The joy of learning a foreign language - 16 Advantages

Right now I am continually learning Chinese, and I’ve also been learning some Russian. When I was younger I studied some Spanish. I love learning languages.

Contents

1 My Main Reasons

2 Other Reasons

3 Challenges of Learning Languages

4 What’s the best way to learn foreign languages?

5 Related posts:

There are many advantages to learning a foreign language.

To me the biggest are:

My Main Reasons

Something that before was not understandable is now understandable
It requires great effort to accomplish, and is therefore more satisfying because you now have the rewards of conquering something, which is basically a conquering of yourself. Focussing your efforts in one direction
It opens a whole new world of possibilities – people you can communicate with
You can understand a culture that was before foreign to you which is like enlargening the mind
It’s an adventure

Other Reasons

There are lots of other benefits:

You can meet new people and have fun conversations
Benefits in your career
It’s great for traveling
After learning one language, others are easier. For example after learning Chinese, every other language is so much easier!
It makes you smarter
Bilingual students tend to score higher on standardized tests than monolingual students, especially in the areas of vocabulary, reading and math. As you learn to toggle from one language to another, you improve your multitasking abilities. Bilingual individuals have also been shown to be more logical and rational, have better decision-making skills and be more perceptive and aware of their surroundings.
It boosts your creativity
It builds your self confidence
Better memory – there are reports that it can decrease your risk of alzheimers and other diseases
It makes you healthier – work and learning and a goal is good for health
It increases your attention span – practice makes perfect
It improves your understanding of your own culture – because you now have a different perspective