Quote:
Originally Posted by Majorix
I think if I was a native speaker of English, I wouldn't bother with learning any other languages (and I guess most US citizens do this already). Most books are written in English, and if not, you can expect a translation into English before any other language.
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Many people don't, but some of us did learn other languages. The problem that we have is that there isn't really a clear choice of which language would be best to learn. English is spoken nearly everywhere (and even more for the younger generations due to the Internet) and at the age where you should begin learning a second language in order to become proficient it's too early to have any idea which one you'll need for your future career. I chose Spanish because there are many Mexican people where I live, in fact Hispanics now (or very very soon) make up the largest ethnic group in the state:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2508103.html
I've found Spanish to be useful for being able to communicate with many of the first generation immigrants in the area, though I could easily get by without knowing it -- I just think that it allows me to be friendlier and more compassionate. Just the other day I was out riding my bike and a man stopped his car to ask me for directions. After allowing him to try in English and seeing that he was struggling to communicate his need I switched to Spanish, to his great relief and happiness!