People seem to think that by learning spanish one is preventing spanish-speakers from learning english, or that the only reason to learn spanish is to communicate with one’s cleaning help. Actually, understanding/ speaking spanish is a valuable skill that can improve one’s business prospects.
Two examples: As I mentioned above, my husband learned spanish so he could communicate with his clients without the aid of an interpreter. This helps him gain more clients, which directly affects his salary. My neighbor is bilingual in spanish and english; she works part-time as a translator for therapists who provide services in client’s homes. I’d guess that any therapist who is bilingual could provide services in more settings and find more clients.
Of course improving one’s yiddish or hebrew is a valuable use of one’s time, but the original poster specifically said he wasn’t interested in doing that.