Learning a foreign language is usually a requirement for most colleges and high schools. People mope and complain about how unnecessary it is for their major though. This has absolutely no importance to me or my major, why do I need to be here? Well, maybe we should start to appreciate the special experience of learning this strange territory for it offers so much more than what meets the eye.
Careers
Learning a new language allows more doors to open for our careers. When someone sees you have some background in a foreign language, chances of you getting hired increase. Employers want employees that have the ability to communicate to non-English speakers because it increases the overall well-being in their workplace.
More Culturally Aware
Second languages help you become more aware of other cultures and lifestyles. From personal experience, which I’m sure many can relate to, I’ve noticed that people that only speak English tend to be ethnocentric. This means they tend to believe their culture and ethnic group are more superior or better than others. This brings an arrogant air to these people.
However, learning about other cultures allows us to have an entirely new perspective on life, including our own. We can empathize with others, be more aware about the world as a whole, appreciate our own culture, and find a common ground among these cultures. This specifically can unite the world in a unique way, which is important on this diverse planet.
Study Abroad Opportunities
Studying abroad is an alluring option that many college students take part in. Being able to speak another language opens up more possibilities when deciding where to study. Certain countries require background in their dominant language in order to study there, so if you don’t take that language, chances of going there are slim. Having a wide range of countries to pick from when looking into study abroad is a great thing. You have more options when it comes to timing, programs, and simply preference.
Meet New People
Meeting new people can go hand in hand with becoming more culturally aware. Becoming good friends with someone not only makes you aware of the different struggles they may face, but actually caring about them. Sometimes just being aware of a situation doesn’t mean you are actually concerned about it. Having people like this in your life brings about a passion that maybe you weren’t even aware of having.
Also, meeting new people with distinct experiences is just awesome in general. We can learn about all the extraordinary experiences they have which can expand our interests in different activities. This can lead to discovering new activities or hobbies we are passionate about.
Improve Learning Skills
Then of course, learning a new language expands our knowledge academically. It is always important to gain new knowledge in different areas we may not be familiar with. As one of my good friends said, “Forcing yourself to think differently from your specific discipline can not only help you think about your discipline in new ways, but it can also help you understand the way other people think.”
On top of that, learning a second language forces our brains to think and learn in different ways. It’s not information we can just “pick up” by learning it in a textbook. Yes, some grammatical aspects of it can be, but for the most part it is a completely different area of learning.
Foreign languages are very interesting and should be appreciated more often. It can expand our knowledge, awareness, and overall perspectives in such unique ways that this cannot be replicated in any other field of learning. Learning Spanish has benefited me in so many, that I can only encourage others to learn a new language too.
