Quote:
Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier
I never found any problems speaking Castellano in Latin America and most of what I said they understood. There were some expressions that they didn't know and vice-versa. I've always found that Spanish speakers in Latin America speaking Castellano were easily understood while Latin American speakers in Spain faced more problems. Andalusian Spanish is definitely the most difficult to understand, in fact it's where I first learnt Spanish and soon got used to them shortening words.
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Yes, some Andalusians are almost impossible to understand.
That kind of problems happen in all languages, though. I mean, on one hand there are several local varieties. But, on the other hand, there is always a
standard language, the common norms. So usually there are no difficulties when talking with an educated person. For instance, there are many different traditional dialects in German. But there is also the Standard German (the so-called
Hochdeutsch), which is used in mass media
, business
, science, humanities, etc.
And fortunately, very few people are like Professor Higgins:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fluffy Kittens
What are job prospects like if you can speak another language? In a country that speaks it btw not your home country.
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There are many factors to consider. In Europe, as Unknown Soldier said, German is a top language. For instance, due to the economic crisis, in Spain we're suffering a
brain drain now.
And many university graduates are going
to Germany. A lot of Spanish engineers and other highly skilled workers are learning German at the moment.
However, from a global point of view, other languages are also important. And there is an interesting thing regarding
language families. For instance, once you have learned Spanish, then it will be much easier for you to learn another
Neo-Latin language (French, Portuguese, Italian, etc.). So finally that
sum (let's say, Spanish + French, two major global languages) could be a strong point in your CV.