Learn A New Language!!! Why?

Apart from English, people have developed interest in other languages like French, Spanish, German et cetera. While some people still do not see the need to learn another language other than their lingua franca or mother tongue, others make it mandatory for their kids and even themselves to be fluent in other languages. This article discusses the fascinating advantages of learning a new language.

Why should I learn a new language?

1. Better communication

The urge to travel around the world is now hyped in everyone. People want to explore other parts of the world, other countries, other continents and have a view of other people's cultures, but most people's zeal and passion is killed after they realize the language barrier. Culture differs in different parts of the world and language is a part of culture.

Language is a very important concept in the existence of mankind as the need to communicate gives birth to the use of language but when people don't understand each other there is a problem. Imagine traveling to France where according to BBC languages, 88% of the population speaks french. The frustration of not being able to effectively communicate would make you lose interest in the place.

Different countries have different languages (Lingua Franca) and so to be able to live and communicate comfortably in other countries, an individual needs to understand the official language in that nation. The understanding of the language hastens your adaptation to the culture as you feel safe and more at ease.

2. Knowledge of languages allows you to understand other cultures

Language is a very important aspect of culture. According to an article by Day Translations, when you interact with another language, it means that you are also interacting with the culture that speaks the language. You cannot understand one’s culture without accessing its language directly.

Let's take for instance the Yoruba culture here in Nigeria. We know that proverbs are an important aspect of the Yoruba culture. But how would you be able to understand and enjoy the rich and wise meanings or moral lessons from the proverbs when you are not fluent in the language itself.

The ability to understand the language of a particular community helps you better understand the culture, which in turn helps you be more accomodating of the culture.

3. Understanding more than one language widens your scope of entertainment

Other countries have begun to contribute to the entertainment industry worldwide. With the emanation of Bollywood from the Indians, Hollywood from the Americans, Nollywood from Nigeria, Kdrama from Korea and lots more, there is a wide range of varieties of entertainment for viewers, but a little glitch seems to be the language.

As all these industries belong to different countries which have different languages, viewers from other races might not really flow into the imagery of the movie content if they do not understand the language being used in the movie. Although the use of subtitles have been implemented, it is more fascinating and convenient to be able to watch the movie without keeping your eyes glued on the TV screen to follow up subtitles.

Furthermore, music from different parts of the world have started to gain ground. Enjoying the lyrics and vibes of songs like these is difficult if you don't understand the language of the music. Without knowing the basics of other languages, one's entertainment choices are limited to just that of one's country/language.

4. Being bilingual increases your job opportunities

People have begun to migrate worldwide in search of greener pastures. Some people get jobs in other countries but end up losing it because of their inability to speak the lingua franca of the country. It is impossible to work without communication hence the need to understand the language. In order to gain a higher advantage among others, fluency in languages other than the English language and one's mother tongue is essential.

Even for professionals like marketers, online traders and many more, your ability to interact with people from other parts of the world increases your market as you can also communicate and make awareness for your product with not just people from your country but people from other parts of the world since you speak the same language.

Speaking the same language also makes them feel more at home with you as they understand what you are saying. By so doing, you widen your audience range and increase your profits.

5. Learning a new language creates a better understanding of one's own language

The understanding of other languages helps you understand yours better as you can bring in your knowledge of another language into yours, giving you a vast understanding of a particular concept in your language.

The ability to draw points and strengths from other languages helps to increase one's thinking capacity. Your dynamism in culture gives you vast knowledge and understanding of things. For example, when you need quotes to prove your points, you are not stereotyped as one culture's opinion of the issue. You can as well make use of your knowledge from different cultures to increase your points on such a concept.

6. Improves mental power

Learning another language increases your brain's working capacity in different ways.

I. It gives the brain the ability to engage in multi-tasking, therefore, aiding its performance in more than one activity.
II. It improves the memory of the human brain.
III. It helps boost brain power as it develops new areas of your mind. According to research, it also helps to improve one's ability to focus.
IV. As a result of the development of new areas of the mind due to being bilingual, people can solve problems with conflicting or complicated cues or hints.
All these points and advantages help you see reasons to learn a new language. I mean, think about all the opportunities it opens you up to.

Also, I would like you to know that learning a new language can be as easy and fun as can be. If you are looking to learn at your convenience using your smartphone, then I would recommend the app: Duolingo. There you can learn any language of your choice from scratch to finish. All you need is a data connection.

And so I hope that with this article, you are challenged to learn a new language, and the next time I have an article, you'll be bilingual or multilingual.