Study or Live Abroad
If you would like to make a change in your life, experience an amazing, exciting adventure, face new challenges, knowing a foreign language will certainly make it much easier for you to achieve this goal.
An interesting job in Spain or Thailand? A student exchange in Norway?
Knowledge of a foreign language will open up new and previously unknown opportunities for your professional and personal development.
Get the Chance for More Attractive Employment Conditions
Let’s imagine that an employer conducting a recruitment process will have a choice of two candidates – each with similar skills and experience. One candidate will be fluent in a foreign language and the other will not. In this situation, the bilingual person will certainly have a better chance of getting the job.
Increasingly, companies are interacting with clients and customers from abroad and need employees who can speak foreign language.
When we speak foreign languages new job prospects open up in tourism, international trade, government agencies, the education industry and many others.
Studies conducted in Switzerland have shown that people who speak more than one language get higher salaries (by 20% on average), regardless of their education and other abilities. It was also noted that bilingualism means an economic advantage not only for the employee himself – companies that hire staff speaking foreign languages achieve better financial results.
Meet New People, Make Lifelong Friends
Communicating efficiently in a foreign language gives you a great chance to meet many interesting people, make friends, and maybe even find the love of your life. By learning a foreign language you have an incredible opportunity to make friends with people from a different cultural background and understand them better.
Change Your Approach to Exploring the World
With the knowledge of foreign languages we have a chance to get to less commercial places, where we will not meet crowds of tourists. We have a chance to experience travel off the beaten track, without having to rely on the offer of a travel agency. The more words or structures we know in a given language, the more fully we are able to learn about the culture and history of a nation, and the easier it is to communicate with people we meet on our way. By moving slightly away from popular tourist destinations, we have the chance to experience the authentic character of a country, taste the local cuisine, and gain unique experiences.
Expand the Capacity of Your Mind
It is well known that one of the most effective ways to stimulate the brain is to learn foreign languages. Although acquiring new words and word combinations may seem like a laborious and tedious task, it is an excellent workout for our brain. Systematic learning of a foreign language will improve your concentration and memory, and each new set of vocabulary will be assimilated faster.
People who are fluent in foreign languages are more creative, have the ability to think higher, solve problems, also gain more knowledge on how to cope in a constantly changing world.
It is worth noting that learning vocabulary brings tangible benefits to everyone regardless of age, but older people gain the most from acquiring a new language. Researchers from the Public Health Research Centre in Luxembourg have proven that knowing more than two languages helps to maintain a good memory in seniors. Researchers at the University of Toronto have noted that one of the most effective methods for delaying Alzheimer’s disease is learning a foreign language. A study of 250 seniors showed that Alzheimer’s symptoms appeared much later in people who spoke two languages than in those who spoke only their native language. The brains remained functional and in good shape longer.
The results of the study by researchers at the University of Toronto also offer hope that by learning foreign languages we may be able to delay not only Alzheimer’s disease, but also other dementia concerns. In people who can communicate in more than one language, the first signs of dementia can appear up to 5 years later than in monolinguals.
Improve Decision-Making Skills
A study by researchers at the University of Chicago found that speaking a foreign language aids in good decision-making.
Boaz Keysar, Sayuri Hayakawa, and Sun Gyu An, or researchers at the University of Chicago, set out to see if the language in which we are presented with a choice would influence the decision we make. The results are surprising. When a problem is presented to us in a language that is not our mother tongue, we consider it more rationally and are less susceptible to the influence of emotions, according to an article published in the scientific journal Psychological Science.
In conclusion, a foreign language promotes the maintenance of a healthy cognitive distance, so those who speak another language besides their native one have better critical thinking and decision-making skills.
Open Up to Other People and Their Customs
Learning a foreign language and consequently deepening your knowledge of culture and worldview is the surest way to understand individual behavior and customs. When we are aware that we are all inextricably bound to our culture and that we have been shaped by a certain environment, we are able to see certain behaviors and attitudes in a completely different light. Seeing the world from a different perspective is a fascinating, enlightening experience.
Gain Knowledge About Yourself
Knowledge of foreign languages increases our self-esteem, gives great satisfaction and a feeling of independence – we are able to communicate with anyone we meet. The awareness that the language barrier does not affect us and no matter in which corner of the world we find ourselves, we will not experience problems with communication and communication.
In the course of it, you get rid of some of your fears and doubts and learn more about yourself. Positive feedback from teachers will add to your motivation.
Get to Know Your Mother Tongue Better
Studies have shown that those who speak foreign languages also have more knowledge about languages in general, and thus use their mother tongue more effectively. So, if you know foreign languages, you understand your own language better, and you will notice an improvement in your language skills in general. The longer you study foreign languages, the better results you will have in reading comprehension, listening attentively, and memorizing faster.
Benefit from International Cultural Heritage
Learning foreign languages gives us practically unlimited access to educational materials, foreign literature, courses to improve our skills conducted in a foreign language. Knowledge of foreign languages gives us the opportunity to watch movies in the original language, listen to podcasts, follow foreign language blogs, stay up to date with trends in science, fashion, music and any other field that is of interest to us.
The ability to speak a foreign language fluently is at a premium these days. Although mastering a language requires time and systematic learning, it is worth the effort.
We hope that our article helped you!