Many people are put off from learning a foreign language from a young age, after having traumatic incidents in their school’s French or German classes, which within reason they’d rather leave in the past. Learning a language as an obligation isn’t always fun (who likes being told they have to learn something?), but I learnt later in life that when it becomes a choice, a foreign language is much more stimulating and appealing – and I’ve been choosing to learn them ever since! Let me tell you about the 10 benefits of being multilingual, which might just convince you to leave any classroom trauma in the past.
Switching between languages is a very demanding process, so it’s no wonder these movements boost our brain activity and cognitive skills. Your concentration and memorization abilities will naturally improve rapidly as you will be constantly challenging your brain, with studies even showing that bilingualism can significantly delay or prevent the development of Alzheimer’s.
It’s undeniable that there are certain places in the world where you could not survive without a knowledge of the local language. As English speakers, we often make the ignorant assumption that everyone in the world speaks our language, but the truth is, they really don’t. Being able to speak Spanish, for example, might allow you to visit a small and unknown town on the other side of the world and have experiences which you might not have been capable of without bilingual skills.
A huge benefit of speaking a foreign language is being able to go on holiday and engage with your surroundings. Even just simple things like asking for directions and ordering in a restaurant go a long way when you’re trying to survive in a foreign country. Being capable of communicating with the locals, even if the level is basic, will provide you with a huge amount of personal satisfaction and is another of the many benefits of being multilingual!
Being a speaker of French and Spanish, I can vouch that you aren’t necessarily the same person when you speak each language. I feel completely different when I speak each of my languages, as it’s almost like I’m playing a character. There are even things I might say in one language which I’d never say in the other – for example, I feel more passionate when I speak Spanish, as it is generally a more passionate language, whereas French makes me feel more sophisticated and intelligent.
Make friendships all around the world is another one of the benefits of being multilingual! My passion for foreign languages along with my travelling history have allowed me to make meaningful friendships with people from Spain, Colombia, Belgium, the United States, Mexico and India! Having these connections means you can not only travel abroad, but have someone there waiting for you to act as your own personal guide – their local knowledge will be oh so valuable!
Having fluency in a foreign language on your CV instantly gives you an advantage over the opposing candidates who may only speak one language. Any ability to communicate in an international setting is considered extremely valuable by employers, as it could be advantageous to the expansion of the company. Being a confident and fluent speaker in the workplace is just one of the benefits of being multilingual.
Once you have one foreign language in the bag, your brain is at prime level to pick up another! This is even more true when learning languages from the same family, for example Latin languages, such as French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, as these languages all follow similar structures and characteristics.
Speaking a foreign language for the first time can be a nerve-wracking and emotional process. You will make mistakes, you won’t understand everything and it will be challenging. However, being out with your comfort zone will only help your confidence in the long run! You’ll hopefully learn to laugh at yourself and not take your mistakes so seriously.
Whether you realise it or not, learning the basics of a foreign language, like grammar and sentence structure, will simultaneously force you to reflect on your own English. Both your written and listening skills in English should improve a long with that of your second language, as you train yourself in valuable communication skills!
We all love an English speaker with a foreign accent, it’s seriously attractive, but did you ever stop to think that your own accent might too be considered endearing when you attempt to speak another language? It’s hard to fully achieve the native accent when practicing another language, so don’t fret if your voice gives your nationality away, it might just help you to entice the foreigner of your dreams…
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