Most Irish students study foreign languages in school. Some of us may have gone on to study that language in college and may even have gone on to use it in their career. For most others though, it’s something they leave behind once they leave school. But now, more than ever, people are returning to learn other languages. The number of language learners is rising and many people are making the return to the classroom to learn a foreign language. Maybe it’s something you’ve thought about? If it is – now’s the time to get your tongue twisting and your mind engaging and reap the benefits. So, if you’re asking yourself Why Should I Learn A Language? we take a look at 5 reasons why:
Why Should I Learn A Language?
Advance Your Career
Regardless of your career path, having a second (or more!)Â language will make you stand out from the crowd. Most people give up their second language after they leave school. If you decide to study and learn/keep up a second language after school, it demonstrates determination and ambition. It will always improve your CV regardless of what employment you are seeking. It shows that you are passionate about continued learning – even if the language is not central to your profession. You may never use your second language in your job but the fact that you showed a passion for it and continued learning it may be the determining factor that gets you the job!
Boost Your Brain
Learning a language has been proven to have great benefits on the brain. It improves many cognitive abilities including better study skills, greater discipline, and improves concentration and focus. When you study languages you can develop new areas of your mind and strengthen your brain’s natural ability to focus, work with multiple possibilities, and process information. Not only will studying a language boost your brain but it could also contribute to your future mental health. Studies have shown that ageing adults who speak more than one language are less likely to develop dementia.
Travel
There is no better way to make the most out of your travel than by being able to communicate in the native language of the country you are in. It is a great way to connect and can often result in you meeting people you never would have and making new friends and connections. Travelling is much better without a language barrier. From the simplest of things like asking directions to ordering food all the way to up to having a conversation with someone in a bar, knowledge of the language will always improve your travel experience.
Discover New Culture
Languages are a direct route to the heart of learning about new cultures. You can connect with people, places and cultures around the world in much more meaningful ways through its language. You can read newspapers and discover the real world as it unfolds in a different country. You’ll get to enjoy films without subtitles and read books in their original language. You can sing their songs and understand the lyrics. Even learning jokes in a new language is an eye-opening cultural experience. The best way to know a country is to know its language!
Boost Your Self Confidence
As you learn a language and you begin to notice your skills improve you will feel a great sense of achievement witch brings with it a well being boost and improves your self confidence. Also, being in a class with other learners is a great way to boost your self confidence. Not only do you get to meet new people who share your interest in languages but also you get the opportunity to share a learning journey with them and connect and bond over your time together studying a language. This is a great way to boost your self confidence through a shared motivation, desire and ambition.
Also you’ll impress your travel companions no end when you demonstrate your skills and start to converse with locals in the language of the country you are in. They will all thank you for it and for enhancing their travel experience.
