Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language Essay

A lot of people of various ages start learning a second language due to a number of reasons. In reality learning a foreign language could bring a lot of benefits to children, as well as adult people, thus us it is important to remember that it is never too late to start and that there are never too many languages to know. Learning a new language seems to be not an easy task, as it demands dedication and some time. At the same time if to consider all the benefits and opportunities, which are brought by the process of learning already and certainly by the result of learning, then it is evident that learning a second language is worth it. Learning could become a really exciting time, if it is perceived with enthusiasm and clear understanding of the potential opportunities and outcomes. There are around 7000 languages in the modern world and there is a great choice of what second language a person could acquire. There is a theory that it is easier for children to learn foreign language, in fact under the condition of dedicated attitude any person at any age could be successful in learning a second language. As for children – learning a second language is utterly beneficial for their academic success in general, as the researches prove that those children, who learn a second language, are more successful with standardized tests in comparison to those, who do not. Taking into consideration the active formation of global society nowadays, it is evident that learning a foreign language will positively benefit one mentally, socially, and will one a better more competitive and well-rounded worker in the competitive job market. 

All individuals, irrespective of their age and specialization, are interested in getting better job position. Modern world is business dominated and bilingual candidates are highly appreciated for most positions. Thus in order to be competitive in searching a good job or even maintaining of the current position, workers should consider learning a second or even a third language. A lot of modern companies and corporations are interested in expanding of their productions and contacts to the overseas markets and this forced them look only for bilingual employees. At the same time these employees are able to get higher wages and other benefits, because they are able to contribute to the development of their company’s competitive advantage. Along with learning a foreign language, people are learning some aspects of the culture of the countries, where this language is spoken. This is a good opportunity to break the possible cultural gap either in professional or personal relations.

Languages are made up of rule systems, structures and a lot of words. Any foreign language learner is to manage this complexity, perceive the patterns and learn a great number of new works. All these processes make human brain actively operate, develop new learning skills, develop cognitive thinking and problem-solving. All these skills are beneficial for personal and professional spheres. In addition learning a second language has positive impact upon delaying of such processes as dementia and Alzheimer. In the process of learning it is necessary to remember a lot of new information, rules, words, patterns, and this process is a kind of drilling exercise for human memory, because it operates on the basis of a simple rule – either it is used or it is lost.

There is a number of commonly spoken languages, for example Spanish, German, French. Any of these languages could be useful for better organization of travel trips and leisure time, spent in other countries. There is no need to look for an interpreter and there is an opportunity to travel to many countries of the world. During business trips personal communication could never be substituted with communication with the help of an interpreter. Those travelers, who know several foreign languages, have open minds for new things and experiences gained from various cultures all over the world.

When people use their native language, they rarely think about grammatically and lexically correct structures, they use in their everyday situations. As soon as they start to learn a foreign language, grammar and vocabulary of their native language gain more importance and they learn to develop better understanding of their own language. Foreign language learners are able to get new insights into their native languages, improving their knowledge of it as well.

Perception of the surrounding world depends upon each single individual, his education, his experience, his character and his knowledge. Those, who learn foreign languages, are able to develop better global understanding of the whole world; they learn about the differences between various cultures of the world, they could compare them and focus upon important socio-cultural values of other countries. In reality there are a lot of rich cultures in the world. If an individual is limited in the frames of his native language only, he would be deprived of the opportunities of broadening of his horizons and views. 

Psychologically learning a foreign language brings it advantages as well. It is utterly important for any individual to be self-assured and satisfied with his achievements. The achievement of learning a foreign language is very satisfying. Learners are to contribute their time and effort into the process of learning and then they could be proud of their achievements and new perspectives.

All the mentioned advantages are applicable for foreign language learners of any age group. There are also certain benefits for children. It was already mentioned that those children, who learn foreign languages, show better results in their standized tests. The researches prove that foreign language lessons contribute to development of verbal skills, children show better results in other subjects as well. Numerous studies support the assumption that there is a positive correlation between the study of second language and improvement of comprehension and reaching fluency. Spelling tasks, word-reading tests are completed with better results by students, studying foreign language in comparison to monolingual students. Those students, who studied only foreign language, are able to acquire another foreign language much easier. “One study, conducted by T.H. Cunningham and C.R. Graham in 2000, showed that students who participated in a Spanish immersion program experienced improvement not only in Spanish vocabulary but also in their native English vocabulary. Middle school students in the Spanish immersion significantly outperformed English monolinguals on a Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT).” (Bamford & Mizokawa, 1991, p. 13). Development of verbal skills and activity of students is considered to be the direct positive outcomes of their learning of a foreign language.

Each academic level is more difficult for students, however, the transition from school to college, from college to university could be easier for those students, who learnt foreign languages in comparison to their counterparts, who did not. This happens most luckily thanks to positive impact of foreign language learning upon cognitive abilities of the students and their memory development.

Overall, learning a foreign language has numerous advantages and benefits, which should not be ignored either by adult people or by children; it contributes to their mental, social, intellectual development, widening of their world view, better professional perspectives and personal development. There are no limits either for the age of the learners, or for the number of languages, a person would like to acquire.

 

References:

Bamford, K.W., & Mizokawa, D.T. (1991). Additive-bilingual (immersion) education: Cognitive and language development. Language Learning, 41, 413-429

Brecht, R.D., & Rivers, W.P. (2000). Language and national security in the 21st century:

The role of Title VI/Fulbright-Hays in supporting national language capacity. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.

Merritt, A. (Saturday 22, April 2017). Why learn a foreign language? Benefits of bilingualism. The Telegraph

Szypulski, R. (2017). 5 unexpected benefits of learning another language. Business Insider

Why Learn Languages?  World Languages and Cultures. Vistawide, n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2013. http://www.vistawide.com/languages/why_languages.htm 

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 19, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 19, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 19, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 19, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 19, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 19, 2024]
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