how learning a foreign language benefits

• Improves Cognitive Abilities. The biggest reason students should invest time in learning a foreign language is cognitive enhancement.
• Boosts Academic Achievement. Another key benefit of language learning is it’s thought to boost academic results, both within the language subject and beyond.
• Increases Professional and Career Opportunities. Increased job opportunities are another benefit of learning a foreign language as a student. ...
• Provides Broader Educational Accessibility. When students are interested in studying abroad, they have to consider a host of factors—travel costs, student accommodation, and the cost of living, among others.
Enhances Social Integration. Language learners often display positive behaviors towards the cultural and linguistic elements of a foreign country.
Final Thoughts. Learning another language as a student is great for a number of reasons, including cognitive enhancement, time management, and boosting academic prospects.

Full Answer

Why you should start learning a foreign language?

Why wouldn ... to communicate in a foreign language can put you at a great advantage in the workforce. Employers are more likely to hire someone who has that foreign language background than someone who doesn’t. The process of learning a foreign ...

What are the advantages of learning a foreign language?

Learning French provides enormous employment advantages since French is spoken on five continents and in over 30 countries. It is a highly compensated foreign language on the planet. Mandarin Chinese Understanding and being fluent in the language will ...

What jobs can I get after learning a foreign language?

• Media (journalism) and film
• Tourism and travel services, including airlines and hotels
• Banks and insurance
• Local, state and federal government
• International non-profit organizations
• Publishing companies
• Departments of defense and international embassies
• Health services
• Social services
• Immigration services

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Which foreign language you should learn?

Which Foreign Language Should I Learn?

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How does learning a foreign language help you?

4. It Boosts Your Creativity. Knowing a foreign language isn’t beneficial only to the brain; it also influences your level of creativity. As a person starts to learn a language, they get familiar with the culture of the place where that language is spoken.

Why is learning a new language important?

It Boosts Your Self-Esteem. Learning a new language undoubtedly helps your gray matter grow. Acquiring a new language means that you’re going to learn a whole new set of rules of grammar and lexis (whether you find this part amusing or not).

How does bilingualism affect cognitive decline?

The latest study on the effect of bilingualism in cognitive aging found that people who spoke more than one language regardless of their gender, ethnicity, and occupation experience the onset of cognitive decline four years and a half later than the ones who spoke only one. 8. It Improves Your Memory.

Why do people remember more than one language?

Having first to understand and then later recall multiple grammar rules and vocabulary, strengthens the memory muscle. That’s why people who know more than one language are more likely to retain information. They’re way better at remembering lists, names, cell phone numbers, and directions than monolinguals. 9.

What does it mean to know a second language?

Knowing a second language means a whole new literature is in your hands. However, these aren’t the only benefits of learning a new language. There are many more. Here’s our list of nine of them. 1.

Which side of the brain do we use when speaking?

Nothing challenges the brain like learning a language does. Scientists have established that we use the left side of the brain when speaking our native language. Whereas, the second language usage isn’t limited to a specific hemisphere.

Is it hard to switch from one language to another?

When the brain gets used to this demanding job of switching from one language to another, it isn’t difficult for them to use this skill in other tasks, too. A study done by the National Institutes of Health concluded that bilinguals switch tasks faster than monolinguals.

Why is learning a foreign language important?

Learning a foreign language improves not only your ability to solve problems and to think more logically, it also makes you experiment with new words and phrases. Leveling up your second language skills forces you to reach for alternate words when you can’t quite remember the original one you wanted to use.

How does learning a foreign language increase confidence?

Confidence increases when a new skill is mastered , and learning a foreign language is no different. It increases your self-confidence. And let’s face it: confident people are more interesting than those who are unsure of themselves.

How does multilingualism improve brain development?

They’ve also begun to demonstrate that multilingualism improves development in the brain’s areas of executive function and attention, no matter what age the language learner is . 8. It boosts your creativity. Researchers are also concluding that multilingual speakers are more creative than monolingual speakers.

How does learning a second language help you?

