Vanguard Education is centered around the learning of seven languages, two major and five minor. One of the minor languages is Spanish.
Native Spanish speaking people are found throughout the world, in Europe, North America and South America. Spanish is on the decline in Africa and the Pacific. For Americans, it seems hard to believe that Spanish could be on the decline anywhere.
Many people from South and Central America relocate to the United States. They may not speak any English, or are still learning English. A knowledge of Spanish is very helpful for American doctors and nurses, ambulance personnel, police officers, social workers, and anyone who comes into contact with the general public.
I know a police officer who appears very white. When he has suspicions about a group of Spanish speakers, he will sometimes try to use his limited Spanish. When the suspects hear this, they realize the officer does not understand Spanish, and they feel free to talk to each other in rapid, slang Spanish. What they do not know is that the officer is fluent in Spanish, and his limited Spanish is an act. Suspects think it is fun to talk about the illegal things they are doing, right in front of a police officer, when they think the gringo can't understand. I'm sure the looks on their faces change rapidly when the handcuffs come out and the officer begins using his full Spanish.
Spanish is the language of most of South America and Central America. The traveler does much better with a knowledge of Spanish. A knowledge of Spanish is also helpful when travelling to southern Europe: Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Portugal and Italy? They speak Portuguese and Italian in those two countries. How is Spanish helpful?
The Spanish, Portuguese and Italian languages are all direct descendants of Latin. If a person can speak Spanish, that person can also functionally communicate to people who speak Portuguese and Italian. In studying Spanish, the student almost gets three languages for the price of one.
