When Laura Miller decided she wanted to major in advertising, she knew she needed a minor that would be useful in the working world. That’s when she decided that a Spanish minor would suit her needs the best.

“I really think it’s important especially like in a business world to really know Spanish, because Spanish is becoming like a second language in the United States,” said Miller, a junior at the University.

Miller’s decision reflects a popular one at the University: choosing to incorporate some form of language studies into one’s curriculum.

Ann Abbott, an assistant professor in the Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, said learning another language is important not only for the global marketplace but for general use within the United States as well.

“If you speak another language it just multiplies the number of people you can reach,” Abbott said.

Abbott pinpointed two skills in particular that help a bilingual student stand out: simple knowledge of another language gives one a broader reach, while cultural understanding of another country helps one become more respectful.

“You realize there’s more than one way to say the same thing, you realize there’s more than one way to do the same thing, and you can carry that over to your business dealings as well,” she said.

While the University offers several programs for language majors and minors, Abbott said other courses, workshops and activities are also available for those who want to pick up conversational knowledge of a language without devoting class time to it.

Abbott suggested reading online newspapers, joining social networks and listening to podcasts to gain not only a basic understanding of another language, but also knowledge of what current events go on in other countries as well; for example, what the effects a presidential election in Honduras may have on a business transaction.

“You cannot even attempt to do business in Central America and not know this huge news event that was going on last year,” she said.

While Spanish might be an obvious choice for some looking to pick up a second language, Associate Professor Richard Tempest of the Russian, East European and Eurasian Center said other languages, such as Russian, hold just as much importance in other sectors of the global marketplace.

“Think energy, oil and raw materials, natural resources,” Tempest said.

“Russia has the largest reserves of all these.”

Tempest said the University’s Slavic department offers several courses for majors and non-majors alike who wish to study Russian, Polish, Ukrainian and other languages.

This includes a couple courses specifically designed for engineers, business majors or others interested in similar careers.

“For those interested in a career in the oil industry, learning Russian can be a big plus,” Tempest said.

Tempest noted a potential new course for the department, called Russian 306.

This class, which would require funds from the federal government, would expand on ideas taught in Russian 305, a language course designed for business majors. It would also take advantage of the Internet, specifically the “Russian web.”

Tempest also said the University offers another type of program, called the Foreign Language Area Study, or FLAS. This program offers language courses to students in languages outlined as “Less Commonly Taught Languages,” or LCTLs, by the federal government. He said it prepares students for careers in government or in the private sector.

Above all, Tempest said learning any language is enough to give someone an advantage in the workplace.

“We live in a globalizing world and we’re becoming more interconnected,” he said. “An English speaker who speaks a foreign language is in a very strong position.”