Bonjour! Holà! Konichiwa! Ni hao! Привет! Do you recognise or speak any of these languages? Some of these languages are unfortunately less widely than others. In this day in age, making connections has never been more critical. The world we live in contains roughly 6,500 languages that are beautifully diverse and makes the world we live in more exciting and diverse. The ability to learn another language is one of the most overlooked yet most sought after skills. A second, third or even fourth language can drastically change your life in many ways. This week’s blog will have you turning to a textbook, Duolingo or another resource before you can reach the end. Ready to kickstart your summer learning?
Advances Your Career
Companies trade and create relationships with other countries. Often they require their employees to travel or act as an ambassador to enhance these relationships. By living in an interconnected world as we do, more businesses are advertising jobs where knowing more than one language is not only a bonus as such but essential. Sure, you might have all the skills and education required, but that is nothing compared to other applicants who know and can speak another language. To make matters even worse, they have identical/similar qualifications. By learning one, you can drastically change your chances of obtaining a job.
You Become More Culturally Aware
Do you know what can make international travel more accessible and more convenient? Learning the language of your destination gives insight into the culture that would be more enchanted, and you’re confident in exploring how other people live where they call home. The problem for most countries is that there is a lack of integration due to a language barrier. As a result, people who have migrated outside of their home countries grow to feel isolated and limited to primarily associating with those from similar communities where their language is commonplace. Through learning another, you are granting yourself an opportunity to be part of a community and culture that is different from yours.
Fun fact: learning a language with similar roots to your own can help you master your native language. For example, French, Italian and Spanish is all similar.
Your Memory Improves!
The more you use your brain, the better it can function. What better way to use it than to learn a new language that will push your brain with new grammar and unfamiliar vocabulary rules! When you know another language, you are training the memory part of your brain to memorise new words and make connections between them. It is this connection that helps you know when to use them in the appropriate situations. In addition to this, you improve the way you handle problem-solving tasks.
Every Other Language You Learn Becomes Easier
The most challenging language you’ll learn is the one you choose to know as your second language as a monolinguist. Everything will be strange for you, such as how you use your tongue and mouth to pronounce words, and the language will most likely reverse sentence structure. As hard as it would be for you at first, the good news is that it gets more accessible, and you can apply some of the rules to other languages you decide to learn.
Studies show that those who speak multiple languages are much more likely to remember sequences. Learning a new language can help to prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Numerous studies have concluded that adults who speak more than two languages could prevent this disease by a few years! Although this may not be a cure, it provides you with more time to enjoy being with your loved ones.
Better Multitasker
In becoming bilingual, you can switch between tasks easier, just as you can between the languages you know. Scientists conducted many studies that concluded cognitive flexibility is more present in bilingual individuals and can adapt more easily and quickly to unpredictable circumstances than monolinguists. In short, you benefit from having the ability to switch between two (or more) different frames of thought.
For example, bilingual individuals underwent a simulated driving experiment. In the simulation, it was required of them to perform various tasks. As you can imagine, they were very distracting. However, the experiment concluded that the bilinguals individuals made fewer mistakes as they were “driving.” It is for this reason that they have better control over their attention span and can limit distractions.
Improves Skills
There are many verbs, nouns and adjectives to choose the appropriate usage for when communicating in a language that differs from your native tongue. Subconsciously this skill influences your judgement when making a decision. Bilinguals become increasingly confident when making choices in another language after seeing that their conclusions were correct. In addition, there is an improvement in listening skills as their brain would need to work harder to distinguish between sounds from both languages.
Babbel Magazine, a platform that is one of the most popular language-learning apps, published an article rating the easiest languages to learn. So, to help point you in the right direction to get you started sooner rather than later (why put it off?). We’ll list the top three easiest languages an individual can learn:
Norwegian is one of the Germanic languages, just like English (if that’s your native language). In other words, it is pretty similar to English in regards to vocabulary.
Swedish – Another shocking language to make this if you are not familiar with it. Just like Norwegian, it has simple grammar like English.
Spanish – One of the most popular and commonly spoken romance languages derived from Latin. This root language is the same for English which is evident in words such as correcto meaning correct.
Conclusion
There are so many more reasons to learn another language. With the world around us growing more interconnected by the minute, it’s becoming commonplace to know even a few words of another language. Resources are available all around you, from pen-pals to teachers, textbooks, apps and audiobooks. You can even watch a foreign film with the subtitles (or without if you like a good challenge!). So whatever the reason you choose to learn another language, whether it be personal or simply because you need those extra pound notes on your paycheck, go out there and try learning another language today!
