Why learn a new language?

Most people believe that learning a new language is a must in order for them to progress and to understand other people’s culture. More people find it interesting to learn new languages. Some would think it is just for educational or business purposes and some would think it is a way to achieve bigger things in life.

However, some people are saying they are contented in knowing a single language. They believe they no longer need to learn a new one.

So it seems everyone speaks English. Well, surely not everyone knows and speaks the English language. Fact is, English is considered a universal “lingua franca” for many decades. This, however, should not be a deterrent to learn a foreign language.

The outlook that English alone is adequate creates self-induced restrictions. To remain monolingual is to limit your chances of knowing other culture and people through their language.

Learning another language unlocks new opportunities for a whole gamut of learning and gives you viewpoints that you might otherwise never have come across. Private, proficient, communal, and monetary contemplations all point to the benefits of learning foreign languages.

This article will give you several reasons to help you decide to learn new languages instead of being content with knowing just one:

First, learning a new language may amaze the people around you. Hearing you speak in different languages will make them think of the amount of hard work and time educating yourself with languages. You will probably get quite many praises on your newly-acquired skill.

Also, you will definitely boost and develop your confidence. You will get to overcome some of your worries and hesitations, learn further about yourself, meet new people, and perhaps travel to places you have not ventured to visit before.

Secondly, learning a new language will absolutely boost your mind power. Reading and speaking a new language will help your brain neurons to work efficiently. Ellen Bialystok, a psychologist at York University in Toronto, stated that foreign languages are more likely better on homogenous tests than those of monolingual people, predominantly in categories of math, reading, and vocabulary.

In addition to that, a study which is also conducted around a parallel time by Researchers from University College London has revealed that learning new languages transforms grey matter which is the area of the brain that processes information, in the same manner that workout builds muscles.

The third one is to improve your credibility in any employment. We live in a fast globalized world and businesses are continuously expanding overseas with clients from all over the world. Between two applicants with the exact same proficiency and experience, the person who is bilingual or better yet, a multilingual is perhaps much more likely to get the job first.

Also, being a polyglot is definitely beneficial for business success. The benefits of effective communication across many languages have long been known by the universal business community as an essential tool for association building and monetary success.

You are able to understand not just their language, but also their business and economic issues. Therefore, this is more likely helpful to your own good when it comes to finding a job.

Fourthly, learning new languages helps you become more open-minded. In fact, as a renowned book author of “Language and Culture: Global Flows and Local Complexity”, Karen Risager has underlined that in recent years, strengthened study obsessed by what traditional modifications define themselves be presently controlled in the semantic and pragmatic systems of the various languages, and by means of how linguistic improvement and interconnection contributes to the progress of ethnical identities and cultural models of the world.

Learning a new language and getting saturated into a completely new culture and world outlook is the guaranteed way to become an open-minded, empathetic individual, and that is, I would contend, unconditionally invaluable. As soon as you are conscious of the fact that we are all cultural beings, yields of our own environments, and that you distinguish the cultural base for your own behavior, you are already in a more advantageous light.

Seeing the world from an altered viewpoint, and understanding where you and others come from, is a bizarre, eye-opening experience.

Another one is to discover and explore new culture including its values, principles, and beliefs, and the language of another country. Songs, shows, works, poetry, drama, and fine arts; the list of wonderful things that culture brings to our lives is boundless.

You might have heard the line “language and culture are two sides of the same penny” and I would tend to agree with this. One of my own preferences, exploring a new culture is an enormously inspiring experience tied to the knowledge of a foreign language.

Of course, you can learn a specific culture without knowing the language, but that is like watching a video of a live show. You get to understand the demonstration, understand the plot, and more, but you fail to see the thrill and the actual sensation of being in the audience in the cinema. You can hit the books a lot about a culture, but you cannot sense entirely without hurling yourself in, and that begins with the language.

And finally the chance of meeting new people and develop a lifetime of friendships, or even your lifetime romantic relationships. I, myself consider this as the most significant reason. That, meeting new and exciting people and having lifelong relationships are definitely worth seeking for, and learning another language is a guaranteed way to accelerate that process.