<p>Hmm... interesting opinions. Well, to what extent would Spanish be beneficial if I were to fulfill my aspiration of being a lawyer for the U.N.?</p>
<p>Hopefully, there won't be a UN in 2012. But wishful thinking doesn't make it so...</p>
<p>if you want to do investment banking, German is more useful than French or Spanish.</p>
<p>otherwise, it's up to you.</p>
<p>I think German is a sexy language..more men at least ;)
Take whatever sounds the most interesting and will be more of a benefit. I like Spanish myself.</p>
<p>German always reminds me of World War II.</p>
<p>I live insanely close to Canada..so French it was.</p>
<p>Righteous, perhaps you could be an ambassador to Mexico, Central America, or South America. Surely, Spanish would be beneficial in those applications. </p>
<p>I believe that learning German would useless. If I am not mistaken, the German language is confined solely to Germany whereas French is spoken in some Caribbean islands, some areas in Africa, Quebec, and of course France.</p>
<pre><code>This may seem bizarre to ask, but does your school offer Latin? Learn Latin for about two years and learning any of the Romance languages will be simple. Also, if you wish to be a lawyer, latin is beneficial for the study of law.
</code></pre>
<p>W1cked, we do agree upon the fact of the UN. I too hope that the UN will be dissolved in the future!</p>
<p>German is spoken in Austria, and more importantly, Switzerland.</p>
<p>Despite the offensiveness of this generalization, many people who only speak Spanish will be some form of "the help", while German is definatly a business language.</p>
<p>I agree with Ryan. The only Spanish speakers in my community who do not speak fluent English are the gardeners/construction workers. Other than that, I do not come into contact with anyone else who only speaks Spanish. Other than that, I can communicate with many Hispanics easily using English.</p>
<p>i take french, partly because i think its a beautiful language and i love the french culture/lifestyle, partly because i plan to volunteer in africa after college, and alot of african countries speak french. now a days, my school is pushing taking chinese at the high school because china is such a big export company</p>
<p>Reading what some people on this thread are saying about hispanics being mostly the help most certainly makes me wonder why in the world am I going to study there.</p>
<p>It's nearsighted to say Spanish wouldn't help you with business. International relations are constantly being worked between the U.S. and latin american countries. A whole freaking nation full of american citizens speak mostly spanish only and many of the americans who come here do well and get payed good money because they know how to speak the language. In places where there is a high concentration of latinos spanish could even help you to get clients as a lawyer or help your patients as a doctor.</p>
<p>She wants to be lawyer in the UN. Spanish is talked in more countries than any other of the languages that she mentioned. She could aspire to do deals with many more countries with that language.</p>
<p>You could always learn more than one-- that's what I've done, with Spanish and French. Mind you, my reasons were a bit different than most people's, but nonetheless, if you have interest in both and opportunity to learn both, go for it. It sounds like you are at least somewhat capable with Spanish (you "[love] Spanish")? Take French then, but keep up your Spanish skills on the side-- in Texas, that shouldn't be too difficult, I'd imagine. The world is becoming a more and more interconnected place: certainly fluency or even just ability in multiple languages is NOT going to hurt your opportunities in life; rather, it seems like it would be a bonus. Besides, with Spanish and French anyway (not so much German), once you learn one language, it really isn't a big leap to the other at all. The language acquisition skills transfer and, of course, many of the word roots and indeed words themselves do as well. There are a lot of commonalities across the board.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Despite the offensiveness of this generalization, many people who only speak Spanish will be some form of "the help", while German is definatly a business language.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I absolutely agree, this is what I was trying to say, but seems people get offended. You won't find Spanish in a boardroom.</p>
<p>I agree with brian.</p>
<p>Most Spanish-speaking people I see are either gardening or taking my order at McDonald's.</p>
<p>I've taken French for 13 years and Spanish for 2 (and Greek unofficially for a few). French is practical because I'm canadian and it is our second official language. I might even be going to university in Montreal. I'm learning Greek because my family is Greek, and Spanish because I wanted to. </p>
<p>All that being said, French is still my favorite second language. :)</p>
<p>Jonathan K,</p>
<pre><code>You really need to stop with those generalizations about Hispanics. Again, I have met MANY hispanic doctors, lawyers, and businessmen.
</code></pre>
<p>We do so much importation of goods from Mexico to the Us. In order to do these transactions, Spanish is indeed required.</p>
<p>Again, as I said, she said she wanted to be a lawyer in the UN. Spanish for the UN makes a lot of sense since the Spanish is one of the most spoken languages by individual countries. Plus, should she want to practice private law, the spanish would also come in handy.</p>
<p>No Spanish in boardrooms? Heh. Tell that to all the american bankers who come to Puerto Rico and have deals here.</p>
<p>Not only do you guys deal with Mexico, you guys have an entire country of america citizens that speak mostly Spanish ( Puerto Rico). </p>
<p>I honestly am amazed by Jonathan K's narrow-minded actitude towards us, but I find it encouraging in a way, it makes me want to be successful just so much so I can hire the kid's of hicks like him to be my gardeners and maids.</p>
<p>french is useful to me for ballet, but thats about it...</p>
<p>Try European or Asian boardrooms.</p>