In an increasingly multicultural world, knowing more than one language can come in handy. Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, or your company operates in a global market, being multilingual is an asset in both your personal and professional life. Here are some advantages of learning a new language.
1. Exercise for your brain.
Students of foreign languages score better on standardized tests, and older learners’ brains grow in ways that signify higher intelligence when they learn a foreign language. It takes considerable effort to learn a foreign language, which gives your brain a good workout and teaches it to work in different ways. The bottom line is, learning a foreign language exercises your brain and keeps it working the best it can.
2. Increased professional opportunities.
Learning another language can open up opportunities for jobs in a different country or working with people from other cultures within the U.S. Some jobs even require employees to be bilingual, and if you’re fluent in another language, you can also work as a translator. For other jobs, being bilingual is a plus and can get you higher pay or other benefits, or it can give you an advantage in being hired, even if it isn’t a requirement.
3. A better time on vacation.
Being able to speak the language fluently will earn you respect in many foreign countries, and you will be able to communicate with locals to learn about attractions and good places to eat that tourists aren’t typically privy to. Also, understanding people when they speak to you will make you feel more at home and comfortable, and can help if you need to deal with an emergency situation while you are there.
4. Help with rational thinking.
Learning a second language helps with decision-making by letting you come to a meaningful conclusion more quickly. The act of going back and forth between two languages enhances rational thinking abilities as well.
5. Improvement of memory.
Having to remember words, phrases and sentence structures from two or more different languages improves the memory of learners and can even help to stave off Alzheimer’s and dementia. This advantage can be especially beneficial for older people in the target age for these diseases.
6. You learn English better.
Learning the grammar and mechanics of an additional language often helps reinforce people’s knowledge of English grammar in the process. Conjugating verbs in another language requires an understanding of how to conjugate English verbs, and so on.
There are a few different ways to learn a new language. Immersing yourself in the culture where that language is spoken is one way to learn, but not many people can afford to move to a different country just to learn a new language. There are online programs and software that teach foreign languages, but many people find they don’t have the self-motivation to follow through and learn a language alone without any support or interaction.
CCSU offers customized language training programs that work around students’ availability and needs. Contact us for more information about how you can learn a new language with individualized support and guidance. Join our mailing list for updates on all the courses we offer.