For several decades, foreign languages have attracted a lot of students in society. However, only a few were a part of the list. But now, because of the socio-economic changes, globalization, and the great technological advances that have taken place, not only English but a lot of languages have improved importance.
Information and communication technologies have lessened the boundaries between two people speaking different languages and living in two different regions. However, languages remain an indispensable tool for exchanging messages, thoughts, ideas in both personal life and professional field.
The knowledge of a foreign language holds immense value. There are several reasons why educational institutes put so much emphasis on language training. Several benefits are visible in everyday life. Undoubtedly, a person who can speak more than two languages can connect with more people. That person will comparatively have a stronger network of people. More people will easily connect to multi-lingual people.
Also, the need for such (multi-lingual) people has been continuously increasing these days. A lot of organizations want to improve their outreach in different parts of the world. That can only become possible if the company can deliver its messages in different languages so that the local people can connect easily.
Global culture
In a globalized and interconnected world, languages are a way to link countries and seeking new horizons. A person who knows more than one language has better tools to communicate and interact with people living in different parts of the world.
Undoubtedly, a language is a tool for the expression of a culture. Languages show us the socio-cultural traits of people. Learning a language is like opening our minds to another way of seeing and understanding reality. It is familiarizing oneself with new social relationships, culture, history and people.
The need for foreign language learning has immensely increased. Globalization has made a huge impact. As mentioned earlier, every organization wants to improve its outreach and expand its network. This was not very easy 10-15 years ago. But with the advent of technology, the internet and other related tools, it has become possible for companies to expand their outreach globally quickly.
However, for this purpose, multi-lingual people remain in high demand. We can say that multi-lingual people work in the background and have been making it easier for organizations to sell their products services in several parts of the world. We know that with the help of technology, things have become easy for humans. However, technology has become possible because of humans only.
As technology is on the rise constantly, more and more such people are required for organizations, governments, etc.
More employment opportunities
Undoubtedly, being multi-lingual is a great way to stand out from the crowd and competition. Most of the employers look for something different in a candidate. The demand for multi-lingual people has increased over time because of globalization. Undoubtedly, it has played a major role in increasing the demand for such people.
Not only a single sector, but each and every industry requires multi-lingual people these days. Be it marketing and sales, telecommunications, media and PR, each and every department of a company requires people who can speak multiple languages.
Multi-lingual people remain in high demand in the sales and marketing sectors. As most of the companies look for expansions, they establish their headquarters in several parts of the world. They require people who can easily connect with the local people and help the company improve the sales graph. Not only this, but the demand for interpreters is high. Companies pay a hefty amount of money.
The command of languages implies the possibility of accessing other cultures, customs and, at the same time. It promotes interpersonal relationships, guarantees the integral formation of mutual respect between two individuals and allows to better understand their needs and wants.
One cannot expect a clear conversation between two people if they are speaking in two completely different languages. A language is a common thread to deliver messages in a correct way.
Even if the students do not have any language as a subject during college, they must spend some time learning and master a new language. This can be one of the best investments they can make for the betterment of their future.
Skill enhancement
Learning a new language is not at all an easy task. One has to master a whole new set of words, sentences, dictions, etc. Undoubtedly, it is a complex task. It requires a lot of hard work, effort, and time. During the language learning process, the brain goes through a lot. So, there are different mental health benefits of learning a new language. Research by Washington State University states that multi-lingual people have a better memory.
Also, multi-lingual people are good at problem-solving, good at multitasking and also more creative. Other than that, when you learn a new language, the brain is practiced to go through complex procedures. Therefore, learning another language also becomes easy. Also, you become more confident and do not hesitate to face problems.
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Better connections with people
If you aspire to meet new people, make new friends, travel to different parts of the world, maintain lifelong relationships with hundreds of people, you must learn different languages.
In maintaining meaningful relationships, language plays an important role. It helps express our feelings, emotions and connect with people around us. A multi-lingual person will be able to connect with more people. How? Because multi-lingual people can easily communicate with more number of people. They won’t have language barriers and will be able to deliver their message easily.
