I often look back and am thankful that I majored in a foreign language. At the time I was going through college many people would ask, “What on earth are you going to do with a Spanish major?” I was not quite sure at the time but I knew that I loved speaking, listening and reading another language. I would encourage all students to “stick to what you love” and not worry about what everyone else is saying. It seems as the American culture becomes more developed there is a reluctance to learn different languages. I tend to get very frustrated when I am in different countries and Americans do not at least attempt to speak the native language. Here are some stories about how my Spanish major has helped me in life. I hope that publishing these stories on your website will encourage other students to major in Spanish or any other foreign language for that matter.
I am presently located in Atlanta, Georgia and have lived here ever since I graduated. I have also worked at Georgia-Pacific Corporation for the last 13 years. I received my MBA in international business from Georgia State University in 1995. When I first started working for Georgia-Pacific I was an account rep dealing with containerboard box plants across the United States. I really did not have very much contact with any international companies when I first started working but very shortly after I started working, people within the company found out I spoke Spanish and I would get phone calls from Spanish customers and documents in Spanish that I was asked to translate. About 1 1/2 years into working, I was asked to move over to the export group and supervise some account reps. Here is where I really began to use my Spanish. Georgia-Pacific sells containerboard into Latin America (Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala and Mexico) and South America (Brazil and Argentina). I was able to travel to all of these countries and learned what was involved in importing and exporting goods into/from the United States. As I moved into management the job was more about hiring and coaching others but I still kept my Latin American contacts. I am now a senior manager in the consumer products division of Georgia-Pacific. We have a tissue manufacturing plant down in Mexico which I have visited several times and I continue to use my Spanish.
I have to say that there are so many rewards in knowing how to speak Spanish other than just how it has helped me advance in my career. The most important think I think is that it is a skill not many people have nor know how to develop. Knowing how to speak and read Spanish also makes you a more well rounded, cultural individual. You are able to expand your relationships and communication to more than just the American population. Just recently I went on a trip with my boyfriend to Costa Rica for vacation. My boyfriend’s sister has lived down there for almost a year. She opened an office for Maersk Shipping Line. After being down there a year she still has not learned very much Spanish. I was thrilled to go down to Costa Rica and teach my boyfriend and his sister a little more about the Spanish language and culture. Just knowing how to speak the language allows you to learn so much about other people and their culture.
One other thing I would like to share is during the time I have worked for Georgia-Pacific I have done some translating on the side for some other friends who work for different companies. They need people to translate Spanish documents for them (financial statements, legal documents, etc) and they do not want to pay the high prices of a translator. I am able to do a little freelancing on the side, make a little additional money and help out some friends.
In closing, majoring in Spanish has so many rewards I cannot possible list them all here. It helps advance your career, expands your vacation traveling horizons and creates so many opportunities that you would not normally have. I encourage all students to major in Spanish so we can “break” the trend that is prevailing in America. This trend is the tendency to speak English and the unwillingness to learn a new language. Good luck to all the students who are majoring in Spanish! I encourage you to continue to share your experiences and teach others the value of another language. I look forward to hearing about some of your experiences as you use your Spanish after college.