5 Benefits of Learning a New Language

Learning a new language can be a lot of fun. Whether it be Spanish, English, or Navajo, languages open many new doors in a person's life. New friends, new job opportunities, and new experiences are waiting for anyone willing to do a little work learning the rules and intricacies of a new language.

There are many benefits to picking up a new language. From better-paying jobs to understanding more about other people from other cultures, becoming bi or multi-lingual offers many exciting benefits.

These days, the world is a lot more connected than it used to be. Many companies work with countries who may not speak the native language, or have customers who speak another language. This can make it difficult to assist customers who have questions or who want the services the company offers, and trying to make deals with someone who speaks a different language can make things a lot more complicated.

Having mastery of another language can really open doors up for different and exciting job offers. In America, many employers look for candidates who can speak, write, and read both English and Spanish because Spanish is the second most spoken language in the country. Many of their customers, therefore, may speak little English. Having someone on their staff who can help these customers is highly beneficial for them.

Along with more job offers come better-paid job positions. Employers are always looking for someone who can break through a language barrier as it can bring in more money for the company, so those who have mastered a language or two outside of their native language are huge assets to them. Positions higher in the company become easier to access because employers will be looking to utilize this skill in growing their company, meaning higher salaries.

Learning a new language takes more than watching television shows on the Spanish networks, or listening to music in German. To truly acquire a new language, it takes hard work, studying, practice, and eventually often leads to speaking with people native to the language who can help with pronunciation and grammar. It can be intimidating reaching out to someone who knows the target language because learning means making mistakes. This teamwork, however, can often lead to wonderful friendships between two people who might not otherwise speak to each other.

The same can be said for those on the journey to learning a language. Two or more people trying to learn Mandarin Chinese, for example, may become the best of friends as they work together to master the language.

Leg muscles need squats. Arm muscles need bicep curls. Everyone knows in order to strengthen muscles in the body, one needs to participate in exercises that challenge them. The brain is a muscle as well, but doing squats won't help the brain grow stronger and better.

The brain needs challenges in order to stay sharp and to retain information. Learning a language can offer the perfect challenge for flexing those thinking and memory muscles in the brain. Learning a new language is difficult and takes time to reach mastery, meaning the brain gets a thorough and constant workout. Especially when working to understand native speakers!

When diving into a new language, it is encouraged to also learn about the culture behind the new language in order to understand them and some of their language quirks. For example, in the Spanish culture, death is not seen as a permanent state, which is then reflected in using their verbs "ser" and "estar" in the language.

Learning about a new culture can be really fun- especially when it comes to cuisine! many cultures have interesting (and sometimes delicious) aspects of their culture. Plus, it can help when relating to native speakers on a deeper level than just knowing their native language.

Make it a challenge to learn something new about the culture behind the language being studied. One never knows what interesting things will be dug up!