Tick Spanish off your bucket list

Celsa Nuno, Guest Columnist

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I have followed with great interest the debate around foreign-language skills that unfolded in your newspaper last week.

Let me start by saying how positive it is, in my view, that this important issue reaches the media. It brings awareness to the importance of acquiring a foreign language in this globalised world in which we find ourselves, as well as highlights the opportunities that this asset offers work seekers in the job market.

As Spanish ambassador, I naturally advocate the learning of Spanish. This goes beyond my personal cultural and national motivations. The numbers speak for themselves: Spanish is the second most spoken international language and around 375 million persons who speak it as a first language live in the Americas.

As Jamaica looks towards increasing its political and economic integration within the region, new opportunities indeed unfold: the tourism sector aims at diversifying its customer base, promoting Jamaica as a destination in Latin America. The tourism industry is always on the lookout for multilingual staff; and call centres do an increasing volume of business with Spanish-speaking companies. Jamaica's plans to become a regional logistics hub also open exciting prospects.

A PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

For these reasons, I have made support for the learning of Spanish one of the primary objectives of my tenure in Jamaica. In this task, the embassy is greatly assisted by the dynamic and committed Spanish private sector through the Spanish-Jamaican Foundation (SJF). In many of our initiatives, we work hand in hand with the Jamaican Ministry of Education.

To name just the most recent ones, last year, the SJF launched its first edition of the 'Spanish Teacher of the Year award', and it is presently sponsoring the oral exam fees for all students sitting CSEC Spanish in the areas stretching from Brown's Town to Negril, where member companies operate. It will also soon award, for the second year, scholarships to students at teachers' colleges aspiring to become Spanish teachers.

I take this opportunity to thank your newspaper, and the media in general, for highlighting our activities as it contributes to fomenting greater awareness of the importance of investing efforts in this area.

Many have studied Spanish at school but have never carried it further. Thanks to modern technology and an agreement between the embassy and the prestigious Instituto Cervantes of Spain, there are simple and truly affordable ways in which the Spanish Embassy can assist those who have the interest and the desire to learn or improve their written and conversational Spanish skills from the comfort of their homes. Other Spanish-speaking embassies offer alternatives as well.

Don't leave the wish to acquire or improve your Spanish in your bucket list. Learning a foreign language takes a little time and commitment, but the rewards are clear. My wish for 2014 is that no company should need to look abroad for multilingual employees.

Celsa Nuño is Spanish ambassador and president of The Spanish-Jamaican Foundation. Email emb.kingston@maec.es.