A bilingual country
Many of the first Latino immigrants to this country made the big mistake of forcing their children to speak only in English; with the idea that this would “Americanize” them more and help them to be more accepted by society. (When we all know that any society in the world welcomes more those who respect and have better behavior and not only those who master the language).
With the passage of time this idea has not only changed, but now many parents have realized that being bilingual gives their children a great advantage over those who only speak one language.
The case of Hispanic immigrants who become bilingual is a luxury because Spanish and English are two of the most widely spoken languages in the world.
Currently there are a large number of studies that demonstrate the advantages of bilingualism:
- The brain learns to assimilate and repeat new sounds and voices.
- Concentration is improved by hearing and distinguishing two languages.
- The brain learns to react faster by identifying and using two different languages.
- By learning another language, you also learn from their culture and the mind expands.
- There is already a notable salary difference between bilinguals and monolinguals.
- You can use one or another language at your convenience.
- It is proven that in the long term, being bilingual delays brain deterioration.
You might think “why worry so much in speaking two languages having tools like the Google translate, which does the work in seconds?” but this is just a help rather than a full translator (try to speak Russian or Japanese using only Google).
At university graduations across the country more and more students are seen with a minor degree in Spanish; and this is why the United States is the number one country with Spanish as a second language students.
Although some radical Americans do not like the idea that Spanish and English are spoken here, it is their children and ours who are making this nation a bilingual country.
