Learn a foreign language: the good reasons
Learning a foreign language takes persistence and a little time, but the benefits that come with it are many. Travel abroad, professional opportunities, development of brain capacities: open up new horizons by learning a foreign language!
Learning a foreign language, a daily advantage
For love, passion, professional obligation or to take full advantage of one’s travels, the interest in learning a new language is verified in an infinite number of fields, including on a daily basis.
Fully appreciate your leisure time
Literature, computers, cooking, music … Whatever your favorite activity, learning a new language is often a way to extend your passion to the practices of other countries and to communicate with enthusiasts from all over the world.
Better adaptation to change
People speaking at least two languages would be more apt to change tasks quickly and to multitask at the same time. Used to juggling two languages, translating words into several different idioms, listening and translating simultaneously, the brain becomes a multitasking tool and adapts better to changes.
Dialogue with your family
Many children of immigrants have not had the chance to learn their parents’ mother tongue. Learning this language is a way of communicating with family members who speak it, but also a way of reconnecting with one’s roots and the culture of one’s ancestors. The language can thus be transmitted to future generations and participate in their cultural richness. For couples from different origins, learning a foreign language is also a way to understand one’s in-laws, to integrate better into it and to show respect for this different culture.
Master a foreign language to travel more serenely
Learning a new language is a passport for a stay abroad under the best auspices. This advice is particularly true in the case of a long trip and for stays in less developed tourist areas where it is very difficult to make yourself understood, unless you speak the local language. You make the most of your host country and its cultural and gastronomic riches. You can also understand the safety instructions and signs and thus reinforce your safety.
If you move to a foreign country, learning the language beforehand allows you to better adapt and communicate correctly once there. Even if a majority of the inhabitants of the country in question speak your language, learning the local language shows your interest in the culture of the country and your willingness to integrate, work and live there.
Stimulate your brain by learning a foreign language
Another advantage of learning a new language: pampering your brain! Several studies prove that this has a very positive impact on brain health for several reasons.
Develop your cognitive abilities
Learning a new idiom allows you to maintain and improve your knowledge skills. Adults who learn a foreign language have sharper minds and are more responsive, according to the scientific journal « Annals of Neurology ». People who speak two or more languages have more cognitive faculties by the age of 70, whether it is general intelligence or ease of reading.
Maintain your memory
If Alzheimer’s disease can affect anyone, a study presented at the American Association for Scientific Advancement conference in 2011 shows that bilinguals develop this disorder 4 to 5 years later than others. Learning a foreign language would therefore be an excellent way to maintain one’s memory.
Improve your concentration
Learning a new language involves a significant effort of concentration: retaining a particular vocabulary and rules of grammar and conjugation, listening to and understanding a conversation in this language, formulating an answer … all in a relatively short period of time. These intensive exercises sharpen the ability to concentrate in general and help focus attention on a specific point.
Increase professional opportunities thanks to foreign languages
If your job requires you to communicate frequently with people around the world, mastering their language allows you to establish a more effective relationship with them, while reflecting a more professional image. Not to mention that, on average, a multilingual employee can expect a 20% higher remuneration depending on the sector in which he works. In addition, learning a foreign language considerably opens your professional horizons and improves your geographic mobility.
Benefit from better analytical skills at school, an asset for bilinguals
The early teaching of foreign languages brings undeniable benefits to children. A study conducted on 121 children indeed proves that bilinguals are more apt to repeat a series of numbers, to perform mental calculations and to reproduce images identically.
Assimil supports you …
For more than 90 years, Assimil has offered programs to learn a foreign language with flexibility and humor. Learning is offered in a hundred languages! Choose yours and opt for the Assimil method that suits you.
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