Top 10 Reasons to Learn a New Language

English may be spoken all over the world, but that doesn't mean it's the most popular language or that you're not missing out if you choose to associate exclusively with English speakers. English is actually only spoken by about 350 million people as a first language, which is roughly only 5% of the world population. In the grand scheme of things, 5% is very small number. Learning a new language can help tremendously with your career prospects, your college education and experiences, travel, and personal enjoyment of the arts and culture. Here are the top 10 reasons you should learn a new language.

1. To widen your understanding Learning a foreign language allows you to fully appreciate the culture and its context of a country. By understanding a person’s culture, for example, you can avoid situations that could cause misunderstandings.

2. To improve your employability A fundamental element of business is being able to sell a product. We live in a truly global economy, and companies are constantly expanding overseas.To sell in a foreign market, you must understand the values and morals of the people you are selling to.

3. To better your own language skills Research has shown that having an understanding of a foreign language also helps your native language development. It has been found that students can develop better vocabularies and an improved level of literacy by studying a foreign language.

4. To develop life skills Your general reading and mental skills improve through studying a language. In fact, if studied from a young age, there will be a very noticeable benefit in areas of cognitive development, including creativity, problem-solving and reasoning. But in addition to these skills, learning a foreign language will give you important life skills. You will be better able to adapt and cope with changes and to deal with unfamiliar and new situations. You will also find that you are better able to communicate with people from all walks of life.

5. To stand out when applying for higher education Being able to show to University Admission Departments that you have previously studied a foreign language could add significant weight to your application. Through knowledge of a foreign language, you’ll demonstrate that you’re well-rounded and thoughtful.

6. To discover culture on a global scale There are hundreds of great books, films and music from countries around the world. A translation or dub just isn’t the same; many elements of language simply can’t be translated literally. To be able to access the world’s great wealth of literature, music, film and theatre you should do them justice and enjoy them in their original form.

7. To enjoy traveling Being able to travel and fully immerse yourself in the country and culture is a fantastic way to holiday. If you know the language, you can take part in the everyday life of regular residents. Of course, we all know it is possible to travel anywhere these days without speaking the native language. But the language barrier can be anywhere from mildly frustrating to dangerous and intimidating. Having studied a foreign language you will feel comfortable in ordering food, understanding directions, being able to fully travel on public transport and save considerable money and maybe even barter for things in shops.

8. To be able to study overseas The benefit of studying a foreign language in an overseas program is that you will be practicing all the time – as soon as you step out the classroom you will be putting what you learned into practice. Compared with studying in a school in your own country, the benefits are two-fold: much quicker development of your language skills and the chance to study the foreign language’s culture and context.

9. To increase you understanding of your own culture If you study a foreign language and its culture, you will be able to see your own culture from another perspective. Encountering other cultures will allow you to question things that you’ve taken to be universal. Studying a foreign language will give you the unique opportunity of stepping outside the boundary of your everyday life.

10. To make life-time friendships Studying a foreign language and all the opportunities it can bring will increase the number of people around the world whom you can meet and communicate with. Be it meeting international students or immigrants in your community, or establishing relationships with people overseas, studying a foreign language can expand your social opportunities.