world

How useful is having a second (or third) language?

Kettlemag, World, Languages, Snow Zapreva
Written by Snezhana

Have you ever thought about the importance of languages and how you can use them in order to have a better life? If the answer is no, you’ve come to the right place. We’re here to share some of the benefits of speaking more than one language. 

More job opportunities

The fluency in more than one language makes you an irreplaceable employee. Nowadays, the need of multilingual people has increased. A lot of companies are looking for individuals who speak two or three foreign languages. You will find that sometimes the fluency in certain language is stated as a requirement in the job description. Why is that so? The reason is that many companies expand their business into oversees market and start giving service to international customers. Also, if their employee speaks the local language, the gap between the countries can be easily bridged. On the whole, the number of the foreign languages that you speak make you a valuable employee.

The more languages you speak, the better job prospects you have. The fluency in two or three languages gives you an edge when you are applying for a job. In addition, the languages that you speak give you the opportunity to search for a job in more than one country. For example, you are British who speaks German and Spanish. The knowledge of these two languages gives you the chance to apply for a job in two more countries apart from UK.

Travelling

The most spoken languages in the world are English, Spanish, Chinese and Hindi. By speaking two or three of them you can travel around the world without any hesitation.

Languages are needed in order to efficiently communicate with people. When you are about to go abroad, the fluency in English language is not enough. In some countries, locals refuse to speak in English and they want from you to speak in their native language. Hence, you cannot experience the most of the country, nor can you explore their culture. If you speak the local language you will have better experience because the locals can point you to really nice places off the beaten track. Also, when the people can have a conversation on their native language they tend to be more hospitable and helpful.

Languages enrich your common knowledge

Languages make you a citizen of the world. Fluency in one or two foreign languages helps you to connect with different kinds of people and to understand various points of view. Languages can broaden your interests, they make you open-minded. Also, the learning of a new language allows you to explore the culture, the history, the literature of different countries around the world. In addition, the knowledge of a language makes you more intelligent because it gives you an access to more information. What is more, it improves your understanding of how the the world works.

A language makes you smarter

Multilingual people or polyglots have more grey matter. Also, they manage to speak more than one language which gives them cognitive advantages. Polyglots are better at multi-tasking because of their ability to change one language system with another. Multilingual people have brains that are more exercised and quick to recall names, directions, etc. Their skills of reading, negotiating, and problem-solving are better than these of the people who speak only one language.

Languages strengthen your short term memory and develop your ability to learn faster. When you know more than four languages you start finding out that the languages are closely related to each other. For example, the word promenade exists in both German and English and has the same meaning. In Spanish the word for melon is the same as the one in English but pronounced differently-melòn.  

The knowledge of languages boosts your confidence and gives you the chance to meet new and interesting people. In addition, it makes you more tolerant and appreciative of the other ways of looking at the world.The positives of the languages are numerous, so go and sign up for a language course. All the effort you are going to make while studying a new language will ultimately pay off!