Increase your marketability, fun with second language
Travel therapists bring a multitude of marketable traits to their job to include: flexibility, experience working in multiple locations, exposure to different kinds of people and the ability to think “on the fly.” Therefore, learning a second language is a natural fit and only makes this already adventurous group more appealing to employers. Still further, a bilingual or even trilingual therapist adds a whole new level of opportunity and fun to the job.
In all seriousness, a second language allows allied health professionals to communicate with more patients and better meet their needs. The United States is an incredibly diverse place with dozens of languages spoken here by hundreds of thousands of people. In fact, three states are by de facto bilingual. In Maine, English and French are both legally recognized; in Louisiana, English and French are widely spoken and in New Mexico – although there is no official language – laws are published in English and Spanish, and the government materials and services are required to be accessible in both languages.
In many other states, like those bordering Mexico, Spanish is also widely spoken. California recognizes a multitude of languages and goes so far as to publish its Department of Motor Vehicles documentation in nine languages. Still more, their state documents are translated into Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Persian, Russian, Vietnamese and Thai.
