatchers, EMS | | | | "full foreign language immersion". Here's how it works: |
| technicians and law enforcement officers who are | | | | You pick the foreign language that you want to learn, |
| finding it neccessary to speak a foreign language. | | | | such as Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, |
| Many healthcare professionals, salespeople and even | | | | Russian, or Spanish, and then you contact a foreign |
| retail and food service employees see bigger | | | | language immersion agency, like the company |
| paychecks and happier clients when they have a | | | | Language Skills Abroad that operates a web site at |
| foreign language skill. | | | | They match you up with a quality overseas foreign |
| Take Spanish for example. Of the 5,000 spoken | | | | language school and help you with all of the travel |
| languages in the world, Spanish is #3 in the order of | | | | details and living accommodations. |
| number of people who speak that language. Only the | | | | The end result is that you learn your chosen foreign |
| Chinese and Indian languages rank higher. | | | | language quicker, because you are living and learning |
| Even English, which is the primary language for an | | | | among people who actually speak your target foreign |
| estimated 330 million people, falls behind Spanish | | | | language. |
| which is estimated to be spoken by 346 million | | | | |