<p>What about British English? Those blokes across the pond may as well be speaking a different language! I get BBC and watch European soccer (football) though, so I’ve learned to translate.</p>
<p>do you guys think french is useful? i’m fluent but it’s so hard to put it into good use in the states.</p>
<p>in canada, yes, but not really in the states.</p>
<p>getting back to the question…imo…for studying medicine…german & english…for practicing medicine in the US…english…largest increase in populace speaks spanish, and may be helpful.</p>
<p>Ok, people. A few facts:</p>
<p>Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world by native speakers. Spanish is the first language of almost a whole continent (Central America, South America minus Belize, Brazil and the Guianas). Spain, obviously and Equatorial Guinea in Africa. It is the most widely spoken of the Romance Languages ( French, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, Spanish).
Plus it is the second most studied and spoken language in the US.</p>
<p>Learning Japanese, Arabic, German and so on… ( with all due respect ) is a waste of time as far as practical use in residencies, medical school, etc. Then again, the orgasmic intellectual and cultural value may be just too much to pass for some of you…</p>
<p>Just keep in mind that now days, knowing Spanish, makes you more competitive in some major residency programs in the country. One of them, the ophthalmology program at Bascom Palmer in Miami, whihc is number one in the country.</p>
<p>So, do not hate the language. Just learn it.</p>
<p>Spanish is the most useful language.</p>
<p>In the pre-world war II era, German was the international language for science and medicine. Many textbooks were written in German. It was often required for science doctorates. English currently is the major scientific language as almost all important journals in science and medicine publish in English. Nowadays, most educated German-speakers are fluent in English. The tables have turned.</p>
<p>Chinese is spoken as a first language by more people than any other language. English is spoken by more people than any in the world when second, third languages are included. Chinese would only be useful if you plan to practice in China. The only exception would be if you work at a medical school/hospital near Chinatown. I know of colleagues at Tufts which is located next to the Boston Chinatown who have found Chinese helpful, even though most of the patients speak the Cantonese dialect rather than Mandarin which is the national language.</p>
<p>Learning languges does open up unusual possiblities. I learned French and have found it useful in communicating with patients from France, Congo, Haiti, and Morocco. I also speak Mandarin and have found it useful on occasion if a patient has recently immigrated to the U.S. Still, Spanish is by far the most useful language as patients who speak other languages comprise only a small minority of the U.S. population, and frequently are bilingual.</p>
<p>If you are interested in academic medicine, knowing other languages can open up fruitful research opportunities. I know colleagues who are doing important research on AIDs in Haiti due to their fluency in French. I know of others who are doing research projects in China and India because they can communicate easily with patients and collaborators. You also may consider doing a clerkship in Japan while you are in medical school. I was able to do one abroad when I was a medical student. It is a fascinating experience to compare different medical systems and approaches to patient care.</p>
<p>I would also add that you may want to learn your own language. For example, if you are Korean, learn Korean! Chances are, many patients will look for doctors of their own ethnicity, and it would help you more if you are able to speak your language, at least enough to make small talk to make them more comfortable. At least, this is what I’ve observed from my own family.</p>
<p>I second Lovely’s point. Everyday we see older patients from Korea, China, and elsewhere who have moved here to the US to be with their adult children. When they become ill, the language barriers can be so difficult sometimes, it is just heartbreaking. For you aspiring doctors and nurses and other caregivers who can speak to the older folks, it is such a blessing to them and their families, and makes you more effective than you could ever imagine.</p>
<p>^^^This is also part of the reasoning behind affirmative action in med school admissions, that patients are more likely to choose doctors of the same ethnicities as themselves. Let’s face it, if you’re Chinese or Korean, a large portion of your patient base will be Chinese or Korean.</p>
<p>^^^^true that…I’ve never thought about it…</p>
<p>Learning Japanese for medicine is like learning chemistry for business school. Sure, there may be an application at some point, but it’s sure going to be rare.</p>
<p>It’s fun to study, though.</p>
<p>Actually, in high school, we were encouraged to take Latin if we were aspiring medical professionals. However, I don’t think it’s spoken in too many countries anymore.</p>
<p>COLLEGE-perhaps only in revived Catholic masses. It has been a “dead” language for centuries. Still, it is very helpful in learning other romance languages and in understanding our own, to some degree. Actually, ancient Greek may be more “useful” in medical school as many of our medical terms are derived from it. A medical school classmate of mine was a Classics major, and he whizzed through anatomy class.</p>
<p>I also agree that if you already have a second language due to your ethnic background, make sure you learn it well. It is possible that some people from that country will seek you out. However, I think the benefits of this second language usually applies to foreign trained physicians who immigrated here rather than for second generation physicians who are well assimilated and can talk with most patients without problems. Some of foreign born physicians are still more comfortable in their native language (particularly if they were older when they immigrated here), despite training in the U.S. I live in a large metropolitan areas that is very diverse ethnically. Some of these foreign-born physicians have created niches based on their particular ethnic background and language skills. I know of a very successful psychiatrist who sees mostly patients from his home country. Still, this is different than learning a new anguage, and may also involve a familiarity with the culture, particularly with respect to their concepts of disease, authority figures, and family that goes much deeper than learning a second language. For instance, I know that in one particular culture, family members do not want the patient to know the diagnosis if it is a poor one. On the other hand, in the U.S., physicians have an obligation to the patient first and the family second, unless there is some real psychological reason for the patient not to know his/her condition. Even then, I still believe the patient still needs to be informed, albeit couched in terms that would he/she could handle.</p>
<p>I never understood the point of learning latin for the sake of understanding medical roots…
Once you begin learning more terms and such, it seems (at least to me) like you begin realizing what all the roots are anyway.</p>
<p>Spanish is a winner:
<a href=“http://www.proenglish.org/issues/offeng/languagestates.htm[/url]”>http://www.proenglish.org/issues/offeng/languagestates.htm</a></p>
<p>
I thought so, too. Learning Latin just to understand medical roots is unnecessary. It’s a waste of time.</p>
<p>I don’t think its a waste of time. but if given a choice between Latin and Spanish I think Spanish in USA would be more beneficial.</p>
<p>Spanish would be most useful in terms of being able to communicate with the growing Spanish speaking population in the US.</p>
<p>In addition, even if you take a year of Latin, Anatomy will be a breeze for you.</p>
<p>I know for a fact, that some residency program directors are making it an "unofficial requirement’ for their admits to know spanish. ( it also happens to be a very desirable specialty in a very desirable part of the country …)</p>
<p>I HATE Spanish!!!</p>