Spanish is quickly becoming the second language of the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are over 40 million Americans of Hispanic origins, which include people with Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central American, and South American origins. In addition, there are over 47 million Americans who speak a language other than English at home. Of these, slightly over 28 million speak Spanish. This represents a 62 percent increase since 1990. Although slightly over half of the people who speak Spanish at home also speak English very well, there are 12.6 million Spanish speakers who do not speak English well. This trend is expected to continue its upward rise, which means that it behooves both native English speakers and native Spanish speakers to learn English/Spanish. There are a number of reasons why it's a good idea to learn English/Spanish. If you are a native English speaker who does not know Spanish, there's a good chance that you will encounter people who do not speak English while you are at work or in your community. This is especially true if you live in Texas, California, or Florida, where the numbers of Spanish speaking citizens are the highest. If you are a business owner - even if you have a home business - you may be losing income if you do not speak Spanish or have Spanish-speaking employees. The population of people who speak only Spanish represent a sizeable segment of the consumer market, and it only makes sense that they will seek out businesses that understand their needs and can speak their language. Conversely, if you are a native Spanish speaker who does not know English, it may be difficult to navigate the English-centric service industry that exists in the United States. If you decide to learn English/Spanish, you'll

be better able to meet your needs and the needs of your family. Almost certainly, a greater number of career opportunities will be open to you, and if you are a business owner - even if you have a home business - you'll open up your customer base to customers who speak only English. Although it may be daunting to think about learning a second language, there are opportunities to learn English/Spanish in a variety of learning styles. You can choose to go the traditional route of taking a language class or buying tapes or CDs, or you can take advantage of newer techniques in order to learn English/Spanish. For example, there is English/Spanish software that offers language lessons using both pictures and speech. In essence, you can see two people interacting, with each work spoken in English, then in Spanish. This software allows you to go at your own pace, and can be configured to teach Spanish to English speakers or English to Spanish speakers. Learning Spanish or English will not only broaden your horizons, but will most likely increase your earning potential, whether you have a traditional job or a home business.

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