If you live anywhere in the United States today, you need to learn Spanish. Now I know that this sounds like a bold statement. After all, there are plenty of Americans who can’t speak a lick of Spanish to save their lives, except perhaps for the famous “thank you” and “please.”

Our world continues to change rapidly. The US Census as of July 1, 2006 estimated the current Hispanic population at that time to be 44.3 million and estimates that by the year 2050 that number will exceed 102.6 million. Why is this important, you ask?

Good question. Let’s assume for a second that you are a business professional or business owner or consumer traveler, your ability to speak and understand Spanish conversationally is vital. Please note that these statistics are for the US only and do not include all of South America, Central America, and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands.

It is imperative that you immediately begin to become fluent in Spanish today, and while you do so, that your children also learn this important language.

Well, now you realize how important it is to learn Spanish, especially if you live in North America, but how do you go about this daunting task? The answer is as simple as logging on to the web and letting your mouse be your guide.

Learning Spanish is as simple as downloading a course to your desktop in the form of digital media. This is the simplest and most efficient way to learn not only Spanish but any other language. The cost associated with this method of learning is also a mere fraction of what it would cost you to learn through a traditional school course.

So your next question, of course, is what programs are available to learn Spanish online and exactly how much this will cost me. Do these methods really work? Well, let’s take a look, shall we?

The most popular alternatives are:

RocketSpanish.

Now, although Rocket Spanish has a complete paper course that can be sent directly to your home, we are focusing on the download version. By the way, you get nothing less when using the download version. The download version is only $99.95. That’s right, for the cost of a dinner for two, you’ll be fluent in Spanish in just two weeks.

Rocket Spanish excels at teaching you to speak fluent conversational Spanish. This is Spanish as Latin Americans speak it in their day to day. His training method harnesses all of your senses and allows for exciting and fun course work. They even incorporate an audio and video game system that allows you to quickly and easily master thousands of Spanish words every day.

Learning Spanish like crazy.

This is another great digital download program. Learning Spanish Like Crazy takes you through the step-by-step process of learning Spanish from beginners to advanced levels of fluent Spanish.

Basically, there are 32 lessons that are easy to understand and master as you progress from level to level. This process is really easy, fun, and fast, and the coursework was developed by true college-educated Latin Americans. You will learn Spanish the way it is spoken in North, Central, and South America, including the Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands. This is important because it will allow you to learn the correct pronunciations and accent needed to be understood correctly.

Now Learning Spanish Like Crazy doesn’t have the depth of Rocket Spanish. For example, it does not come with the interactive audiovisual game platform. However, it’s still an amazing course that stands on its own merits. There is also a great forum that you can visit and ask the teachers questions if necessary. By the way, the cost is only $97.

These two programs are the best two that I recommend to learn Spanish immediately.

Both are easy to download and reasonably priced and will have you speaking like a Latin American in as little as 2 weeks. You might even consider both if your budget allows. This would allow you to fully immerse yourself in the process of learning Spanish today. But it would be nice to pick just one to start with.