Undoubtedly, knowing a foreign language opens up a massive pool of potential friends. It helps you make a good connection with people in no time. If you communicate with a person living in Russia, in his native language, you will better connect with him. He might not express his messages clearly communicating in English. This is why multi-lingual people are preferred. Knowing a foreign language acts as a common denominator when you meet native speakers. A foreign tongue does not attract them and either they or you, feel alienated.
Better understanding of own language
This might sound unexpected, but it is true. A lot of studies have suggested that learning a new language can actually help with the command of one’s native language.
Mastering a new language kind of pulls reverse psychology on you. It helps you understand your own mother tongue and culture in a much better way. It will help you become more aware and conscious of your own language’s vocabulary, grammar, punctuations. Also, you will become aware and conscious of your culture. You will read and research more about it. This will surely improve your reading, listening and writing skills.
Learning a new language improves your memory
We have heard it a lot that the more you use your brain, the better it performs. Learning a new language have several benefits, but it is also a very complex process. As mentioned earlier, you need to learn and understand different sets of grammatical rules, new vocabulary, new words, and many other things. Other than that, you also need to have the ability to recall all the information.
In all such processes, your brain goes through a lot of practice and training. A lot of brain is used while learning a new language. As a result, language learning automatically improves your memory.
You become a multi-tasker
For a lot of people, multi-tasking is daunting. They find it very difficult to perform several tasks at a time. One of the major reasons is that their brain is not trained to perform in such a manner. However, when a person learns different languages, the brain becomes more and more active, which is required if you want to be a multi-tasker.
Relocation becomes easy
There are a lot of students who wish to study abroad and pursue their careers abroad only. For them, being multi-lingual becomes very important. If you also have plans to relocate and settle yourself in a different place, your foreign language knowledge can be very fruitful for you. Especially when you know the language of the region where you are relocating, your stay becomes easier.
A lot of Indian students find very difficult to survive in countries like Cyprus, Ukraine and other Schengen countries. The reason is that they are not familiar with the local language. The culture, language, the food, everything is completely different.
Your travel becomes easy
It is very important to have knowledge about the country where you want to travel. You will connect easily with the natives if you conversate with them in their native language. For example, if you want to travel to Germany, it would be great if you learn the basics of the German language.
Most of the tourists do not have knowledge of the language where they travel. Therefore, they have to take the help of guides and they bound themselves to visit a certain set of places.
However, you will be happier if you conversate with the natives in the language they speak. You may get a chance to explore the unexplored places with the residents of that country. The places that are away from the tourist bubble.
You should not bound yourself to see only the Eiffel tower when you visit Paris. Talk with the natives and ask them about the places which not many tourists visit, but are amazing. Well, for that, you need to learn French.
You become more confident
Learning new languages help you build confidence. It is a great morale booster. Being multi-lingual will help you communicate with different people around the world. You will be able to make new friends.
The learning process is difficult, but there are advantages as well. The positive feedback you get when you conversate with natives in their language gives a great boost to your self-confidence.
Mental health benefits of learning a new language
Different studies have highlighted several benefits of learning a new language. There are a lot of mental health benefits of learning a new language. This activity helps in improving cognitive functions. This means that a person who masters a foreign language has better attentional control and improved abstract and symbolic representational skills. This also shows that multi-lingual people are much more creative.
Studies suggest learning a new language can also reduce the risk of dementia. The brain becomes stronger while learning a new language. The white matter of your brain strengthens. This way, you can delay the dementia symptoms by more than four years.
Conclusion
The need for foreign language training has been constantly increasing today. Globalization has led to shrinkage of the world and only physical boundaries are left with people. The communication has become easy and people can interact with them easily. However, language training still holds utmost importance. As the technology grows, the need for multi-lingual people is also increasing. The trend will continue till the time technological advancements happen.
