Learning Foreign Languages: What Are the Benefits? Essay
Have you ever wondered why some people have certain flexibility of mind? They can see problems from various standpoints, understand many views on a matter, and can find a suitable solution to a problem relatively easily. Good command of a foreign language is the major contributor to the person’s flexibility of mind, memory capacity, and ability to adapt to ever-changing circumstances.
While it is true that there are numerous study areas for a student to become proficient in, having a good command of a foreign language enhances the overall learning capacity and may even improve your health.
- Studying any foreign language improves your memory and can even prevent a possible onset of Alzheimer’s disease (Jha par. 2).
- Studying a foreign language improves your ability to understand complex concepts and ideas in other fields of study (Bialystok and Martin 1).
- Studies have shown that learning foreign languages modifies the gray matter, responsible for processing the information in the brain (“Learning Languages ‘Boosts Brain’” par. 3).
- People with a good command of a foreign language can manage their daily schedules more effectively and even make smarter financial decisions (Woodruff par. 1).
(Speaking a foreign language not only improves your overall learning capacity but is also an asset to your professional resume.)
Learning a foreign language enhances your career prospects, including potentially higher salary (“What Is a Foreign Language Worth?” par. 9).
- Speaking at least one foreign language gives you a competitive edge in comparison with other candidates for the job position you choose.
- Speaking a foreign language improves your decision-making process (Caldwell-Harris par. 2), thereby enhancing your ability to reach a compromise in difficult situations.
- It can boost your confidence regarding your professional performance.
- It can improve your teamwork skills, which is extremely useful in a work setting in your future career.
- Being proficient in a foreign language may result in getting an internship position abroad, which will improve your professional competence.
(However, the advantages of learning a foreign language are not at all limited to the areas of your life involving work and studies. A foreign language opens up a whole new world of experience, the most exciting of which is traveling.)
Speaking a foreign language gives you an opportunity to discover foreign cultures while traveling.
- Speaking the local language when traveling is a unique opportunity to learn about a particular foreign culture in a profound way.
- By communicating with locals in their language, you can gain insights into their thinking patterns and mentality.
- The local people will appreciate your efforts, whether you speak fluently, or not.
- By befriending the locals, you will gain an opportunity to witness their culture on the inside, as they might invite you to spend some time in their home.
- By learning about another nation’s mentality, you have an opportunity to find out new ways of looking at familiar things, shift your perspective, and broaden your horizon. (Speaking the local language has many practical advantages. It can come in handy when buying souvenirs and other products at the local market.)
- By haggling in the local language, you gain the vendor’s respect and save money you would normally spend by paying the “sticker” price. (Finally, being proficient in a foreign language is an advantage in almost every area of your professional activities, studies, and leisure. This skill will enrich your life from many perspectives.)
Having a good command of a foreign language can enrich your personality and lead to many exciting and pleasant experiences.
- Speaking a foreign language makes you a well-rounded person who can share interesting insights into the mentality and culture of another nation.
- Thanks to this skill, you will be seen as a far more interesting and extraordinary person, which will, in turn, boost your confidence and self-esteem.
- Learning about foreign traditions and customs allows you to make comparisons with your own cultural background.
- These comparisons help better understand your culture.
- Moreover, it helps you see the influence of other cultures on the one of your own and understand the underlying reasons for the particular beliefs and values.
- By learning more about a foreign culture and the culture of your own, you will feel like a citizen of the world and a part of the global fabric of cross-cultural experience.
- The ability to speak a foreign language will not only make you an attractive employee but also more appealing to the opposite sex.
As you can see, learning a foreign language has multiple advantages. It improves your learning capacity, preserves your health, enhances your career prospects, enriches your traveling experience, and makes you a well-rounded and interesting person to encounter. Overall, these innumerable benefits outweigh the difficulties that we might have while studying the language. Isn’t it truly worth the effort?
Works Cited
Bialystok, Ellen and Michelle M. Martin. “Attention and Inhibition in Bilingual Children: Evidence from the Dimensional Change Card Sort Task.” Developmental science 7.3 (2004): 325-339. Print.
Caldwell-Harris, Catherine. How Knowing a Foreign Language Can Improve Your Decisions . 2012. Web.
Jha, Alok. Being Bilingual May Delay Alzheimer’s and Boost Brain Power . 2011. Web.
Learning Languages ‘Boosts Brain’ 2004. Web.
What Is a Foreign Language Worth? 2014. Web.
Woodruff, Mandi. Here’s Why Bilingual People Make Better Financial Choices . 2012. Web.
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IvyPanda . "Learning Foreign Languages: What Are the Benefits?" April 8, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/learning-foreign-languages-what-are-the-benefits/.
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