Communication is the key to everything. If communication is the body, language is the heart and soul of that body.
Learning foreign languages can enable you to find a common shoe with many. It can expand your horizons.
From greeting like a local in a foreign land to landing your dream job learning foreign language can work like a charm for you.
Check these 21 raesons to learn foreign language and do not delay that urge to master another language.
21 Reasons to Learn Foreign Language
1. Become a World Language Expert
To become an expert of language, you must be aware of linguistic patterns of various languages ‘within and without the city.’
In other words, you have to know the languages intricately. It is easy to know a lot about the native language.
However, you can become an expert if you learn and know a foreign language with a similar gusto. If you can master languages, a world of opportunity will open up to you. You can travel freely, apply for overseas studies and job openings too.
2. Enhances Your Mother Tongue
Did you notice ‘secretary’ has the root’ secret’ in it? Well, I did not.
Recently, I have started to learn Irish and I came to know the Irish word for secretary is ‘runai’. It means mystery in ancient literature.
In short, learning a foreign language can help to unfold the depth of the native language. You can boost the vocabulary of your mother tongue through foreign languages.
3. Become Historically Advanced
You would be amazed to know Greek is not only a golden apple of mythology but of linguistic history as well. Among many ancient languages, Greek is a language that evolved and survived in the modern period.
During antiquity, Greek was the lingua franca. It was the official language of the Byzantine Empire. In contemporary times, Greek is the official language of Greece and Cyprus.
At least 13.5 million people speak the language today in Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Albania, and many other countries. You can unearth such beautiful historical information and become historically advanced by learning a foreign language
4. Deepens Cultural Connection
It is a well-known fact that bilingual or multilingual are better empaths. Language is a crucial link to other cultures.
Knowing the language can help one understand the religion, art, and socio-political condition of that particular culture. You can voice your feelings too.
All these make one who knows a language foreign to him more tolerant and empathic towards other cultures. This deepens the cultural connection among individuals.
5. Be an Own Culture Expert
For an English-spoken person, ‘ macaroni’ is a common word. But did you know it is an Anglicization of the Italian ‘maccherone’?
Many such words have directly come from the Italian ancestors, from Latin to English. The coinage of words represents the cultural transition between Italy and England.
Hence, learning a foreign language can enable you to delve deep into the cultural history of your native language.
6. Enjoy Art in Its Original Form
Many artistic works have been translated throughout history. But the translations lack the true essence of the original work.
If you can read and understand other languages, you can enjoy great art without any subtitles or translations.
You can understand what is impossible for others to read, for example The Hebrew Bible!
7. Creates Job Opportunities
Approximately 43% of the population is bilingual, and 17% is multilingual worldwide.
In this capitalist market, bilinguals and multilingual are great competitors for their monolingual peers. There are many high ranked jobs such as translator, advisor, foreign ministry, foreign language expert, job of an ambassador to name a few. These are open only to foreign language learners.
So, learning a foreign language is always beneficial if you want to open a world of job opportunities and desire to advance into it.
8. Advancement for Start-Ups
With the advent of 2023, the coming-to-age people will advance more into businesses or start-ups.
In 2022 many chose to learn Mandarin Chinese as a second language for China advanced towards new businesses and start-up opportunities.
So, if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you have to be globally-minded. And that is only possible if you choose to learn a foreign language.
9. Increases I.Q. Level
It is proven that learning a foreign language increases I.Q level.
It enhances listening skills and memory and builds aptitude in solving problems and working with abstract concepts.
One becomes good at academics with excellent math skills. Additionally, the learner becomes a talented artist as well.
10. Improves Communication Skill
Imagine yourself in the corridor of your new school in Japan making new friends and cracking some friendly jokes! This is possible.
You can quickly improve your communication skills and build friends worldwide by learning one or two foreign languages.
Besides, being bilingual boosts your communication skills in the mother tongue.
