Hello! ¡Hola! Salut! Ciao! Hallo! nǐ hǎo!

While it’s never been easier to learn a new language, fewer people bother to do so. It makes sense. If you speak English, you get along everywhere. It’s the language of business, of finance, of the internet, of music, of international politics. Wherever you travel in the world, people will likely speak English. So why learn new languages if you can communicate in one everywhere you go?

Here are my top 5 reasons why you should learn a foreign language!

1. You Enjoy Your Next Holiday Way More

Travelling through another country becomes SO MUCH easier if you know at least a bit about the local language. Understanding road signs, menus, timetables, or simply being able to ask someone for directions or information will make your experience way better. Also it’s a great way to meet and communicate with locals. From my experience, I can tell that locals are more often than not happy to talk with you and genuinely appreciate your interest in learning their language and getting to know their culture (plus you might get some insider tips about secret places to visit that no one else knows 😉 )

2.  You Deepen Your Understanding of Other Cultures

It’s no secret that language carries culture. If you truly want to understand another culture, you have to know its language. The way we see the world is largely influenced by the language we speak. So when you start learning a new language, your view on things will inevitably change. And to be able to see the world from different angles ultimately allows you to understand it better.

3. You Enhance Your Career Opportunities

As our world becomes more and more globalized, it’s a great benefit to speak at least one other language. As companies are increasingly breaking into new markets, they’ll look after employees who can communicate with customers within multiple communities. Also, the fact that you’ve invested time and effort in learning a new language demonstrates your motivation to pick up new skills and broaden your horizons. It shows that you’re a smart, disciplined and ambitious person.

4. You Become Better at Your First Language

Learning a language makes you focus on the structures of language. You become more aware of how language works and how you can use it effectively. This increased awareness of linguistics and grammar makes you improve in your first language, too. You overall become a better communicator, writer and listener.

5. It’s Fun!

Learning a new language is fun for a variety of reasons. One of my favourite aspects is to see how words translate into different languages or to find words that only exist in other languages (there are quite a lot!). Consider, for example, how different languages have different words for someone who reads a lot (I think French wins 😀 )

Learning a language can literally open new doors for you. It could lead to new friends, new places, or new careers. It’s up to you to step through these doors an explore whole new worlds!

What languages do you speak or would you like to speak? Let me know in the comment section below!

Published by Linda I PagesandPapers

41 thoughts on “Why You Should Learn A New Language”

  5. I could not agree with your points more! I love learning languages, and I find it really opens me to understanding different cultures. I also learn to appreciate the basics of linguistics of how languages form, including grammar, pronunciation, etc. Learning languages is also a really fun and productive hobby to have.

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  7. Great post! I love learning languages! I always found other languages not as difficult grammatically as my native (Russian) until I started learning Japanese. It is a bit of a nightmare because I cannot connect it to any other language I know and have to learn three “alphabets” simultaneously. But, it is also such a great challenge – learning it opened to me such a rich and exciting world!

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  8. I’ve been trying to learn new languages, and I have to agree with your points. Not only is the process fun, but it’s also been helping me learn more about my first language whether it’s grammar or pronunciation. And it’s kinda nice to know another culture as well 😊

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  12. Great post! In my full-time job as a social worker, I often visit elderly clients who speak other languages such as Spanish, Russian, Tagalog, Tagrinya, etc. Although I’m not fluent in other languages and we have interpreters available, I make it a point to check online for simple greetings in the language of the client I will be visiting. It helps build rapport.
    As you noted, learning another language (even if not perfectly fluent) can help increase your chances of making more money. I have a part-time job as a speech therapy assistant. Many of the children I work with who have language delays live in Spanish speaking households. My Spanish is good enough to be able to do this job and there is a high demand. Having this extra language tool in my tool bag has helped me to catch-up my retirement savings with the extra money I’m earning.
    Finally, I just wanted to share how much richer my travels have been because I’ve learned key phrases in whatever language was spoken in the countries we visited. I make it a practice to write down useful phrases on an index card and I carry it with me. I’ve been able to dabble in a bit of German, Portuguese, and Greek during our travels which really allowed us to interact with locals and have more meaningful visits.

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    1. This is so motivating, thanks for sharing your experiences! I think it’s great that you take the time to learn snippets of different languages to greet your clients and chat with locals during your travels. I also try to practice my language skills when I’m in another country, even if it’s just asking for directions or ordering food. It’s such a small thing but as you said it helps interacting with people. 🙂

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  13. As Italian, my point of view is different because for me learning at least English was a need.
    But as Claudia I agree with Erin: I have been loving the idea of learning new languages since I was a child!
    My dream was to learn also languages with different writings like the eastern ones.
    I haven’t had so many chances but I try everyday to improve through anything I can: music, movies, reading, cultures, traditions … everything is so interesing!
    While when I was a teenager I used to write letters: penpalling! And I’m still in touch with people all around the world. Bellissimo!

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    1. Grazie per il tuo commento (I hope that’s right :D) As I’m myself German, learning English was of course also required in school, but I also generally enjoy learning new languages. I took an Italian course in university and it’s definitely something I wanna pick up some time again as it’s such a beautiful language!
      Also I love how you incorporate language learning into your everyday life. I guess people often think learning a language means doing exercises in a workbook but there’re such fun ways to learn a language, as you said through music or movies. I haven’t heard of penpalling but it sounds so fun! 🙂

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      1. Oh you are German! My great grandmother was German! My dream was to learn German from my Grandfather (he was born in Trier) but sadly he died when I was only five. Later I I took a course but I know very little.
        While I’m sure that your Italian is perfect!

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      2. How cool! I’ve recently started a segment on my blog called “Crash course German” in case you’re interested in brushing up your skills a bit. I only have 3 posts yet but I’m hoping to write more soon 🙂
        As for my Italian: I only took A1 courses so I really just know the basics 😂

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  14. First of all, I love your blog so much- it truly inspires me to develop mine so much more!
    For the past few years I’ve romanticized the idea of learning languages rather than actually learning them haha. Brewing a cup of coffee and sitting with a French textbook makes me feel as if I’m sitting under the Eiffel Tower somehow…

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  15. I’d love to learn a new language but I used to really struggle to pick it up at school, although I do still remember some French and German. I know quite a bit of Latin but I don’t think that counts as it’s not a spoken language and it’s technically classed as a dead language?😂 Great post!

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    1. I guess Latin counts 😉 I’ve learned it at school but I’ve to admit that I barely remember anything haha But I think it does really help to speak Latin if you want to learn another language, especially Romance languages. So maybe try on of them? 🙂

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  16. Awesome! I am so excited to seriously embark on my language journey. I think blogging will keep me motivated and accountable. Great post 🙂

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