We often hear people how they’d like to learn a language, but they always seem to come up with reasons not to do it. However, once they finally decide to break the ice and manage to learn a new language, they often regret why they didn’t do it sooner. Language skills are vital for many different aspects of life, so, instead of making excuses, start making a list of reasons why you should learn a new language. Here are just a couple of them to get you started.
It can give you a vast advantage when it comes to business
Speaking more than one language is greatly appreciated in the business world. Regardless of the sector you’re working in (or plan to work in), language skills are some of the most required skills in a number of occupations, and the need for bilingual professionals is on the rise. We live in an era where there’s a need for constant connectedness, and individuals who are able to easily communicate with customers and clients have a major competitive advantage compared to monolingual professionals with the same skill set as theirs. Being able to communicate in a language other than your mother tongue also comes with an increase in salary, and whatever career path you aspire to take, bilingualism will help set you apart from the rest of the applicants or peers.
It’s a great way to keep your brain in shape
Aside from improving your employment prospects, learning another language also comes with a range of cognitive benefits. A great way to give your brain a boost, learning a new language can improve your attention span, increase your memory capacity, and enable you to switch between tasks with ease. Being able to speak in a foreign language is beneficial for individuals of all ages, and learning another language has never been easier. Nowadays, you can easily enroll in one of the programs offered by foreign language schools like Mogi and with the help of highly-trained, dedicated professionals, you can become proficient in the target language in no time.
It makes it easier to meet new people while traveling
Don’t get us wrong – traveling can be equally as fun for monolingual travelers as it can be for bilinguals. However, not being able to speak in the language of the country you’re visiting can limit your interaction to people who work in the travel industry and inhibit your ability to make the most of your trip abroad. On the other hand, when you are familiar with the local language, it gives you an opportunity to communicate and establish a connection with locals, which is a great way to burst through the tourist bubble. Explore accommodation such as B&B and communicate with your hosts or toss away the guidebook and explore the city on your own – when you speak another language, the world is your oyster.
It lets you appreciate works of art on a deeper level
While reading books and watching movies with subtitles can be fun, there are a lot of things that somehow get lost in translation. When it comes to languages and translating them, it can be complicated to convey the message because sometimes, there simply isn’t an equivalent in the other language. Some notions, when translated, don’t retain the same meaning they have in the original work, or they simply do not exist in the language they’re being translated to. However, when you speak another language, you can easily understand the works of art written in that language, which lets you appreciate them on a deeper level than monolingual individuals.
It enables you to easily pick up additional languages
Once you learn another language, it becomes easier for you to pick up additional languages as well. This is due to the fact that, during the process of acquiring a new language, new brain networks are developed, which gives you a chance to learn additional languages much faster and easier. This is especially true for younger learners, as they have natural predispositions for language learning, specifically phonetic and grammatical structures of a target language. Other than making it easier to become a polyglot, learning a new language will also affect your knowledge of your mother tongue, multiplying your vocabulary and boosting your communication skills.
It’s fairly obvious that speaking another language besides your mother tongue comes with a wide range of benefits. While myths and misconceptions still persist, the truth is that anyone can learn a new language, regardless of their age, and depending on the language exposure and the effort involved, any individual can master new language skills. The reasons may vary from person to person, but one thing is certain – you can never go wrong with learning a new language.
