Learning more than one language is something you should seriously think about. The world has become a global village, and if you want to excel, you need to learn a few languages. Knowing your native language is great, but when you learn other foreign languages, it has its added benefits. Not only this choice will affect your professional life but your cognitive abilities will also improve. When you learn foreign languages, you need to do it properly, so you can read it and communicate with it. For instance, if your child is learning Spanish, you have to help them listen to Spanish Radio program so they can learn the right pronunciation in Spanish. Buy your children books and dictionary of the target language they are learning, so they can make the process easier. Here are some facts and reasons why your child should learn another language.
1. Can Communicate With More People
Of course, the primary benefit of learning a new language is that you can communicate with different people. English may be lingua franca, but learning other languages opens new doors where you get to communicate with hundreds of other people. When a child learns a foreign language, s/he will have a lifetime to benefit from cross-cultural friendships and exciting travel adventures. Traveling to a strange land will not be a problem anymore because your child will be familiar with the language.
2. Good For Brain
Bilinguals are so much better multi-tasking than monolinguals. When you are continually choosing the right language to speak at the right time, it provides a mental gymnastics, which gives the speaker an extra practice in focusing their attention. Even babies, who are exposed to more than one language, show different cognitive patterns. Some researchers even say that the best way to have a smarter kid is to teach them multiple languages.
3. Career Opportunities
There are hundreds of careers, and it depends on every individual what s/he opts. When children learn more languages, it means that their career opportunities also increase. No matter what your child chooses to become, one or two extra languages in her/his resume will not hurt. If your child becomes a doctor, s/he can apply in a different country because there will not be any language barrier. Worst case scenario, even if your child cannot figure out what s/he wants to be, learning a few extra languages will qualify him/her to become a translator. Translators are highly valued in embassies and other organizations.
4. Better Understanding Of The Native Language
A second language study can actually help the speaker’s native language skills. When children learn a different language, they learn about how the language works. Unconsciously, they become more aware of their own first language and the grammar, sentence structures, etc. in it. Bilingual children are also better at understanding the visual representation of print materials as compared to monolingual students. Hence, there is a positive relationship between foreign language study and the language arts achievement of your native language.
5. Cross-Cultural Understanding
There are billions of people living on earth, with millions of cultures, each unique in its own way. It makes sense that we start to embrace other people and their ethnicity because every culture and religion matters. Every culture has its own language. Although we cannot hope to learn all of these languages, we can try to learn some to understand their respective cultures and histories. When kids learn a new language, it is not only the language they acquire, but it is a new perspective. They learn to see the world the way other people from different cultures see it and gain a deeper insight.
6. Higher Test Scores
Many studies have proven that when you learn a foreign language in your early life, it will improve your cognitive ability and achievements in other academic areas. People who can speak more than one language score higher than monolinguals in admission exams. Your test scores will be higher as a result because of the ability to speak more than one language. You will perform better in English and Mathematics, and your SAT-verbal scores will also considerably improve comparatively. Encouraging your child to learn foreign languages in a way will pave a path for them where they will ace their academic tests.
7. Increased Empathy
Studies have shown that bilingual people are more empathetic than monolinguals. The reason is that these people are better at putting themselves in others’ shoes and understanding different situations and perspectives. When you are learning to speak another language, it not only requires language skills, but you also require the ability to understand the other person’s perspective.
Maybe it is too late for you to learn a new language because of how busy life has become, but you can always encourage your children to learn different languages and think outside the box!