Today we live in a super-connected, fast-paced world with a million opportunities and I’m sure this is not going to change anytime soon. The truth is being able to communicate in another language is a vital skill in today’s interdependent world that allows you to engage with people of different nations in a more meaningful way.
Not only does it help when you travel abroad, but also it helps you in general studying and career opportunities.
I know it may seem frustrating sometimes, especially when you start learning. It seems that you’re not moving any further, especially when there’s so much information, and you don’t know where to start but trust me, I’ve been there and I know how it feels! Â
I learned English as my second language and Korean as my third when I was studying at university. Two absolutely different languages with different writing systems, structure, and grammar.
Learning a second language is not something that happens overnight, it does take time and practice. Whether you’re a beginner or somewhere between intermediate and advanced levels I can tell you for sure, that is worth your effort!Â
In this post I want to give you some kind of encouragement, saying that the most important thing is TO START.
Here I want to give you a list of why you should start or continue learning another language:Â
1. Increases your brain power
Learning a new language is learning a whole new system of rules, lexis, and structure. To me, it was like learning another whole world, honestly.
It gives your brain that “healthy” stress or complexity that your brain has to cope with while learning and absorbing new patterns.
It trains your brain and gives you lots and lots of cognitive benefits such as improved memory, critical-thinking skills, problem-solving, enhanced concentration, and better listening skills.
It’s easier for bilinguals or multilinguals to switch between tasks faster, adapt to different environments better, and be more flexible and creative!Â
I think acquiring those skills is already a great reason to start learning a foreign language.
2. Connecting with people
One of the greatest benefits of it is being able to connect with people from all over the world.
It makes you a local no matter where you are and it gives you the opportunity to communicate with a wider range of people on a personal and professional level. Locals love it when you speak their language because it’s charming! Â
And even more, you can build lifelong friendships and see how open people are when you speak their mother tongue.
3. Career opportunities
Acquiring language skills can be a competitive advantage setting you apart from your peers who speak only one language.
Language skills are even among the top eight skills required of all occupations and it doesn’t matter what your field is and what your experience level is.
According to Eton Institute’s Language Development in the UAE Workforce Survey (September 2014), 89% of clients stated that multilingual employees add value to the workforce and 88% stated that recruiting team members with language skills is important to their organization.
In many companies, language skills also lead to increased salaries and extra incentives. In fact, in the military, you get a higher wage for any extra language you learn after you pass an exam. Â
4. Better your decision-making skills
Decisions made in your second language are made more reason-driven than those made in your native language. Any language has its nuance and subtle implications in its vocabulary, and these biases can subconsciously influence your judgment.
Simply speaking, when we think in a second language, we actually distance ourselves from the emotional responses associated with our mother tongue, leading to a clear reason-driven decision.
5. Improves your memory
Learning a foreign language helps you improve your memory. Not only does it require memorizing and understanding new vocabulary and grammar, but it also requires you to recall and apply your knowledge. As a result, multilingual people have a better memory than monolinguals.
The more we exercise and train our brain – the better it works. It’s that simple!
Moreover, scientists have found that people who can speak more than one language tend to develop dementia (Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia; memory loss) up to five years later than monolingual people.
You still don’t know if you should start? Keep on reading.
6. Opens up your mind
As I mentioned before, the ability to speak another language gives you the ultimate opportunity to communicate with people from all around the world.
It allows you to deeply learn about another culture’s traditions, art, and history as you begin to understand the language and the way people think. As a result, it helps you to be more tolerant, accepting, and empathetic to others. You become more understanding of other people’s opinions and actions.Â
Studies show that children who have studied another language are more open toward and express more positive attitudes toward the culture associated with that language.
7. It’s great for traveling
Knowing more than one language can be very handy when you travel.
Moreover, travelers who speak more than one language are more easily able to navigate outside the tourist bubble and connect and interact with the locals in a way that is often inaccessible to those who don’t know the language. Â
It helped me in many ways:
- Not being overcharged when taking a cab
- Communicating with locals
- Ability to explain my needs
- Make friends!
- Being able to understand the menu and order what I want
- Ask for directions
- Even help some people out
- Negotiate prices
- And a lot more!
8. Boosts your confidence
If you ask me if knowing another language increases confidence? Heck yes!
The explanation is that you increase your confidence when you learn and master a new skill.
During the process, you’re putting yourself out there and moving out of your comfort zone, especially when you practice speaking. But once you master it, it gives you this nice sense of fulfillment, that boosts your self-confidence.
Self-confident people are more attractive than those who are unsure of themselves. Let’s face it!
Related article: 10 Ways To Start Living Your Best Life
9. Ability to learn more languages 10X easier
When you learn another language you find better structures and techniques that work for you and you apply them in order to learn more productively and faster.
If you’ve been learning a language for a while but never really paid attention to what works better for you, go and figure it out right now as it will increase your productivity and will help you learn faster!
Once you know what technique works the best for you and you master the process, you can apply the same technique when learning more languages.
It is called “metalinguistic awareness”, when you analyze, identify, break down into steps, succeed, and then apply the same technique when learning another language.Â
I hope I showed you enough reasons to stop procrastinating and learn or improve another language.Â
What languages do you speak? What are your best techniques to learn?
Read More:
14 Things That Helped Me Learn & Improve My Target Language
12 Best Online Jobs That Allow You To Travel Full-Time
14+ Things You Need To Know About Impostor Syndrome And How To Fight It
