Folium: Why It Pays To Be Bilingual via Voxy

Posted by LEAF Architect on Saturday, June 29, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Folium: Why It Pays To Be Bilingual via Voxy

Check out CareerBuilder.com to find more than 6,000 job postings seeking bilingual applicants. Employees bilingual in English and Spanish are particularly in demand. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Latinos are now the nation’s largest minority group, accounting for half of the nation’s population growth since April, 2001. The need for bilingual workers is most evident in the South and West, where the largest concentration of non-English speakers lives. There is also a significant concentration of Spanish-speaking workers in the Finger Lakes and Central New York region, because of the grape and agricultural industries.

To find and keep valuable bilingual workers, employers are willing to pay big bucks. Federal government employees can also see a sizable jump in bilingual pay under a provision of the Defense Authorization Act. According to the National Association for Bilingual Education, the law approves up to $1,000 in monthly proficiency pay for bilingual, active-duty military personnel. Civilians can earn special pay, equivalent to 5 percent of their base salaries.

According to the Chicago Tribune, being bilingual can help you find a job. All things being equal, the bilingual job candidate is worth twice as much in almost any occupation. Think of the opportunities! We can look for nine major areas where a good command of English and a second language can be beneficial. Those areas include health care, information technology, education, customer service and hospitality, government, finance, social services and law enforcement.

The bottom line: Being bilingual literally pays off.

The benefits are more than just in the wallet. Bilinguals also seem to possess some cognitive advantages as well. According to voxy.com, knowing more than one language helps our brains work better. Bilinguals are better problem solvers, better multi-taskers and even better sleepers!

Bilinguals can also be bicultural. Actively participating in different cultures, especially in our teenage years, can add to our self-esteem and can limit feelings of depression or negativity.

(CLICK TO EMBIGGEN)