WHY STUDY ITALIAN?

In addition to the academic, cognitive, and social benefits to learning another language, there are definite benefits to learning Italian. For example, consider the following:

• Italian is spoken by almost 60 million people in Italy and over 62 million around the world.
• Italy has the 7^th largest economy in the world and is the 5^th largest industrial producer of goods; indeed, 6 of the world’s biggest global companies have headquarters in Italy. This means that jobs in Italian business can be lucrative!
• Italy is also a major political force in Europe (and the world). For this reason, knowledge of Italian can lead to jobs in diplomacy and trade.
• Italy is at the heart of Western culture and civilization (think Rome, Renaissance, Galileo, Michelangelo, Verdi, Fermi….). So, Italian is often useful (if not necessary) for research and future study in many fields, including art, business, design, music, and sciences.