Why Learn Spanish in Canada?
Speaking Spanish isn’t just for ordering tacos and beer on the beach at a Mexican resort. Learning how to speak and understand Spanish while living in Canada can give you a leg up on the domestic and international job market. Besides padding your resume, there are several reasons why you should speak Spanish in Canada.
Speaking Spanish to Shine in the Job Market
The first reason why you should speak Spanish in Canada is related to the job market. With such volatile times with COVID-19 and the price of oil, buffing up on your language skills and adding “bilingual” to your resume may give you an increased chance of scoring that next job.
Right now, many businesses are looking to expand and diversify by working with international companies. By learning how to speak Spanish, you can become an even more valuable asset to your company by leading the way in bringing in a new customer base.
Growing Market Segment
Spanish may not be in the top five languages spoken in Canada… yet – but it’s use is growing fast. In the United States, our neighbors to the south, Spanish is the second most spoken language; the Hispanic population in the United States is second only to Mexico. An estimated 41 million people speak Spanish in the United States.
So why does this matter to Canadians? The U.S. has the world’s largest economy, which definitely influences Canadian markets. And with an ever-growing Hispanic population, one that is predicted to double by 2050, the Spanish language will be even more important in the future (giving you time to hire a tutor and learn).
Being able to speak Spanish, or having employees that speak Spanish, is going to be important for growing businesses in Canada and the United States. Not only do employers need employees who can negotiate business deals in Spanish with companies in South America or other Spanish speaking countries, they also need employees to create effective marketing communications and social media campaigns.
The ability to navigate the expanding markets of Spanish speaking countries is critical for expanding commerce in Canada.
Canadian Mining Industry
Of the 13 countries that make up South America, eight of them have Spanish as their official language; those countries are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Since 1989, the Canadian market share in the mining industry in South America and the Caribbean has been on the rise. There is an increasing global demand for various metals and minerals making it highly lucrative to expand into South America. Canadian companies have acquired hundreds of properties in South America and have 80 operational projects and at least 48 in the development stage. In 2012, the revenue from these projects was approximately US$19.4 billion; US$4.8 billion of this massive revenue is from Mexico.
Currently, there are eight companies who are prominent in South America and are making the area their home away from home. Barrick Gold, Teck, Yamana Gold, Goldcord, Kinross Gold, and Pan-American Silver are the dominating companies.
Canada and Mexico Relations
For over 75 years, Canada and Mexico have both benefited from a prosperous trading relationship. Along with the United States, Canada and Mexico have benefited from entering into the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In 2019, Canada and Mexico had $44 billion in merchandise trade.
All of this investment and opportunity is because of bilingual employees and stakeholders that make trade with Mexico possible.
Understanding Culture
Canadian’s relationship with Mexico is not strictly business related. Over 1.7 million Canadians traveled to Mexico for business and travel in 2018. A large population of Canadians spend their winters sunning themselves on Mexican beaches as tourists and snowbirds.
Being able to speak Spanish opens up new worlds for learning about and understanding Mexican culture. Check out Learning Spanish as a Snowbird to learn about why snowbirds are learning Spanish.
Global Language
While currently English is the number one language for international commerce and pop culture, Spanish is on the rise. There are more than 470 million people in the world who speak Spanish making it the second most spoken language in the world! An additional 60 million people speak Spanish as their second language, and 20 million are studying Spanish.
The demand for Spanish instruction isn’t just on the rise in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, it is also on the rise in China. In the last 15 years, the demand to learn Spanish has increased 30-fold. China has new trade deals with Latin America which aligns with the sudden increase in the demand for Spanish instructors.
As trade shifts into Latin America, experts are predicting that Spanish may become the international trade language.
The ability to speak Spanish opens up business opportunities within the country but also internationally. Being bilingual may give you a leg up on the ever-competitive job market as well. Experts predict that as the Hispanic population increases throughout the world and markets expand into South America, Spanish may become the international trade language.
So why should you speak Spanish in Canada? Simply put, speaking Spanish helps in business, cultural understanding, and may one day be the international language. What does this mean for you? It means the time to learn Spanish is now!
To start on your Spanish journey today, contact Sally at Spanish Step-by-Step to organise tailored, private classes at a competitive price and adapted to your schedule.
By Jennifer Jennings
