As the age-old saying goes, ‘it’s never too late to learn something new’. And when it comes to today’s global society, learning a second language could prove to be a huge advantage. Not only has it been proven to improve your brain health, but it also boosts your career prospects and opens you up to new experiences.
Here are 20 amazing benefits of learning a foreign language and how it can improve your career and overall wellbeing.
1. It widens job opportunities
Being bilingual in today’s crowded job market can be incredibly beneficial. It gives you a competitive edge when searching for new opportunities or within your current career. If you speak a second language over an equally qualified candidate, the hiring manager will probably choose you, as you have the added bonus of speaking an additional language. Most companies deal with foreign clients and suppliers and, therefore, need people in-house who can communicate with them in their native tongue.
2. It boosts brain power
When learning something new, our brains need to cope with the complexity as it absorbs and makes sense of new patterns, thus developing key communication skills (such as cognitive thinking and problem solving) that are needed to digest and remember fresh information.
3. It expands chances to travel
Learning a new language will encourage you to travel to cities or countries where that language is spoken to practice with the locals. Take Spanish, for example; it’s the main language in over 20 countries. You could, therefore, visit those countries and comfortably communicate with the natives.
4. It improves your first language skills
During our day-to-day tasks, we rarely give a second thought to our own vocabulary and grammatical rules. We are confident in our capabilities and often ignore common practices. As we learn a new language, we focus on these constructions of the language, making us think about what they are in our mother tongue.
5. It increases your understanding of the world
Learning a new language gives you a greater global understanding of the world. You will instantly have access to foreign books, films, TV programs and newspapers, which will give you a real insight into the history and culture of a nation. This, ultimately, gives you an indication of how the world works, including politics and security.
6. It allows you to experience new cultures
Learning a new language opens up a whole new world of opportunities — the main one being able to experience new cultures. You will have the chance to see new things from a different perspective and be able to connect with people across the world. You get to learn what’s fashionable within a culture, including music, style, history and literature. This, in turn, will help you grow as a person and appreciate things that you wouldn’t have noticed before.
7. It’s an achievement in itself
Learning something new is an achievement in itself. It teaches you how to organize and grow your knowledge, resulting in an additional skill on your CV. With your newfound confidence of knowing another language, you’ll be more comfortable and geared up to learn another.
8. It improves your memory
It’s common knowledge that the more you use your brain, the better it works. Learning a new language gives your memory a good workout in the brain gym. In other words, it constantly tests your ability to remember and think quickly. According to an article in the New York Times, ‘the collective evidence from a number of studies suggests that the bilingual experience improves the brain’s so-called executive function — a command system that directs the attention processes that we use for planning, solving problems and performing various other mentally demanding tasks.’
9. It enhances your ability to multitask
Multitasking can be difficult for some people to manage and do well. According to a study from the Penn State University, people who are multilingual and proficient at slipping from one language system to another are practiced at this very demanding work for the brain. Those who have developed the ability to think in different languages and move from one to the other become much better multitaskers, reducing stress levels.
