Languages impact the daily life of everyone, not matter what race, religions or regions in the world. Languages help us communicate with others on daily basis, it is part of our identity in the society. There are many reasons why everyone should learn a new language and be multilingual:

 

Why learning a new language is important

 

1. Job opportunities

 

Due to globalisation, learning new languages can open doors for new career opportunities. You can work as freelancing or working location independent, not only these most companies are now operated in multiple countries and they are hiring people who can speak a foreign language.

 

Being multilingual also gives you edge of other candidates when applying for new jobs. Moreover, jobs for translators and linguists are always going to be available. There are employment opportunities in education field, call centres, tourism and major corporations.

 

 

2. Boost your memory

 

Studies suggest speaking a second language has many cognitive benefits.

 

Such as improved memory, longer attentions span and improved the brain functionality, improved ability to learn new things and improved multi-tasking capacity among other things

 

 

3. Makes travelling easier

 

Knowing local languages for the place you are visiting can enrich your travelling experience and make travelling more interesting for you.

 

You will be able to enjoy the little things such as experiencing the life of locals or having conversations with locals or ordering drinks in local languages.

 

People will be more open to share the thoughts and culture with you. Moreover, you can avoid the tourist scams if you speak the language, scammers would hesitate to exploit your knowledge of the place and prices. Pay the price that locals pay and save money.

 

 

4. Cultural perspective

 

Languages and culture are intimately linked, learning new languages can give you insights into another culture as well as you can gain more profound understanding of your culture from the perspective of other culture.

 

 

5. Cross cultural friendship and different circle of friends

 

How many times have you met a person and interested to talk to them but because we couldn’t speak their language, or they ours, we were never able to develop friendship with them. When you speak someone’s language they are more willing to talk to you and listen to you, it is easier for you to connect.

 

You will have friends from different cultures from whom you can learn new things, have new ideas and develop deep connections.

 

Not only that, you can have several different circles of friends which will keep your life more interesting as well as opens opportunities to meeting new people. You can easily impress people by just telling them you speak 3-4 languages.

 

 

Start learning a new language

 

As you see there are many benefits of learning new languages but how does one start learning it:

 

1. Know your motivation

 

First question you need to ask yourself is what is my motivation for learning this language.

 

Whether you are learning Spanish to impress a girl or learning mandarin to have better communication in business, knowing your motivation will help you going in long run.

 

 

2. Start doing it

 

Finding a motivation to learn languages or planning to learn one is nothing if you are not actually starting to do it. Make up your mind on learning a new language, start it right away.

 

Obviously, you could do some research on the benefits of that language or what is the best method to learn that language but just doing this will not help.

 

Find a tutor, a friend or an app whichever mode best suits you and start learning it. Start taking action and actually doing it.

 

 

3. Find a partner

 

Finding a partner to learn with you can give you that extra push or inspiration that you need. Learning becomes more fun when you are doing it with your friend.

 

Alternatively, you could find someone who speaks the language you want to learn and ask them to teach you in return for some skills you can teach them.

 

 

4. Talk to yourself

 

If you are not able to find a partner, start by talking to yourself, in your mind or in front of the mirror. As weird as it might sound, it actually helps a lot as you are practising the new language.

 

Start thinking in the language, you will start asking yourself what is the word for this and will eventually look up for those words and it would be irking you.

 

This gives you extra motivation in learning the language and you will be learning new words daily.

 

 

5. Have fun and act like a child

 

This goes without saying, learning anything new, remember to enjoy it. Having fun while learning a new language will keep your interest in it.

 

Learn like a child is also important, have questions ask your teacher or friends, be curious about things, make mistakes as you go along and don’t be shy of making them.

 

To be able to grow in new language you should be willing to let go your comfort zone and start having fun like children.

 

 

6. Listen and watch others talk

 

Listen before you can speak. When you are new to a language and you hear that foreign language it will all sound like a noise to you as your brain doesn’t register that vocabulary.

 

If you want to improve your proficiency in a language try listening to other people speak, audio books or any other material.

 

When you hear others speak, you can learn more about the pronunciation of the words, as well as how they move their lips or tongues. Train your ears to listen other speak and your eyes to watch how they speak.

 

 

7. Practise

 

As it’s often said practise makes perfect, sound simple but it’s hard to execute. Without practise you will easily forget the new words or vocabulary you learnt.

 

Practise it by talking to yourself or talking to a native speaker, in a family setting, anywhere you are given an opportunity, take advantage of it.

 

As you continue learning, try to think in the language, try writing it, put what your learn in practise. Set milestones for yourself, for e.g. I want be able to order food for myself in a local restaurant is my goal, I might start learning the dishes first, then deserts then drinks, etc. this will keep you motivated.

 

 

Final thoughts

 

If you take up the challenge to learn a new language, study it regularly and then practise. Spend some time listening to radio or audiobooks, watch youtube, talk to friends who speak or people knowledgeable with the language, get tips from them. Make use of the materials available freely on internet and have a good teacher.

 

 

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