ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Get Happy: Learn a New Language

Updated on October 30, 2013
Source

Besides having the world in your hands, there are many reasons to learn another language. As an English-speaker, you are lucky enough to know a widely-spoken language, but unlike many believe in the United States, English is not the world's most-spoken language. Actually, the list goes: Mandarin, Spanish, and then English. Surprised? Don't be.

955 million people (roughly) speak Mandarin, while only 359 million speak English (Wikipedia.com). When you consider how many other people in the world might not be able to understand you, you might start to see the importance of learning another language. But even knowing the sheer volume of non-English speakers might not sway you into pursuing a second language.

So why do it? Why take the time to learn a new language if you might never travel to another country? What if you never use it? Well, despite what you may think about learning a new language, it is not that difficult. You might spend a few hours in a day just watching a television show, blankly staring at your Facebook feed, or just playing internet games. What if you took that down time and converted it into useful study time?

The next time someone asks you what you did the day before, you can say, "Oh, nothing, just learning Spanish." You will have something to talk about, and you'll feel good about yourself for taking initiative and being proactive. No longer will you be a couch potato. There is nothing wrong with making yourself happier.

Learning Spanish on Youtube

How Does Learning Make Me Happy?

Have you ever been a part of a conversation in which a question was proposed that no one could answer except you? It might have been the definition to the word "plethora" or how many noses a slug has, or something even more trivial, but it felt good to be the person that could provide the answer, right? It's the satisfaction in knowing something that others don't. The ability to speak a second language falls right in here. You could be able to walk the streets of Germany and know how to ask for the supermarket or the location of a restroom in a bar.

You would be able to understand local customs and not insult someone by using the informal pronoun on accident. There would be no wasted money on translators. And even if you never go to Germany, well, everyone's got a German grandmother that doesn't exactly understand English, right?

Okay, so you might not use the language, but you'd spend enough time learning a new language that you might consider traveling to that country or even becoming a translator yourself! Learning a popular language like Spanish can get you further in your company. Not everyone speaks a second language, and your skills would be an asset.

Gaining a raise or getting a better job is definitely on the list of mood improvements.

A German Conversation
A German Conversation | Source

Where Can I Learn a New Language?

There are many places on-line that give you free access to language-learning software, quizzes, vocabulary, and more. Rosetta Stone is a popular language-learning software, as it uses photos, speaking exercises, and word association to help you immerse yourself in the new language, but this software costs money. Instead of paying for a new skill, go immediately to this website and sign up right now.

Which language would you like to learn?

See results

Duolingo is free to sign up, and if you are already familiar with a language in some manner, you are able to test out of lessons and move quickly through the easy parts. The website is incentive-based, as well. You earn coins, and you can share your progress with friends side-by-side.

Currently, you can learn:

  • Spanish
  • German
  • French
  • Italian
  • Portuguese

There are only a few languages available currently, but they may soon add more. If you're not busy, why not try it? You aren't going to lose anything by starting a new language, and you can fill up that time where before you were bored to death. Now, you can be proactive! Learning a new language is never a bad idea. If nothing else, you can actually improve your first language by understanding the structure and function of new words in another language.

In addition, there are discussion pages that let you ask questions if you don't understand your current topic. Plenty of others are in the same spot as you, so someone will have the answer to your verb conjugation question.

Just say 'hello!'
Just say 'hello!' | Source

Don't ever let anyone tell you that your journey toward a new language isn't useful. There is always a reason to learn a new language, even if it's just to make yourself happier. Learning something new is cause for celebration. Education should continue after high school and college. There is always room for improvement.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)