Globalization is shrinking the business world. Those who know more than one language will definitely have an edge. Wouldn't it be nice to offer your product or service to the 350 million people in the world whose native language is Spanish?

In North America, Hispanic consumers are the fastest-growing market segment. They are expected to reach 50 million by the year 2015 and as high as 50% of the population of the United States within 50 years. But the benefits will not only be seen in the future. According to the US Census Bureau, the annual purchasing power of Latinos in the US already exceeds 999 BILLION US DOLLARS. What is your share of this?

The need to know Spanish is real!

If you are a doctor or a nurse, you may have already faced difficulties interacting with your Latino Patients. You would probably agree that the risk and liabilities of not being able to understand you hispanic patients' symptoms are simply enormous.

On the other hand, if you work in construction or in a factory, you need to make sure that your hispanic employees understand and comply with safety rules. Is the thought of facing an emergency not allowing you to sleep because of facing an imminent risk of an accident? If so, it may be the right time to do something about it.

Spanish is becoming more and more important in the business world. Employers know this. Speaking Spanish will not only help you get that dream job, but also enable you to outperform your peers as you increase your productivity and effectiveness by communicating with Spanish speaking employees, partners and coworkers in their native language.

Reading Latin American or Spanish newspapers and magazines, watching Spanish movies, or traveling to a Spanish speaking destination will allow you to better understand the Hispanic mind-set. Knowing Spanish will therefore prepare you to better appreciate some of the great modern and classic cultural Hispanic contributions.

If you only speak English while traveling, you will be forced to confine yourself to popular tourist resorts where nearly everyone will only know some English and will therefore be unable to engage in a meaningful conversation with you. If you really want to explore Latin America and Spain as an insider and get to know the local people, culture and traditions, you need to know Spanish and you need to use it well.

As the Hispanic population continues to grow at a rate much higher than the national average, it becomes more and more likely that you may marry a Latino person, have one or many Spanish-speaking neighbors, or just encounter Spanish speaking people in your everyday life. Are you ready for it? Or would you let not knowing the language and culture spoil the opportunities that present to you?

Studying Spanish can keep you young too! Research indicates that knowing and using two languages reduces your chances of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease. The scientists who studied this were motivated by earlier studies which showed that bilingualism enhances mental abilities in both children and older adults. Other studies show that studying languages can improve your memory and slow age-related decline in mental acuity.

Which foreign language to choose? With some 400 million speakers, Spanish is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world. Only Mandarin, English and Hindi have more speakers. You already know English. Spanish can be the easiest and most practical second language to learn.