Bilingual in Spanish and English: A Distinguished Job Applicant

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¿Comprende lo que esto significa? If your answer to, “Do you understand what this means?” is “no,” then your résumé, similar to many other non-Spanish speaking Americans just became less competitive. In time of economic hardships where the United States has “an unemployment rate above 7.8 percent,” the ability to distinguish oneself in the job market is a non-negotiable (Scherer). With an exponential increase in the Latino populace, the American workforce has been impacted profoundly. While one may feel certain that the ability to speak English in America, in conjunction with one’s education and work experience, will suffice in distinguishing oneself in the job market, this essay will argue that an English speaking monoglot is far less marketable than one who is bilingual in English and in Spanish. From a sales associate in Littlerock, Arkansas to a high profile attorney in Los Angeles, California, Americans can see a true necessity to learn Spanish, a language spoken by over 50 Million people throughout the nation, approximately 16% of the United States population (How). While English is indeed the United States’ official language, Spanish is the Nation’s second most spoken language. With such a high number of Spanish speaking inhabitants, the increasing Latino population is impacting the American workforce heavily. It is known that many Latinos migrate to similar areas across the United States. Cities such as Los Angeles, New York City and Houston all have over one million Latino inhabitants within each city (New). Many of these Latinos are new immigrants to the United States and Spanish is their primary language. Because these Latinos live amongst many other Spanish speaking civilians, the need to learn the English languag... ... middle of paper ... ...ts of Bilingualism at Work." Bilingual Jobs & Careers for Latinos - EmpleosCB.com - Home. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. eID=635>. Scherer, Ron. "Fed's Ben Bernanke 'dissatisfied' with economy, unemployment rate." Christian Science Monitor 02 Nov. 2011: N.PAG. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. "The History and Origin of the Latin Language." Find Science & Technology Articles, Education Lesson Plans, Tech Tips, Computer Hardware & Software Reviews, News and More at Bright Hub. Web. 03 Dec. 2011. . Vázquez, R. Fernando, and C. Keith Stalnakar. "Latino Workers In The Construction Industry. (Cover Story)." Professional Safety 49.6 (2004): 24-28. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.

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