Only Know One Language?
4 Reasons why you NEED to become bilingual.
When you think about learning a second language, you may excited. You decide to start and suddenly realize how long and difficult this may be, so you give up, put notes aside, and go back to watching YouTube.
Anyone who has tried has been there, but starting is the first step. Here are 5 reasons why you should keep learning a second language or start if you haven’t yet.
Knowledge
Learning a language makes you more intelligent.
A study published in the National Library of Medicine has shown that bilinguals are better at multitasking and problem-solving. Due to your brain getting used to learning again, having to adjust to wrap your head around a language, helps you when problem-solving and learning in other areas of your life too.
As discussed in my previous article Preventing Dementia, learning a second language can help prevent brain-corrupting diseases such as dementia as well as improve cognitive ability.
Travel
Have you ever been on holiday abroad? Or wanted to go to a country you love? Learning another language helps with visiting more than you think.
While citizens in the country you are visiting may know English. If you learn the native language of the country you are going to, it can help with providing you with a wide range of opportunities. You can have conversations with more people and ask for the best bars/ restaurants in the area, you can barter with stall owners in the backstreets of Turkey when purchasing foods & spices, and you can get a job abroad.
Jobs opportunities also start to open up when you know other languages. Employers may send you for trips abroad, or employers may even hire you as you can communicate more effectively with colleagues and potential customers.
Social / Relationships
As mentioned before, knowing other languages makes you more employable. It also makes you more susceptible to a wider range of friends and acquaintances.
You can communicate and network with, not only individuals in other countries when you visit, but with other people who know the language that live near your area. You can visit local restaurants which sell the native food of the country whose language you have learned. You can make friends with the people you meet and learn about their culture.
Strangers will also warm to you and respect you more as they can see that you have taken a lot of effort to learn their language. It may also strengthen the relationships of those you already know if they are of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Education
Learning another language can open doors for education.
Proficiency in other languages gives you a chance to discover different cultures and avenues to explore the literature and music of the country. It grants you the chance to gain different experiences to what you know in cultures of your own.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article. If you found it helpful and think someone else could find it helpful too, please share it and 👏🏽👏🏽.
A writer mainly on self-development. I occasionally write on personal experiences, interest and other topics too. If you are interested in self-development, then please read some of my other articles (linked below). Enjoy.
