The Benefits Of Studying A Foreign Language

Everyone in America has had to learn a second language in order to obtain a high school diploma, however this ‘learning’ of a language is merely a short class that does little to tie one down to a second language. There are few students who continue to seek more and more knowledge about their intended language. Some lose interest, while others make excuses by saying that it is too hard. However, learning more than one language has so many benefits that it is mind boggling to me that more people like to remain monolingual. Obviously time and resources are a concern, but there are so many ways to learn a language that can be catered to one’s individual needs. Think about all of the people in our nation whose first language is not English.

There are about 7,000 languages in the world today. In America, there are 350 languages alone. However, only about 25% of Americans can speak a language other than english. Despite the majority of Americans being monolingual, 43% of the nation believes it is important to learn a second language. Being bilingual has many benefits for the future. Knowledge of foreign languages can expand career potentials, help improve one's native language, and can aid opportunities to travel and experience new culture. Learning a foreign language is one of the most beneficial experiences for people in the future.

Second languages are vital. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have the ability to speak ten out of the near seven thousand languages that are spoken in the world today? It is certainly evident that it would be pretty astonishing but also undoubtedly complex and mind-boggling. From Afrikaans and French, to German and Swahili, foreign languages are responsible for one thing; enabling easy communication and the ability to interact with others in whatever language you may speak. In today’s society, approximately one fifth of the global population speaks English. So, learning another language is inevitably crucial for education, work and travel. It is also important for making real connections with others, broadening your horizons and can even give you an even more in-depth understanding of your own native language. But what advantages do foreign languages have?

Learning a second language is something that numerous people have attempted to do throughout the years. The motivation for doing this, be it intrinsic or extrinsic, varies from student to student. Learning a second language becomes effective when teachers are able to identify students’ individual learning problems, apply diverse methods and approaches to solve them, and nourish students’ learning motivation.

Students with foreign language skills can find jobs more easily than students without. Many employers look for applicants with basic foreign language skills. Language skills are also important for positions with international companies. Job security and higher pay for employees who know a foreign language are other possible benefits. Since only twenty percent of students in the United States take a foreign language, the ones who do have an advantage. Also,

In the article “America’s Foreign Language Deficit” by David Skorton explains how learning another language can have many effects. The author, David Skorton, claims that by having the next American generation learning a foreign language, it will prepare them for success in the future. This is a logical claim. First, as the author points out, “[America] need[s] diplomats, intelligence and foreign policy experts, politicians… who are proficient in languages other than English” (Skorton). For example, the military often needs people who can speak a different language for many different reasons, such as having an important meeting with another country. In addition, American businesses need to know how to communicate with other businesses outside

Knowing another language puts a person in an advantage of carrier selection. In our extreme and fast moving environment, people who know more than one language have more employment opportunities. Many professional firms require knowledge of second language. And people who know a second language have a huge advantage over those who do not.

One should learn a foreign language to be able to make more money. Being a bilingual worker , that person can make more money than the average person who can only speak one language. According to an article , written by Morgan Rush , this is an anecdotal evidence that some companies pay bilingual workers more. Suppose if someone come to a store , they need help , but they only speak Spanish . What will one do ? Americans should think about these things when choosing whether they should learn a foreign language or not. Do not just think about how you can benefit from learning another language but about how others will benefit from it also.

On the one hand, it is stated the only reason why we should learn a new language is for travelling to work. In fact, if a person could use a new language fluency, he would get many benefits when he works in other countries, such as he can not only have more opportunities to get a promotion in his career, but also expand the business for his company. For example,

Two years of a foreign language should be required for college. Throughout life foreign languages can benefit you greatly. You have a diverse selection of job opportunities and you can work with foreign companies which allow you to be promoted to higher positions in your job.

My senior paper is about what I want to do in my future, but as well as the realization that there is a much bigger world out there. We have dyeing languages and cultures out in the world and people do not even realize it. There are more people learning English than there are people learning another language besides English. English is becoming the universal language. So, I will be sharing with you the benefits of learning a new language as well as why there are only a limit on foreign culture we can learn about in schools. There will also be the discussion of the form of work that you can do as a translator/ interpreter and more benefits that you can have with any job with knowing a second language. What I will

Whether one is confronted by international or non-native English speaking clients or customers, the years of Spanish or other foreign languages studied in high school can shine through, impressing whomever one is confronting. An approach to the four-year foreign language policy should not be to avoid taking it again in college, but rather to better oneself. It is no secret that the United States is the only industrialized nation that does not implement a national foreign language requirement. According to the 2006 General Social Survey, it stated: “Only 25% of American adults self-report speaking a language other than English.” (qtd. in Devlin). In countries such as Germany, Italy, and France, the numbers are more than double of the percentage, revealing a shocking contrast how much the US

When learning a foreign language you have hundreds of options, you could learn any language from French, to sign language, to Spanish, the possibilities are endless. There are long term benefits to learning a foreign language. Some may say that this is too difficult for kindergartners, or “Why should the student be required to learn a foreign language if they might not even travel?”. As some of you may know, I had a poll sent out on my topic, It looked a little like this. And I am here do everything in my power to convince the 47.5% of you who disagree with me or are unsure about how important foreign language is, and how it is best to learn it in kindergarten.

Many of us know how frustrating and boring the process of mastering a new foreign language can be. You can spend ours learning grammar principles, you can remember the tenses, handle the writing and still find yourself unable to communicate well with a foreigner when an opportunity emerges.

I have always been intrigued by the concept of language; whether it be from how languages originated, how people learn them, or how the language creates words different from the pre-existing languages, I draw an interest to all of it. I specifically remember when I was younger, trying to create a new language of my own. In today’s world, there are more than 2,000 languages spoken around the world. Some of those languages are only spoken by a single village while others are spoken by billions of people. Those who speak the less popular languages are most likely fluent in another major one. English is one of those major languages, although it is not the most spoken language in the world, it is a competitor; however, it is many people’s choice of a second language, and spoken regularly in many foreign countries. Many schools throughout the world make it a requirement for their students to practice another language while enrolled. Unfortunately, after graduation, students never retain the language, it was simply stored in their short-term memory. Becoming fluent in another language is not only alluring, but it is very beneficial to one’s self, and the global community. Being bilingual is proven to give a leg up to people in the business world, improve one’s mental health in many ways, and additionally advance other aspects in one’s life not ordinarily associated with the learning of a new language. Why is it beneficial for native English speakers to learn another language?