Ever since I started high school, I've been obsessed with foreign languages. It all started in my Spanish 2 class freshman year, when my teacher sat me down and asked me, "Have you ever considered studying Spanish in college?" I had fallen in love with the Spanish language and the cultures of Spain and Latin America, and it inspired me to start learning other languages. I started taking French class my junior year while I was in AP Spanish, and I really enjoyed it. Now I'm a double major in international studies and Spanish, and I plan on studying abroad in Spain my junior year. I'm a huge language nerd, and here are some reasons why you should pick up a foreign language during college, whether it's Spanish, French, German, or even Chinese or Arabic.
Trust me, it'll change your life.
1. You’ll learn a lot about other cultures.
Learning a new language can open up a whole new world for you, and help you discover a whole new culture. In my years learning Spanish I've come across lots of interesting slang that really tells you a lot about the culture. Different Latin American countries (and Spain) have special words and grammar unique to the region. Castilian (Spain) Spanish is influenced by Catalan, Arabic, and even French, and the dialects of South American are heavily influenced by the indigenous peoples that live there.
(Pictured above: my Spain stand for my high school's Multicultural Day)
2. It improves your critical thinking skills.
Taking on the task of learning a whole new language really engages your brain. Jordan Hightower, a theater major and German minor at the University of Dayton, says, "I believe that helps you communicate better in that language and develop more extensive critical thinking skills with anything you think about, not just languages." You can even come to understand your native language better and why it works the way it does through studying the grammar of another one.
3. You’ll be able to communicate with a whole bunch of new people.
Not everyone in this world speaks English, believe it or not. By learning another language, you can connect with potentially millions of new people! Mandarin Chinese is the world's most spoken language with over 1 billion speakers. Other languages with lots of native speakers include Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, French and Arabic. You can potentially make new friends just by taking 30 minutes a day to practice a language or by taking a 100-level class at your university.
4. It’ll look good on your resume, and help you in the workplace!
Being bilingual or even multilingual makes you more marketable in today's globalized society. Knowing a second language will give you an edge in lots of fields, whether it's business, medicine, law, tourism, education or government. You'll be able to communicate with more clients and foreign co-workers. You can even find a career in languages if you're passionate about it: you can become a teacher, translator, interpreter or a linguist!
5. Your memory will improve.
All of the long and tedious vocabulary lists I got in my Spanish and French classes have really tested my memory. Flashcards and hours on Duolingo have helped me immensely in my language-learning endeavors, like the Korean alphabet, Japanese hiragana, and Italian verb conjugations. Even though I gave up on learning Russian a couple of years ago, I still remember the entire alphabet and some random vocabulary.
6. It’s fun!
Maybe I'm a bit biased because language learning is my passion. I could sit and conjugate verbs and translate the stories I write for hours. Language learning can be super fun if you make it! Apps like Duolingo and Memrise and language exchange sites where you can chat with native speakers can make it a lot more bearable.
7. It’ll help you when you travel/study abroad.
Studying abroad is one of the most exciting things you can do in college, and I can't wait to do it! If you study in or visit a non-English speaking country like Spain, China, Italy or Chile, getting around will be a lot easier if you can read the signs and talk with the locals. You'll be able to make new friends and communicate with your host family. Plus, you can take classes in the country's native language! When I went to Spain last spring (see the picture above!), it was amazing to be able to talk with the locals.
8. You can get in touch with your roots.
I have French and German ancestry, and learning French in high school has helped me learn so much about France's culture, and learn about the country my ancestors came from. I'm thinking about learning German for the same reason, and if I ever get the chance to go to the town my family came from, knowing the language will be even better! If you have family from a certain country, you can learn more about your ancestry through learning the local language.
9. We’re becoming an even more diverse country.
Lex Rojas, a Spanish major at UD who is currently studying abroad in Madrid, says that she chose to learn Spanish "due to the prevalence of Spanish speakers in the U.S. and the beauty of the language." There are more Spanish speakers in the United States than Spain, which is mind-blowing. We are a melting pot of cultures, with immigrants from all corners of the globe. Knowing another language can help us develop our intercultural understanding and help us connect with immigrant communities!
10. Bragging rights!
If the above reasons weren't appealing enough, wouldn't it be awesome to be able to say, "I can speak Japanese!" or "Yeah, I'm bilingual!" Learning a new language is an incredible accomplishment that takes lots of hard work and dedication. So many people in the US are monolingual, and knowing two languages (even if it's at a conversational or beginner level) sets you apart. Bragging to your friends and family is a reward in itself!
You don't have to be an international studies or linguistics major to study a second or even third language! There are so many benefits to being multilingual that I don't mind sitting in Spanish 321 with my not-so-interesting professor! There are so many unique languages to choose from, it doesn't have to be Spanish or French. The world is yours!
