Like many high schoolers, I was required to take a foreign language in high school, so I took three years of Spanish. Then, as an English major in college, I was required to take four semesters of a foreign language, so I continued my study of Spanish.
I wasn't the best at learning Spanish. As an English major, I understood the parts of speech pretty well, but I kept trying to put the Spanish parts of speech in an English order. When I got to college, I remembered very little of Spanish grammar from high school, but I had a general grasp of pronunciation. However, I still used English-sounding letters occasionally, especially in words that are very similar in spelling and sound to their English counterparts. But learning Spanish was both a humbling and a rewarding experience for me. It was humbling because it did not come as naturally to me as other subjects did, and it was rewarding because I was able to work hard and see progress in my own ability with the language and my ability to communicate more complex thoughts.
My study of Spanish helped to expand my views and horizons. The phrases and ways of saying things that Spanish employs helped me see things from a different perspective than my English-centered view. Some of the smaller things include the difference in how we communicate age: in English, we say, "I am x years old." In Spanish, you say, "Yo tengo x años," which translates to "I have x years." Additionally, to show possession in English, we add an 's. Spanish uses an entire phrase to show possession: "la computadora de María" literally means "the computer of Maria." While these are seemingly simple differences, realizing that other languages function differently in specific ways reminded me that though we are all different and have different customs, we are all very similar, even if different.
However, I think my favorite part about learning another language was that I was able to talk with other people in their native language. Though I am by no means fluent, while in college, I was able to carry on small talk in Spanish. Also, learning Spanish helped me to be more empathetic towards people who are learning a non-native language or who are struggling to live in and learn a language that is not their native one.
I would recommend that everyone learn another language. Americans are notorious for only knowing English, but this stereotype can be broken. Learning another language will also open up more opportunities and viewpoints and increase empathy – all noteworthy and honorable goals to pursue, especially by learning a foreign language.
