What would happen if the great professional differential of a university student was not another degree but another language?
In an increasingly globalized and multicultural world, learning a second language can become a tool to better understand people, establish bonds of trust, and exercise a profession with a broader perspective.
With this purpose in mind, the Universidad Adventista del Plata (UAP) offers two academic Spanish learning programs. They are designed so that university students can incorporate the language and return to their home countries as bilingual professionals. Students can choose between a full immersion school year or a one-month internship focused on professional practices related to their career.
Spanish: A Tool for a Professional Future
What is the real differential? It’s not just about speaking another language; it’s about learning to communicate more confidently with people from different cultures, understanding other realities, and acquiring greater confidence to exercise a profession.
This skill is especially relevant when thinking about the diversifying landscape of the world. For example, according to the Pew Research Center, people of Latino origin represent approximately 20% of the U.S. population and constitute one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the country. In this context, speaking Spanish can be a significant professional advantage for those working in areas such as health care, education, business, social services, communication, and many others.
The benefit goes far beyond job possibilities. A professional who can communicate directly with a person in their own language has a better chance of understanding their needs, building trust, and offering more effective service—all without relying on an interpreter. As the journalist and writer Flora Lewis put it, “Learning another language is not just learning different words for the same things, but learning another way of thinking about things.”
Learning Spanish, then, also means learning to look at the world from another perspective.
Learn Spanish By Living It
One of the distinguishing features of the UAP experience is that Spanish is not limited to the classroom.
Spanish is part of everyday life.
Each student has the opportunity to listen, speak, and use the language in real situations. Conversations with classmates, teachers, and community members transform Spanish into an essential communication tool.
In addition, students experience Spanish through cultural trips, social activities on campus, ongoing service and mission experiences, and personal trips within the country or to neighboring countries.
Thus, learning Spanish becomes an opportunity to get to know different Latin American realities and broaden one’s cultural perspective. Language learning becomes part of a life experience.
In the second part of this series, we will continue exploring the advantages of language learning and the important skills that it builds. We will also expand on the missional context that emphasizes diversity and learning within the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
