What are the Benefits of Learning a Second Language?

If you’ve ever tried learning a second language, you’ll know how difficult it can be. It takes a lot of patience and commitment to truly master another language.

Finding time in your busy life to practice your skills can be a real challenge, but the benefits are numerous.

It doesn’t just benefit those looking to move abroad. From having a positive effect on your brain to helping you at work, learning a foreign language seems is a great skill to acquire.

Don’t believe us? Keep reading to discover 7 benefits of learning a second language.

1. It Will Open the Door to More Job Opportunities

English is considered the language of global business. In years past, knowing English was considered an extra special skill-set that would help earn you the top spot at your company. However, now many businesses are shifting to require English skills as a prerequisite for employment.

Communication and language barriers can make international business meetings extremely difficult. This is why sharing a similar language is favorable. English has made its way up the list to be the most popular language of business.

In fact, about 20%, or 1.5 billion people, speak English across the globe. Out of those 1.5 billion people, only 360 million speak English as their first language. That means over half of the English-speakers in today’s world learned it as a second language.

With all that competition, learning English is more important than ever if you want to make an impact on the international business world.

2. Your Memory Will Improve

Your brain functions like any ordinary muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it becomes. But if you don’t use it, you lose it.

In order to improve your memory, you need to partake in brain exercises. Attempting to memorize lists and doing math in your head are both great examples of this. However, most people don’t want to spend their free time practicing mental math.

Learning a new language is a fun way to exercise your brain and improve your memory. A huge part of learning a new language is memorizing vocabulary words. Remembering different grammar rules and subject-verb agreement can also help too.

3. It’ll Increase Your Brain Power

Learning a second language helps your brain out in more ways than one. Not only will your memory improve, but you’ll actually become smarter.

Speaking in a new and different language challenges your brain to recognize and gain meaning from new words. Trying to gain understanding from a sentence you might not fully recognize also helps your problem solving and logical thinking.

Since those who are bilingual often switch between the two languages, their multitasking abilities are also believed to be better than those who only speak one language.

4. You’ll Be Able to Travel Better

Have you ever dreamed of jet-setting off to foreign destinations, but are afraid that you won’t be able to communicate while you’re there? Asking for directions, buying tickets, and ordering dinner can all become difficult tasks when you don’t share a language.

By learning a second language, you’ll be able to increase the number of places you can travel to without having to worry about language barriers.

Now, we’ve already mentioned that English is a global business language. Well, that transfers over the travel as well. There are several native English-speaking countries, including The United States of America, England, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and Belize.

Additionally, English is spoken by many people in the tourist industry across the world. Whether you’re traveling to Indonesia or Italy, you’ll be likely to find plenty of English-speakers.

5. You’ll Become More Confident

People gain confidence when they learn a new task. Learning a second language will allow you to gain confidence in yourself, especially when working with native-speakers or traveling to new countries.

A boost in confidence can also help you continue to learn a new language. Set attainable goals for yourself to help you feel accomplished and confident in your level.

If you aren’t feeling very confident yet, don’t worry. There are some ways you can act confident to improve your accent.

6. You Can Meet New People

If you’re a social butterfly, you might find that meeting new people is a favorite pastime of yours. The great part of learning a second language is that it opens you up to a seemingly limitless number of people.

You will now be able to meet people who you may have had a language barrier with before. If you choose to learn a universal language, like English, this will also open you up to meeting people from all over the world.

If you’re sometimes a little shy and reserved, you might find conversing with someone in a second language to be extra difficult. But, don’t worry! There are some tips to help you keep a conversation going.

7. You Can Learn About a New Culture

If you like to learn and are interested in how people live in different areas of the world, then learning a second language is a great way to do that.

You can make friends with people from all different backgrounds and countries and learn about their customs, culture, and lifestyle.

This can be especially handy if you are trying to move abroad. Culture shock can be a powerful entity. You can do tons of research and still not be completely prepared for what awaits you in a new country.

Developing friends and connections in other countries can not only give you a personal account of what life is like in your potential new home country but can also help you adjust quicker by having a support system already in place.

Benefits of Learning a Second Language

If you’ve ever wanted to learn a new language (or you’re in the process of learning a new language now), you’re not alone! Roughly half of the world’s population says they can speak more than one language.

Many people might find that traveling better or gaining more work opportunities as the biggest benefits. However, there are so many benefits to learning a second language, including increasing memory, becoming smarter, boosting confidence, meeting new people, and learning about new cultures.

So now that you know the benefits of learning a second language, are you ready to start? Contact us today to learn how we can help you improve your English language skills.