In our life, we have many things to do. These things may be connected with family or professional life. Whatever it may be, we have to use a language to communicate with each other. These languages can be easy or hard but they are the most effective way of communication. While knowing a single language is important, trying out a new language can mean an extra door of opportunities. It can also be a very enjoyable journey. A language is not just about learning to speak and write, it means delving into a whole new cultural experience that is so unique. Hence, all said and done, I believe that learning new languages is a very rewarding experience, and it is worth a try.
Traversing the Language Barrier
So many times, while connecting with people, we might face a language barrier. Learning a language can stop that from happening. By learning a new language you can effectively communicate with many people belonging to a particular culture. With migration on the rise, people from different parts of the world are travelling around incessantly to adapt themselves to new places. In such cases, people who are not restricted to a single language can communicate better with their counterparts from across the society- making them more socially and professionally acceptable. Thus, we find that learning new languages can lead to social advantage along with better communication.
Professional Advantage
Languages can be a way to connect to get a job. Multilingual people are exposed to better career opportunities as knowing more than one language is definitely an advantage. One example is Bradley Cooper, an English actor. He studied French after getting inspired by the movie, Chariots of Fire. This led him to getting lots of offers from French movies as well. This applies for many people in the job market since languages are important for connection, especially in the current times when most of the organisations work on a cross-cultural level. Hence, new languages can open up the portals of a wide range of opportunities in the career market.
Improved Mental Faculties
Language also improves memory and cognitive function. Recently there has been research at Cambridge University that shows that those who speak only one language have less neurons and dendrites compared to multilingual people. Thus, the grey and white matter of multilingual people are stronger. This matter facilitates communication between the various parts of your brain, which aids in learning and brain function. Those who speak two languages have more white matter integrity than those who only speak one. Their brain- reserves are actually increased by additional language exposure. Hence, a second or third language is good to learn as it makes us more intelligent.
To conclude, a new language not only opens the doors of social and professional spheres, it also helps you understand many cultural backgrounds, delays the onset of age-related mental decline and makes you more sociable. Thus, any intelligent person can see that learning a new language can indeed be a very rewarding experience.
Writer : Hari Govind
Grade : 7 (Year 2025)
Place : Sydney, Australia