11. Builds an Understanding of Other Subjects
As a foreign language learner, you will be able to understand and appreciate a wide range of other subjects, such as art, music, film, science, and philosophy.
A person who studies a foreign language becomes liberal to the core as they are exposed to the bounty of knowledge.
12. Can Buildup Decision-Making Ability
According to studies, we get emotionally attached to our mother tongue. Therefore, our mind becomes biased while making a decision.
On the other hand, if you know a second or third language and can process thoughts in that language, you will make decisions radically.
Learning a foreign language makes you more reason-driven.
13. Reinforces the Better Learner in You
As I am multilingual, I can pinpoint my setbacks while learning. When I learned Korean after Japanese, I already knew what my loopholes were, and I eliminated them easily. I learned a new language as well as became a better learner.
14. Improves Cognitive Health
Speaking a second language can keep your doctor away. Yes, that is true!
The cognitive benefits of knowing one or more foreign languages are enormous. It improves memory, sharpens the mind, and expands the attention span.
Moreover, it slows down the fast aging of cognitive health.
15. Guides to Explore the World
Do you like traveling and making friends aboard? Then you should learn a foreign language.
If you know foreign languages like the natives exploring the world becomes 10 times more accessible and fun.
You do not need to depend on your guide solely to navigate and relate everything to you. You can interact with people and enjoy the diversity of the place.
16. Makes You a Smart Tourist
There are possibilities that you can lose your sanity while traveling to a new place. Stop being ‘an obvious tourist’.
Instead, learn the local language of the foreign land and use some survival sentences to enjoy the trip as a smart tourist.
Thanks to my broken Arabic, I could enjoy my trip to the Great Pyramid of Giza without shooing away the tout.
17. Boosts Your Confidence
Learning a new language is a daunting task. You will make mistakes and have to get out of your comfort zone.
However, on the flip side, once you master a new language, you will become confident.
In a foreign land, while conversing with the natives, you will feel proudly accomplished.
18. Passing Tough Exams Becomes Easy
Learning a second language boosts the learner cognitively. This reflects in the performance of Mathematics and the English Language.
In the long run, some of the toughest exams like SAT, GRE, IELTS, and TOEFL become easier for them.
19. Become a Learned Global Citizen
Almost 2.76 million people migrated globally in the fiscal year of 2022.
Most border-crossed people live in a developed country, so studying a foreign language helps learners beat the competition.
Besides, it qualifies one to become a learned and responsible global citizen with no barriers towards diverse cultures and socio-political conditions.
20. Increases Your Charm
Do you find Sofia Vergara‘s Spanish accent appealing? Being bilingual and being able to talk in a specific foreign accent is always sexy. Speaking a foreign language can make you more attractive and increases your charm.
21. Helps to Discover Your Potential
Many learners fret very early. But trust me! Nothing can stop you. Ignore all the excuses. Buckle up and challenge yourself to learn a new language. At the end of this, you will discover your potential.
FAQs
Why is it important to learn a foreign language?
It is important to learn a foreign language as it helps one to break socio-cultural barriers and expands the horizon of knowledge. Moreover, it enables one to build a mutual understanding of the foreign land and its people.
Is learning a foreign language online hard?
Learning a foreign language online is difficult, but it is not impossible. Learning a language online is challenging due to the lack of mutual involvement and motivation. Additionally, it requires a lot of information to process. But according to the data provided by the Foreign Service Institute, languages like Frisian, Dutch, and Norwegian are easy to learn even online.
What are the best apps to learn a foreign language?
There are several apps to learn foreign languages. The best of them are Mondly, Mango, Drops, and Memrise. These apps are not only for English speakers but also for kids’ versions.
Conclusion
“A lot of problems in the world would be solved if we talked to each other instead of about each other.”, accurately said Nicky Gumbel.
If one learns foreign languages, he can express his ideas clearly to the world. So without hesitating learn foreign languages from an expert and become a good communicator.