Why study Arabic?

The United Nations adopted Arabic as one of its six official languages in 1974. In addition to the Palestinians, the governments of nineteen countries list Arabic as their dominant mode of expression. Arabic is also an important language in many other countries of the world. Events in the Middle East affect our daily lives, and only through the study of Arabic can one gain necessary insights into the cultural, religious, and political forces which motivate the inhabitants of that vital region--insights that our monolingual media seldom provide.

The Middle East is also the birthplace of civilization and the cradle of the three monotheistic religions. It contains also, some of the world's greatest archeological and religious sites. It is the locus of two thirds of the world's known oil reserves. Moreover, it is just rich with interesting cultures and warm, hospitable people. A good knowledge of Arabic will greatly enhance the enjoyment of your travels there and your ability to work and interact effectively with Arabic speaking people.

The diligent study of Arabic can lead to exciting careers in various fields. The following are only a few of the many positions open to the Arabic speaker. Communications : foreign correspondent, reporter, translator. International finance : international banker, international consultant, political risk analyst. Industry : manager of government relations for oil companies, market analyst for export companies. Government : foreign service officer, development program officer, intelligence analyst, government relations specialist, translator or interpreter. Law: contractual and corporative consultant. Academia : teaching and research positions; the U.S. government currently considers Arabic a critical language and many scholarships are available.

French is one of the world's major international languages and is spoken in 43 countries, on five continents.

The prestige of French art, music, dance, fashion, cuisine, and cinema makes French a culturally important foreign language. France is one of the most prolific producers of international films.

French literature is one of the richest and most influential of the modern European world, featuring authors such as Rabelais, Montaigne, Racine, Proust, and Marguerite Duras. Several well-known philosophers were also French, including Descartes, Pascal, Rousseau, Voltaire, Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir.

Over 300 million people speak Spanish worldwide, making it one of the largest markets for businesses and one of the most useful languages in the world for travel. Close to 30 million people living in the U.S. are Hispanic, and soon one out of every six people living in the U.S. will be Hispanic. In the past, learning Spanish used to be a way to open doors, but soon it will be a necessity.

Employers are seeking applicants who can speak Spanish in nearly every profession (medical, government, legal, journalism, finance, education, sales, etc.).

Learning Spanish can help you learn the other Latin-based languages such as French and Italian. These languages all have Indo-European roots and share some characteristics (such as gender and extensive conjugation) that are present in Spanish but not English.