The advantages of learning a foreign language

How many times have we found ourselves making plans, organizing trips or dreaming of changing our way of life, work and then we find ourselves having to deal with reality. Maybe we read a job advertisement and among the requirements, after you thought you were the perfect person for that position, you read the footnote “Excellent knowledge of the English language”.

For this and many other occasions that life offers us to take a step forward, in which knowledge of a language is required, it should make us think that little or a lot is always an advantage to learn a foreign language.

Even the study of a foreign language could be the beginning of great and exciting adventures : it can take you to new and different worlds and to numerous benefits that can make your life really easier or at least make it more interesting.

Where can you go without knowing the language?

Imagine the following scene: through any website on the Internet you managed to book the trip of your life! An extraordinary discount on flights and hotels and you certainly did not miss the opportunity. So you’ll be leaving in a week. Just the time to throw two things in your suitcase and that’s it!

Without having exchanged a word with anyone due to ignorance of the language, you arrive at your destination, and outside the airport you begin to try the universal language of Italians: gestures. Take a taxi and ask the driver to read the instructions on his mobile phone. But it is when you arrive at the hotel that you realize that you have taken the language issue lightly and that perhaps traveling like this may mean not living a rich experience to the fullest.

In fact, the meaning of the trip is not only to go to new places , but to immerse yourself in culture, learn about customs, particular places …

 And what is the best way to do all of these things?

Talking and interacting with its inhabitants. And for that you have to learn languages.

Find a rewarding job

Living in a globalized world means that most small, medium and large companies look for new opportunities and open the doors to foreign trade. It is very common, in fact, when looking through the different job advertisements , to find among the search requirements of the companies “excellent knowledge of English and another language”.

Knowing a foreign language can mean seeing new doors open, giving you different possibilities to choose from. Being able to speak English or French fluently, for example, are among the most sought after skills by companies and can be the starting point for which you are chosen from among many candidates. Sooner or later the level of your language skills will be put to the test.

What if, once hired, you find that you can’t even answer the phone, or send an email in English or French?

Stimulate your own intelligence

According to linguist Claude Hagège , “bilinguals have superior malleability and cognitive finesse than monolinguals. The knowledge of a second language would also allow him to develop verbal intelligence, conceptualization, reasoning skills in general and stimulate the discovery of the rules that are the basis for solving problems ”.

Living in multilingual environments and learning English as a child, therefore, positively influences the cognitive aspect of people. But even beginning to study when you are older has its positive effects because it promotes the rapid process of memorizing information and helps improve school or work performance. One of the benefits of learning something is training your brain. Learning a new language can stimulate intelligence and prevent premature aging of the mind.

Knowledge of a foreign language therefore has numerous cognitive benefits. Among which we find the development of concentration, memory and a greater ability to solve problems in the most stressful moments such as exams or work environments.

Practice!

Thanks to the study, to the exercise, to the repetition of words in foreign languages, in fact, memory is exercised. In addition, the ability to speak two languages ​​is very often associated with the ability to multitask and adapt more easily to the unexpected situations that life presents us.

Think about how you might react to a stressful situation or during a test by developing these skills. You would be a bomb!

Have fun and make new friends

Another advantage of knowing foreign languages ​​is never limiting yourself under any circumstances and having fun, even playing with words that do not belong to your mother tongue.

Actually being nice in your group of friends is easy, but what do we do when we go abroad or when some foreigners join our group?

Why miss out on these opportunities? It may be the person in your life or you may have found your best friend. Who says I should speak the same language as you?

Above all, think that studying a foreign language can be a great way to start interesting conversations without risking creating a quiet scene and making a bad impression. So it’s worth working to open up new frontiers, otherwise you could live with regret that you haven’t done enough to overcome these language barriers.

Have confidence in yourself.

By the time a person is about to start learning a new language (English, French, or whatever) if they can’t learn or remember things the first time, they can get frustrated. You feel discouraged and even get stuck at the thought of making a fool of yourself in front of those who actually speak that language. Has it ever happened to you?

Only with the passage of time and with extra effort, as the results appear, you gain greater confidence that can lead to great personal satisfaction. After all, it’s like pushing your own limits, so it can’t do anything but good things for your self-esteem.

On the other hand, from the moment you start speaking a new language, there are many opportunities and doors that can be opened. All thanks to this new skill that will be added to the resume and this awareness can only guarantee greater self-confidence.

This is a vicious cycle : you learn a language = higher personal satisfaction = higher self-esteem = more confidence in yourself = higher chances of success.

Do not forget to include in this ‘vicious circle’ the importance of showing your official title , very important!