Should I Learn Tagalog or Spanish?

Question: “I am really excited to find out about these learning techniques! What a difference from my previous attempts at language…
The L-R & AJATT techniques sound promising & I plan on starting up in a few weeks, once I am finished studying for a major exam that is coming up.
But which language?
I work onboard ship with Filipinos for a lil more than 6 months of the year & know a little bit of Tagalog. But I am worried that I will have trouble finding the study material, whereas if I start Spanish there is plenty of material out there. I also have a number of Spanish friends back home, so would get a chance to speak with them when I am home.
There are also a number of similarities between the two, so I thought that perhaps if I started with Spanish that tagalog would be easier down the line.
I have a Teach Yourself Tagalog book that I have opened sporadically over the years, but never really got anywhere.
I would appreciate some suggestions.
Cheers
S. ”

My answer: If you work on a ship with Filipinos for more than 6 months of the year, I suggest studying Tagalog. Having access to native speakers goes a long way in learning and also keeping up your motivation in learning more.

I would only suggest studying Spanish if for some reason you have some other deep, burning desire to learn Spanish. Otherwise, it looks like Tagalog would be the best choice for your particular situation. Don’t worry so much about materials… there are materials out there and once you get the basics down, you can start learning straight from your conversations with the native speakers on your ship.

Hope that helps!

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