As part of their initiative to celebrate and recognize some of the world’s most spoken languages, UNO celebrates World Spanish Language Day every year on April 23rd.

The body of the UNO that manages such events is known as UNESCO. This activity was initiated back in 2010. The aim was to promote sentiments of cultural integration and multilingualism. And most importantly, the goal is also to boost the use of Spanish, as it is also a part of the six official languages of UNO.

From a historical perspective, 23rd April is also a day dedicated to celebrating the literary work of the famous Spanish writer Miguel De Cervantes.

Why Does the UN Celebrate Spanish Language Day?

When a language is among the top 3 most spoken languages in the world, it automatically elevates its status as an important language. Spanish comes right after Mandarin and Hindi, as there are over 500 million native speakers of this language, widely distributed in over twenty-five states.

Spanish Is A Phonetic Language

An interesting fact about Spanish is that it is a very phonetic language. This Makes it easy to learn and speak. Hence, we see a lot of people learning the language. It has also become a good medium of communication for business purposes as well.

Spanish Is Also A Commercial Language

If you are able to learn the Spanish language, it will help you greatly in your commercial activities. There are over 20 countries that have made Spanish your official language. But you cannot claim Spanish to be a foreign language.

For instance, the number of people who speak the Spanish language in North America is greater than the number of people who speak Spanish in Spain.

Spanish Is Often Preferred Over Secondary Languages

Very few languages have reached the utility in workplaces as Spanish has done. In a lot of countries, the second language is never considered more important than the native language.

On the contrary, Spanish is the only language that is considered more important than the first language when it comes to business activities.

Opportunity To Communicate With Foreign Clients

If you are able to learn the Spanish language and utilize it in your business activities, it will give you the opportunity to communicate with your foreign clients, your suppliers, and buyers as well. And if you’re able to do that, this will create a competitive edge for your company.

A Strategic Asset

You will be able to set yourself apart and will be able to quickly secure a contract with foreign companies. Because a lot of companies, especially foreign companies, prefer to sign deals with businesses that are ready to negotiate in their native tongue, which shows a certain level of language diversity. Conducting your business activities in the Spanish language will prove to be a useful strategic asset.

Better Customer Service

English may be the lingua franca of the world. But within the past couple of years, we have seen that companies and global brands are going more local as compared to global.

And the reason behind that is that it leads to better customer service and increases the clientele percentage. Moreover, enhances brand loyalty, improves the brand image, and sustains customer acquisition. Hence, it is one of the biggest business advantages that a company can attain for itself.

On the other hand, when we talk about the pharmaceutical industry, if you’re able to communicate in the Spanish language or translate your medical devices into the Spanish language you will be able to cater to a broader target market and audience.

How Is The Spanish Language Day Celebrated?

One may ask what actually happens on the UN’s Spanish language day?

Well, there are different events that take place, and organizers all around the world, especially in states that have Spanish, as a native language or as the official language, conduct different and interesting activities to celebrate the Spanish language.

As we have mentioned earlier, there are over 20 Different countries where Spanish is spoken. All of these countries take up the initiative to conduct events in which reading is involved.

Now, one may wonder what type of Spanish content is actually read on that particular day?

Reading Spanish Novels

Well, the reading that is done is very specific. One of the greatest acclaimed Spanish novelists in the world, named Miguel de Cervantes, has written some of the most widely

accepted Spanish novels. So, on the 23rd of April, people from around the world participate, to read his work. They mainly include novels, for instance, “the dialogue of the dogs” and, “the little gypsy girl”.

Book Clubs

Book clubs around the world get together and collectively read his novels, especially the ones that we have mentioned. They conduct book reviews and discuss the beauty of the content that is presented in these novels. How one can learn from it, and how it can make the world a better place.

Celebrating Spanish Authors

Meanwhile, Miguel is not the only Spanish author that is celebrated; there are other widely recognized Spanish novelists and writers that are celebrated as well. For instance, they include Carlos Julia Alvarez and Rosa Montero. These are some of the other widely acclaimed Spanish writers that have given us some great Spanish literary content.

Learning Spanish

On the other hand, a lot of people make the commitment to learn the Spanish language, Spanish language. If you learn the Spanish language, it will be of great significance and benefit to you.

For instance, it will help you to travel to Spanish-speaking countries. On the other hand, if you’re conducting business in foreign states, learning Spanish will be immensely useful because the majority of the countries around the world, especially European countriesand South American countries speak the Spanish language. So if you brush up your Spanish skills, it definitely helps you conduct business in the States.

Celebrating Spanish Culture And Entertainment

Another thing that you can do is you can celebrate the Spanish entertainment culture and tradition. You can listen to popular Spanish songs, for instance, songs by Madonna or Ricky Martin. These are worldwide, loved, and celebrated Spanish songs. Hence, it shows us that rather than separating and segregating communities, language can actually help us and bring together communities.

Using Social Media Platforms

Furthermore, you can use social media platforms to celebrate this language as well. Just simply tweeting the hashtag Spanish language day will be enough for a person who doesn’t know how to speak or has no interest in the Spanish language. If it is done around the world, it will advocate the interconnectivity of cultures and promote multilingualism.

Conclusion

The United Nations always attempts to bring together world communities that are separated by distance, territory, religion, and language.

In this article, we discussed the UNO’s initiative to celebrate the 6 most spoken languages in the world. And Spanish is of those languages.

Spanish is widely spoken. Many countries have made it their official language. Hence, it is necessary to celebrate the importance of the languages. And advocate the beauty and significance of how a language can actually bring people together.