In today’s world there is a push against
diversity and difference. People cling
to their own ways out of need to “maintain traditions”, and while I will never discourage
someone from being who they are I will also encourage everyone to learn about
other ideas and cultures outside of their own.
The reason for this is that there are benefits to learning about other
cultures, such as gaining a greater understanding of the cultural diversity
around oneself, learning new and innovative ways to solve common problems, and
gaining a greater awareness of one’s own values and beliefs. These same ideas can be applied to learning another
language (or two), although this topic is not as readily discussed because many
people believe that learning another language is difficult and not
worthwhile. While I will not say that
learning another language is easy (it takes practice and hard work, much like
many endeavors) I can say that there are some real biological, cultural, and financial
benefits to learning another language (hence the attention-grabbing title of
this post). Here are the top five
reasons why you should learn another language:
1) Learning another language exercises your brain, enabling you to more easily solve problems! Yes, by learning another language you learn different approaches to understanding, which can assist you with not only learning the new language (as well as your native language) but also in making sound financial decisions, solving complex moral dilemmas, and even make you better in math!
2) Exercising your brain has real health benefits! Several studies demonstrate that individuals who speak more than one language more often live longer, healthier lives. Bilingual and multilingual patients are more likely to be diagnosed with dementia earlier (and thereby get treatment earlier), recover more quickly from a stroke, and live longer despite having Alzheimer’s. This is all attributed to how language learning and acquisition affects the biological aspects of the brain, creating and fostering more of memory capacity and enabling one to better recover when the brain is assaulted.
3) Speaking multiple languages increases tolerance and acceptance of those different from you! When you learn another language, you are not just learning the language but also the culture associated with that language. This is evident in introductory foreign language courses, as well as in overarching foreign language programs. By learning about the culture one gains a better understanding of how different but more importantly similar each culture is, thereby fostering tolerance (and even better) acceptance.
4) Bilingual and multilingual speakers are not only more accepting of others but also of themselves! Bilingual and multilingual speakers are reported to have greater self confidence in themselves and less negative and destructive tendencies, which is attributed to have a greater cultural awareness of their own and other cultures.
5) Knowing other languages (and about other cultures) gives you an advantage in acquiring and keeping jobs! Let’s face it-whether you like it or not (or even want to acknowledge it) there are thousands of languages spoken around the world, and we exist in a globalized, interconnected world. Even if you do not know someone from a different country you can connect with them by sampling logging on to the internet. Several of my (video) gamer friends connect with people around the globe quite regularly, and the United States is a country populated by various individuals either living in or visiting here who speak a variety of languages outside of English. This means that being able to speak more than one language can be an asset when seeking employment. I personally have known several individuals who got jobs with little to no experience in the area but quite simply because they were bilingual, beating out people with years of experience over them. But don’t just take my word for it: studies year after year demonstrate that bilingual and multilingual speakers are making more money than individuals who only speak one language.
Given all of the benefits of knowing
another language I encourage you to consider learning one. You have a lot to gain and nothing really to
lose (except time, but that is only if you do not dedicate yourself to actually
learning the language).
Bibliography
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2018,
December 28). The Advantage of Being Bilingual. Retrieved from
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:
https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/the-advantages-of-being-bilingual/
Burton, N. (2018, July 28). Beyond Words: The
Benefits of Being Bilingual. Psychology Today.
Department of Education. (2018, December 28). Talk,
Read and Sing Together Every Day! The Benefits of Being Bilingual-A Review
for Teachers and Early Education Program Providers . Retrieved from
Department of Education:
https://www2.ed.gov/documents/early-learning/talk-read-sing/bilingual-en.pdf
Smollin, M. (2018, December 28). Benefits of
being bilingual. Retrieved from Grand View Blvd Elementary School:
https://www.grandviewelementary.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=273447&type=d&pREC_ID=603239
10 comments:
A reason I think people cling to what they already know is because that is what they are ultimately comfortable with. Learning another language and using that ability in the workplace can lead to making much more money than originally anticipated. Being in the United States with a lot of diversity, there are bilingual individuals needed nearly everywhere and are extremely sought after.
Makayla Peterman
I find it interesting that being bilingual helps you better in math. I also find it interesting that people are more prone to get dementia if knowing another language. To be relatable, where I intern at I've seen a couple of elder residents with dementia who has 2 languages on their face sheet. This post challenges your mind to want to learn a different language. Just think about the jobs you can get, because your bilingual; moreover how about being African American and knowing another language, that would be amazing.
Jovan Black
I think this may be one of my favorite post. It makes me wish i would've stuck to either French or Spanish when i was in high school. I knew being bilingual could help you in the work place or other places. But i wasn't aware that it helped you in all these other aspects.
-Kyla Thomas
I really enjoyed spanish in high school. It was my favorite class and I loved being able to read and comprehend what was being said. People are so used to their own language they think learning a new one would be hard. My minor is spanish and ik it will get me far. -castrele hoy
Hi,
After reading all of the benefits of learning another language, I am very interested. I do agree that it is a hard work. And, I guess I am trying to figure out how I would fit that into my already busy schedule.
Yet, when I think about the marketing potential of myself in the job market with knowing another language, I will find the time.
Thanks,
Joell Davis
I understand feeling busy and not feeling like you have time for one more thing, but where there is a will there is a way. Consider how you spend your time and how much of it is spent on things that should not have that much or any attention (e.g. Facebook and/or social media). Dedicate what time you can to learning a new language and keep it up. Making it a routine is no different than establishing any other good habit (e.g. working out, eating a healthy meal, time for self care, etc.). :)
this post encouraged me to try and start learning a new language again. One because of the benefits of it. Also because I have a Hispanic niece.
Learning a different language can come with many different perks. But one of the most important things you can do with it is earn money. No matter what field of work you are in, knowing a different language can get you a raise. It can also help your brain also. Knowing another language as mentioned can show you how to look at things from a different perspective. It could also help you learn about more cultures other than your own.
This article was very interesting to read. I remember I was learning another language in Highschool. The language I was learning was Spanish. By me reading this article I found out that you can make more money by being bilingual. Being bilingual is helpful because you can help someone out who don’t speaks English but is fluent in Spanish.
AJ Moore
By learning other language you can earn money? I can see that working for certain but not for others. Spanish, Mexican, French, and maybe Chinese could make money. I can't see Turkish making very much money.
Elaine christopher
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