In today's world, French is a widely-used language spoken daily by about 150 million people and understood by many more. Knowing French can help you communicate with a large and diverse segment of the modern world.

French is also the language used by great philosophers, writers and artists whose ideas have helped shape our own ways of thinking and feeling. The knowledge of French may help you better understand these ideas and therefore, the world in which we live.

Students select German basically for three reasons: family background, career interests, and for the language itself.

Family Background: If your family background is German, Austrian or Swiss, knowing German would enhance your understanding and appreciation for your own roots.

Career Interests: German is an excellent language for students interested in business, mathematics, engineering, chemistry, physics, biology and medicine.

The Language Itself: English is essentially a Germanic language; therefore, much of the vocabulary and grammar are similar to English. It is easy to understand such cognates as Mann, Bus, Garten and Haus.

Spanish is present all around us, in words we use daily, in the Hispanic friends and neighbors who are part of our lives, in endless job opportunities, and even in popular foods we enjoy.

Spanish is one of the most widely used languages in the world. It is especially useful for someone living in the United States. Our closest neighbors to the south and one of our own territories, Puerto Rico, whose inhabitants are U.S. citizens, are Spanish speaking.

A knowledge of Spanish is a great asset in the business and service professions, especially in and near cities like Cleveland, where large Spanish-speaking communities reside.

Those who choose to serve others in such jobs as doctor, lawyer, teacher, social worker, counselor, fire fighter, and law enforcement will serve much more effectively with Spanish to help them.