Importance of Learning Another Language

 Importance of Learning Another Language

Learning another language is becoming more common these days. It is not just about standing out and being cool. Mastering a second or third language, especially in today’s multicultural community, has become necessary. To further understand why it is important, consider the following reasons:

Nearly every country has a diverse population from different backgrounds. The internet has allowed people to communicate with each other, even when they are oceans apart. Learning another language will aid in communicating with those one might come across. 

According to the 2016 census, the United States has a population of 323,127,513 people, and only 76.9 percent of that total identify as pure Caucasian. 17.8 percent identify as Latino, 5.7 percent identify as Asian, and 2.6 percent identify as having two or more racial backgrounds.  

A country where English is the primary language hosts multitudes of folks who speak another language. Hispanics and Latinos primarily speak Spanish and Portuguese. Asians speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Filipino, Japanese, Hindi, and Arabic.  

Even some who identify as Caucasian or white do not primarily speak English. White also refers to Europeans within the United States who also speak French, German, or Italian. Communicating in English with someone from France might be strenuous for both parties. If both can fluently speak in French, then this barrier is eliminated.

Learning Another Language

Learning another language is important. It allows you to communicate with people around the world. Not only that, it’ll also help you understand different cultures.  

When studying a new language, you’ll learn the etymology of specific words and language construction. You’ll also discover how it relates to the people who speak it.  

Cultures, like those of the Japanese or Filipino, are very deeply rooted in their language. While saying “yes” and “no” in English is plain as day, the manner of saying it in a different language can reflect things like cultural understanding and respect.  

“Hai” is Japanese for “yes,” but saying it as “wakarimashita” suddenly means the speaker is saying it with respect and that he or she strongly agrees.  

Nelson Mandela also emphasized this when he said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

Being Bilingual Increases Intelligence

According to a 2004 study conducted by psychologists Ellen Bialystok and Michelle Martin-Rhee, posted by the New York Times, bilingual people are likely to be more intelligent. 

This is because studying and mastering more than one language improves the executive function of the brain.  This portion of the brain is responsible for the attention process utilized in planning, problem-solving, and handling demanding mental tasks. 

One of the key reasons why bilinguals develop this heightened intelligence is that their brains are required to constantly adapt to a changing environment.  

A child may have to keep track of many details while speaking to their parents in different languages, constantly shifting as the necessities of their conversations change.

Top 10 Benefits of Learning More Than One Language

1. Improve Your Career & Business

When employers list the skills they most seek in a candidate, “knowing more than one language” is listed among the top eight, regardless of the job title, the economic sector, or the candidate’s experience. In other words, whether you’re an engineer, a restaurant server, a salesperson, or a small business owner, a role in any multilingual environment will serve your professional goals well.  

And while knowing more than one language is a powerful way to distinguish yourself from your peers and colleagues, it’s becoming less of a nice-to-have and more of a job requirement. A full 90% of U.S. employers report relying on employees who speak more than one language, with one in three of these businesses reporting a significant “language skills gap.”

2. Build Deeper Connections With More People

When you can communicate with someone in her language, you open up infinite ways to connect. The entire experience of interacting with your fellow humans, getting to know them, and working alongside them is enriched by sharing their language. You will be shaped by communities. You will be humbled by the kindness of strangers. You will build lifelong friendships.

3. Sharpen Your Decision-Making

Decisions made in a second language are more reason-driven than decisions made in your first language.3 When tackling a challenge in a second (or third or fourth) language, you gain the objectivity and emotional distance you need to properly assess the situation. The result? Clear-eyed choices made through sound, systematic thinking.  

4. Feed Your Brain

Research indicates that people who speak more than one language develop better memory, talent for problem-solving, the ability to concentrate, and a tendency to be creative than people who speak only one language. Knowing at least a second language also reduces the chances of cognitive decline as you age. 

 5. Treasure Other Cultures. 

Culture is the collection of a group’s traditions, arts, customs, social institutions, and achievements, passed from generation to generation. But the surest way to understand a culture is to know it, empathize with it, and come to adore it is to know its language. In studies, children who have studied an additional language like and respect the culture associated with that language, as well as demonstrate higher levels of empathy and tolerance. Language learning deepens and expands the way we move through the world.

6. See the World (More Fully) 

When you travel somewhere and know the language, the entire experience transforms. Traveling becomes more dynamic, more full of nuance and opportunities. Knowing the language lets you escape the “tourist bubble” and interact with people and places nobody else could. You can read the street signs to find amazing locales, engage in more meaningful conversation, and immerse yourself in local culture, food, and art.  

7. Boost Your Confidence 

As you’re learning a language, you’ll make plenty of mistakes, often in front of the audience of your teacher and classmates. But these “mistakes” are actually steps toward becoming a more proficient speaker and more resilient learner. Studying a language allows you to take risks and step into something new and slightly uncomfortable, offering a fantastic chance to grow and mature. And when you eventually find yourself conversing with someone in their language, your sense of accomplishment will be unparalleled.

8. Expand Your Perspective 

Learning another language means learning another culture. And learning another culture means drawing comparisons between it and your own culture. You naturally discover places—places both positive and negative, where the cultures diverge. Your understanding of the awesomeness of humanity’s diversity and ingenuity grows in a thousand new directions.  

9. Experience Art in Its Original Form 

Most of the world’s history and art, its books, news, films, music, essays, stories, and online experiences, are in a language you don’t (yet) know. With more than 7,000 spoken languages on Earth, you could spend countless lifetimes exploring the many source materials if only you knew the language. Reading a love poem by Neruda in its original Spanish, reciting Homer’s epics in their original Greek, or watching “Rashomon” in Kurosawa’s original Japanese, these are all profound experiences that only language learning can offer.  

10. Become a Polyglot. 

When you learn a second language, two amazing things happen. First, you come to know and speak your first language better. Second, learning a third language is much easier than the second (especially for children).4 Take a bold step toward communicating in as many languages as you choose!

Knowing Several Languages Improves Chances of Landing a Job

There is no secret formula to land a job, but one element that may help is to learn another language. A nurse who only speaks English will be reliable for most situations. However, the nurse will not be able to help a patient who only speaks Mandarin or Hindi. A nurse who can speak both English and Mandarin would then become a more valuable employee.  

Bilingual priorities are especially common in airline positions. Airline companies hire flight stewardesses who can speak multiple languages faster than those who can only speak one language. This is due to the number of people they encounter on each flight.

The Bottom Line: 

Learning a second language is a valuable investment in yourself that can provide numerous benefits, from enhancing cognitive abilities to broadening career opportunities and facilitating cultural exchange. By exploring the world through language, you can gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for different perspectives and cultures.   

If you’re interested in pursuing language learning, the University of Potomac offers a range of courses and programs to help you achieve your goals. Don’t hesitate to explore your options and take the first step towards expanding your horizons.