It is a huge plus to be bilingual in Washington state. If you are planning to move to Washington state for family, health, retirement, or work reasons, you should know that Latinos are the second largest population of our state. Knowing a few essential words and phrases in Spanish will be extremely helpful for you. I wish someone had told me about this before I moved here, so consider me “paying it forward” to you.

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There are so many new things I have come to learn and love about the Hispanic culture that is flourishing here in Washington. I love that despite coming from different cultural backgrounds in Washington state, we all know how to have fun, even if we don’t speak the same language!

DO YOU NEED TO GET FLUENT IN SPANISH BEFORE YOU MOVE TO WASHINGTON?

No, you don’t need to speak Spanish fluently but it's helped me better understand my fellow Washington state friends and neighbors. It’s lively and fun out here in Washington!

Learning how to speak Spanish in Washington will also let you be able to help someone out if they are not fluent English speakers. You could be stopped by someone who is lost and asks you for directions somewhere. You might get asked in Spanish for instructions on how to do something.

OTHER REASONS WHY KNOWING SPANISH IS HELPFUL IN WASHINGTON STATE:

• You will often be greeted with a Spanish language option on the phone when calling customer service lines.

• You will see billboard signs in Español or perhaps hear some commercials in Spanish.

• You might also attend school family nights with English being translated into Spanish alongside the speaker.

• You will indubitably hear somebody jammin’ down the street in their vehicle with traditional regional Mexican music blasting out of their speakers.

• When you attend a court hearing in certain counties, you will likely have to wait through the Spanish-translated cases first before they get to the English-speaking ones. This is because the interpreters are not always available, so the courts make the best use of the Judge’s time in the courtroom. Just something to be prepared for.

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