While there are a number of language specific opportunities such as working in the diplomatic core, tourism or teaching, don’t underestimate how knowing Spanish can provide opportunities and open doors in any industry. Whether you have a passion for science and looking to complete research at Madrid University,or love social media and had an idea that would reach South America, NCEA Spanish can create stepping stones to take you on the future path you want to be on.
Why Learn Spanish?
Over 572 million people speak Spanish worldwide, so while the population of Spain is under 50 million people, Spanish is the official language of 18 American countries, is spoken throughout Europe, and has a surprisingly large number of learners throughout Asia.
Coming from New Zealand with our mixed dialect English that embraces many of the sounds heard in te reo Māori, New Zealanders have a distinct advantage to learning Spanish that many other monolingual English speakers don’t have. The vowel sounds between te reo Maori and Spanish are very similar, and while maori doesn’t trill the R like some Spanish accents, we can certainly get a good roll happening.
In 2020 the New Zealand launched a campaign to develop economic and cultural ties with Latin America, and according to MFAT (the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade), New Zealand has formal connections with Spanish speaking countries in the Americas through:
- the United Nations (UN);
- World Trade Organisation (WTO);
- the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC);
- the Pacific Alliance;
- MERCOSUR;
- the Community for Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC);
- the Central American Integration Scheme (SICA);
- the Forum for East Asia – Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC); and
- the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.
With our global village able to interact online, there are also an increasing range of opportunities for Spanish speakers that don’t involve leaving New Zealand. Of course, there are also Embassy’s of Spanish speaking countries that hire local people with language skills, which provides a whole range of locations to choose from.
Creating Cultural Awareness
If you are going into business one of the biggest skill areas that you can develop is intercultural communication. This means understanding how cultures outside of your own work in areas like gift giving (professionally and personally), time keeping, authoritative structure and so on.
By embracing all that NCEA Spanish has to offer you will quickly find your ability to discover cultures outside of your own expands – beyond the stereotypes that you might already have with European Spanish or Latin American cultures.
This is because the NZ Curriculum, rightly, takes the view that language can not be learnt in a silo. In order to best develop a fluency within a target language you need to also develop an understanding of the culture. Just think of how the use of profanity is viewed in English speaking America compared to English speaking Australia or New Zealand! Being aware of these cultural differences and how they are interpreted within a culture can be the difference between a failed or thriving business agreement.
NCEA Spanish In a Bilingual World
Because New Zealand is still a predominantly mono-lingual country, many students don’t understand the value of learning another language, some even believe that English will be enough to work, study or travel anywhere in the world.
In New Zealand 15% of our population speaks te reo Māori at a level that allows for basic communication or better, while in Europe over 56% of people speak a second language fluently. The benefits of learning a language on the neuroplasticity of the brain are well documented and can help ward of neurological diseases like dementia later in life.
Of course, few teenagers are particularly concerned about how their brain is going to cope with being 70 years old. Yet, a report analysed by the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages showed that 25% of businesses in the USA have lost business because there was a lack of language skills from their employees.
NCEA Spanish Creating Confident Students
While you might expect that taking NCEA Spanish would lead to students being able to speak Spanish well, an often-unexpected result is increasing student confidence in sharing ideas and public speaking in English too.
The practice required when learning another language involves stumbling over your words, forgetting what you wanted to say, mishearing, and having to decode a sentence to understand a word in context. All of this means that students become comfortable in being uncomfortable, which can often lead to students who are more able to cope with being put in difficult situations and know that they have the resilience to get through – whether this is exams or public speaking.
To pass NCEA Spanish well you need to not only show that you understand the questions but show that you can infer knowledge. When you are asked questions about an invitation to attend a Christening, are you able to talk about the significance of Christian ceremonies in many Hispanic households? Even though the question may only be specifically relating to why you are invited?
It is this level of high expectations that help New Zealand language learners thrive on the world stage.
Networking and Social Aspects of NCEA Spanish
Because the New Zealand Curriculum for NCEA Spanish includes a strong focus on the socio-cultural aspects of learning Spanish, students are well placed to being able to understand the humour, trends, pop culture and the role religion plays in business and family life for Hispanic families.
In fact, the self-revision assessment asks students if they can
- talk about the consequences of actions and events
- appreciate Spanish humour
- talk about advantages and disadvantages, giving reasons
- argue for and against a hypothesis
Being able to communicate at this level isn’t about having an extensive vocabulary but being comfortable in finding the words that you want to use, and understanding how to express yourself.
Humour, in particular, is very difficult to understand – even when you understand the words used. Even in English we see this problem with American English speakers struggling to see why the dry British humour is funny, or in New Zealand we can compare The Māori Sidesteps show of 2020s with the Billy T. James show of the 1980s to see the different changing cultural values in humour.
Practicing Spanish to Pass NCEA
Taking NCEA Spanish is the first step to learning a language that will take you around the world, physically or virtually. You should also be aiming to pass NCEA with excellence where you can. This means going through past Spanish exams in order to understand the criteria for passing at this level.
For example, at level 1 NCEA Spanish, to pass you need to show you understand the questions, to achieve Merit you need to show you have a clear understanding of the questions, while at Excellence you show you have a thorough understanding.
The difference is subtle, but powerful, and to achieve that slightly higher level comes with more work, but gives more rewards. Other than the potential financial advantage that comes with achieving Excellence at NCEA Level 3 or NCEA Scholarship Spanish, the higher grade can also make it easier to get into tertiary classes that have a more difficult entrance procedure. This includes overseas universities.
If you are taking NCEA Spanish to open career opportunities, then one of the best ways you can ensure those doors are opened is to start by immersing yourself in the Spanish language used in your chosen area.
You could start reading the WHO reports from Latin America, in Spanish, subscribe to relevant Spanish newspapers or magazines, signup to receive updates about research released from the University of Madrid, or simply find YouTube channels that talk about your area of interest.
While Telecinco is the main broadcast station in Spain, there is a multitude of Spanish speaking broadcasters outside of Spain that you can enjoy online.
NCEA Spanish Focus on Business Communication
As MFAT points out, “Spain is the fourth largest European Union economy and the world’s 14th largest economy”, this certainly makes being able to communicate in the native language an advantage. This is also not including the emerging markets throughout Latin America.
Some of the areas that the NZQA suggests will be explicitly focused on when you study NCEA Spanish at any level include:
- how Spanish people act and think
- broaden knowledge beyond cultural stereotypes and national boundaries
- tolerance and positive attitudes between people of different linguistic, cultural, and national backgrounds
- develop the skills, understandings, and attitudes which facilitate the learning of other languages
- develop an awareness of the interdependence of all people
In a world where technology, and a global pandemic, is causing rapid changes in the opportunities for employment, research is showing that ‘soft skills’ are increasingly important. Knowing how to learn, being able to develop interpersonal skills, and the ability to communicate with people outside your immediate cultural group all increase students’ future abilities for finding employment in a field of their choosing.
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