3 surprising benefits of learning a foreign language

Learning a second language is a great way to put your brain to work and learn a useful skill. However, many students today stick to English and forgo foreign language studies. Why do you choose to limit yourself to just one language?

One reason could be the time and dedication it takes to learn a second language. Students turn away from language studies because they perceive them as difficult. Studying a foreign language is not only difficult, it’s not necessarily a practical skill for most careers. There has been a big push in recent years for students to study STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects, which are seen as more useful when it comes to finding employment. Languages ​​may have been left behind due to the number of students who chose to enter STEM fields.

The dominance of English has also made studying languages ​​less important in the eyes of many students. English is commonly spoken throughout Europe and is the international language of business. There is more pressure for non-English speakers to learn English than there is for English speakers to learn another language, and this is often tested by potential employers through means such as the IELTS exam.

Finally, technology has played a role in the decline of foreign language studies. With the Internet and the easy availability of translation software, many no longer see the need for humans to learn other languages. Instead, they rely on computers to translate everything into English.

But these reasons should not be used as an excuse to stop teaching foreign languages ​​to students. The benefits of learning a foreign language go far beyond the ability to translate between English and another language.

On the one hand, learning a foreign language is good for your brain. It forces you to use new parts of your brain, and new studies show that learning a second language actually makes your brain bigger, while studying other subjects, like science, has no effect. Learning another language can also help English speakers better understand their own language, as they are forced to learn about sentence structure and parts of speech in order to speak their new language.

The benefits of learning a new language also go beyond the brain itself. When students study a foreign language, they also often learn about the places where that language is spoken and the history and culture that surrounds it. This can help promote cross-cultural understanding and open students’ eyes to new ways of seeing the world.

Finally, for students who want to travel, it may be better to learn another language rather than rely on others to learn English. Learning the language of another country shows that you have become interested in truly experiencing the country. It opens you up to more authentic interactions with the locals and can make traveling that much more rewarding.

While technology can translate words and phrases from one language to another, it cannot replace the human elements of language. Language is not just about translating words. It’s about embracing something foreign and at the same time allowing you to expand your own mind and worldview.

If we allow foreign languages ​​to become a lost art, we will lose much more than the ability to speak another language. We will miss the connections that can be built by taking the time to immerse ourselves in other cultures.