A lot of people say that Americans should strive to learn a second language as this will be beneficial for them, but is this true?
>Most Americans never learn a second language fluently due to the fact that a lot of people from other countries speak English and use English to communicate with them
>Even if the Americans become fluent in a second language, most will forget it over time
>A lot of Americans think that learning another language will help you find a job, but really, why a company might as well hire a Hispanic person who speaks both Spanish and English fluently instead of an American who started to learn Spanish when he was 16 or something
>A lot of transnational companies use English to communicate
>A lot of American expats who get work overseas do not speak the local language anyway - the reason why everyone else thinks of Americans as monolingual is because a lot of American living overseas only speak English
find a job in an area where you would like to visit.
im an american currently learning german for hopefully starting a life in switzerland at some point.
>>16910288
Well, it is very unlikely that you can move to Switzerland due to the fact that you are not an EU citizen
>>16910293
thats why i would have to apply for a visa, get a job, etc.
and do that for many years to get any sort of citizenship. learning a language should not be the primary reason for wanting to start a language.
if you want to learn a language you need to have a reason why you want to. not just cause. find your reason why youd want to
>>16910298
Do you really think an employer will sponsor you for a visa when they can easily pick a local Swiss person for a job (or a British person for English-related jobs)?
>>16910279
It sounds like you're looking for justifications NOT to learn another language, not reasons to.
Yes, you can get away with not knowing another language. But suppose you work for a company doing business with the French. Do you think that the simple courtesy of speaking to them in their language (however awkwardly) might gain you some points in the competition for their business?
>>16910302
hopefully something good will come up for me. if i dont get a visa. oh well thats just how life is.
also just learn spanish, its easy and with the influx of mexicans it will be useful
>>16910293
Switzerland is not in the EU.
>>16910305
Geez, tonnes of American expats in foreign countries do not speak the local language at all. Maybe France and Quebec are exceptions as they like to protect their native language.
>>16910311
>influx of mexicans
Almost all Hispanics in America can speak English anyway.
>>16910325
thats true. so why even learn a language?
it seems like op doesnt even wanna learn one
>>16910331
That's my point. Why the fuck would an American learn a second language?
>>16910336
To seem less ignorant.
>>16910357
>seem less ignorant
Lol this could be done by reading about philosophy, history, etc instead of learning a second language.
>>16910361
You still won't seem less ignorant though, from the perspective of anyone that isn't native english-speaking. Not knowing a second language at all makes you seem like you're not taking an interest in the rest of the world (especially if you move to another country and don't attempt to learn the language) and that feeds into the stereotype of the arrogant selfish Americans (and brits, to a lesser extent).
>>16910361
Do you do those things?
>>16910497
So what? The expats working overseas are too busy with their jobs.
>>16910498
Maybe, not really.
This is the most pointless thread on /adv/ right now. Please stop responding, Brandon here isn't looking for advice, he is just a sperging autist.
>>16910569
>implying the other threads are not pointless as well
GO AWAY BRANDON
stop replying people. He spams this every two days.
>>16910279
Reduces risk of alzheimers.
Adds a new conceptual dimension to your perception making you more open and analytical.
More advantages to learning another language than communication. It has physical effects on your brain and opens new neural avenues.
>>16910279
It looks good on your resume
>>16910279
Bring bilingual is a good thing
