8 Reasons To Learn A New Language.
If you are like most people, the idea of learning a new language probably sounds like a lot of work. It seems as if it would be difficult to know enough about another country's culture and language just by talking with them for hours on end. But don't let this deter you from exploring the world through learning a new language; there are plenty of reasons to give your mind a break from English and take on another tongue. Some may be more practical than others, so depending on your interests and schedules, consider one or all of these 8 reasons to learn an entirely new language!
1. Travel
If you're like me, you've always wanted to visit a new city or country. However, even if you can't travel as much as you want or would like to, learning a new language will still allow you to get a taste of what it's like in another part of the world. When I was studying Arabic in Morocco recently, I was able to talk with and meet people from all over North Africa about the culture and food there. Not only did it give me more perspective on how other people lived their lives, but it also helped me to think about my own culture in different ways.
2. Career Advancement
Although it isn't necessary to be able to speak in a language that you aren't fluent in for your career, many companies will hire for jobs that require at least some knowledge of other languages. For example, I have a friend in the publishing world who speaks Arabic. Although he hasn't come across any Arabic-speaking clients yet, he still knows Arabic and will have an advantage over others when this opportunity arises. Many people are also hired to work internationally as translators or working in business relations with another country. Even if you are only used to learning English, some companies will hire you as a proofreader or editor of a translation just because you can understand one language. Much like with my friend who speaks Arabic, it is also advantageous for global business relations to have different people from different countries speaking each language.
3. Education
Much of what we learn in school is in English, so if you speak another language, you will be able to learn more about different cultures and perspectives than what is taught in the classroom. In the same vein, learning another language can help students who want to study abroad; my sister said that having French (one of her languages) helped her when she transferred into a French university after studying in the United States. When you are able to speak another language, you can have conversations with the people in your classes. Although this is not necessary for most classes, there are some majors that require a foreign language, so knowing another language can also help in finding a job or getting into college.
4. Vocabulary Development
Studying a new language every few months will allow you to build up your vocabulary at an accelerated rate. That's because when learners are exposed to a new way of speaking a second and third language, they unconsciously make more connections between the words they don't know and those that they do. This is because they have taken the time to understand the new words that they have learned through listening, reading, or watching. This is one of the reasons why Spanish speakers learn another language faster than English speakers do: the vocabulary in Spanish is more similar to those in French or German. If you can master a new language, you will automatically gain a greater fluency in your own because you will be transferring these same words along with their meanings into your mind.
5. Culture
Learning a foreign language will help you get closer to another culture by giving you a better understanding of how people live and how they interact with each other on a daily basis. For example, I learned a little bit of Hungarian by watching Brat Pack movies and hanging around the language school in college, but I got much more out of reading a book and talking with locals. The book was similar to a novel called "transylvanian history" while the locals were able to show me what their culture was all about as they spoke. When you can speak with someone from another country, they will be able to tell you what things are like in their home country and how they feel about other people through the ways that they speak and act.
6. Travel Skills
Knowing how to use another language in a situation that calls for it will give you the ability to communicate in a foreign country. This can be useful for travelers who visit countries that speak different languages so that you can get around and ask questions about the local culture. This is especially helpful if you plan on visiting many different countries because it will help you learn from others' mistakes (for example, when learning Japanese, I learned from other travelers only to have my wallet stolen). If you are able to navigate with another language as well as English, it can even help your learning process if you run into problems along the way.
7. Confidence
Although it is true that the opposite is also true, when you start learning a new language, your confidence in English will go up as you improve at it. The reason why this happens is because it's important to practice speaking a different language with someone native to the country you are traveling to so that you're not just using a word or saying something wrong because of an unfamiliar accent. This will also help you get over any fears or misconceptions about the way someone from another country speaks English. Once you master a second language, this same process can happen for your own spoken English as well as for any other languages that you want to learn!
8. Bonding
Although you will have to meet people from other countries and learn about their cultures, it's okay to be a little shy about it. Joining something like a youth group in your hometown or finding a group here at home that has members from varying countries can give you the opportunity to meet people from other cultures while learning new things about your own. Being around people with different backgrounds can help you to understand how they think and how they act, which can help you become more confident in both of your lives.
9. Job Opportunities
Many countries use English as their primary language today, so if you are able to speak another language, it can open up many job opportunities for you.
Conclusion
So even if you are not trying to make new friends with a language, it is still a good idea for you to learn another language. It can help in getting into college or business, opening up communication with others, and possibly giving you the confidence that will allow you to be your own person. Whether it's because of wanting to travel or just because someone offers you a job, knowing another language can be helpful in many aspects of your life!
Do you know another reason why it's good for people to know more than one language? Share!
(Image courtesy of iStockphoto.com.)
This post was originally published on September 9, 2005.