Acquiring a second language improves your memory and increases your attention span. The process of becoming bilingual exercises your brain, challenges you to concentrate and boosts your problem solving skills.

Why is it important to learn a second language?

Learning a second language also improves your native language , as it teaches you the mechanics and structure behind any language — not just new languages.

What is a fluentu?

FluentU stands out amongst language learning websites thanks to the huge range of interactive learning opportunities it provides. FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

How does learning a second language affect cognitive development?

The positive cognitive effects of learning to speak a second language can train the brain to analyze and process different linguistic structures. It’s not specific to your first target language — it’s a skill that can be applied to learning any language.

Why is learning a foreign language important?

In addition to improved memory, attention span, and the ability to focus, learning a foreign language improves your overall cognitive abilities. Simply put, it makes you smarter! Learning to speak another language challenges your brain to recognise and negotiate meaning, and communicate in a different language system.

What does it mean to learn a foreign language?

By learning a foreign language, you will inevitably be exposed to new concepts, different logic and ways of thinking, and a new culture. Through this exposure and comparison, you ultimately get a better understanding of foreign cultures as well as your own.

How do bilingual children improve their memory?

Multiple studies, including this study, have shown that bilingual children perform better at tasks involving memorisation and have a better working memory – the kind of memory that allows us to store and process information short-term, usually while performing a task. 4. Increase your attention span.

Why are bilingual people better at filtering?

They are also better at filtering and prioritising information, editing out what’s irrelevant and concentrating on what ’s important. This makes them more perceptive and better observers of their surroundings.

What are the benefits of language learning?

This is likely due to some of the other benefits of language learning mentioned above: improved memory, increased focus and concentration, better perception and observation, improved general cognitive ability. 14. Improve your creativity. Creativity is not magic.

How does learning a second language help your brain?

( Source ) 5. Improve your ability to multitask. Among the benefits of learning a second language, is improved multitas king ability: the ability to perform multiple tasks at the same time.

Why is it important to think things over in a foreign language?

Being able to think things over in a foreign language reduces emotional response and various biases.

How does learning a new language help us?

The researchers worked with people who studied tonal differences between languages for one hour. It turns out that the learning process not only improves memory retention but also trains our brain to process new information, no matter what kind of information it is. As a result, the brain can process information faster and more effectively.

Why is learning languages important?

According to research, language learning works as a problem-solving exercise so it improves your ability to learn anything else. Learning languages also improves memory retention. Therefore, learning languages as an exercise enables you to not only absorb more information but also retain it.

How does fMRI help with comprehension?

Researchers used fMRI to observe people who knew more than one language while they were solving various word comprehension tasks. It turned out that bilingual and multilingual people demonstrated better results than those who only speak one language. For instance, multilingual people demonstrated a better ability to filter out competing words. In addition, they were more focused on the task.

Gaining Experience In Community

Let’s start off by tackling the most basic question: Why should you study a foreign language at all? Besides the fact that it is very fun, it also provides opportunities for a lot of growth both personally and socially. No matter the language you’re learning, navigating communication barriers promotes a sense of humility.

Language And Your Future

A knowledge of multiple languages also expands your horizon for jobs. Careers in international businesses open up connections with people across the globe as well as chances to travel.

Opportunities At Cornerstone

A variety of language courses are offered at Cornerstone, including Spanish, French, German, Hebrew and Chinese. We also have dozens of exchange and study abroad programs. Two of our most popular programs are a semester in Spain or Ecuador.

Simone DeKryger

Simone DeKryger (B.A. ’21) serves as a student news writer and blogger for Cornerstone University’s Marketing & Communications Office. She is currently majoring in psychology with a focus on counseling. Simone will graduate in December 2021.

Why is learning a foreign language important?

Another critical benefit of learning a foreign language is a boost to your memory power. As a bilingual, you experience a sharper working memory and your brain stays healthier for longer.

How does learning a foreign language affect your sense of belonging?

When you learn a foreign language, you develop a greater sense of belonging in a global community and increase your intercultural competence .

Why is it important to be bilingual?

As a bilingual, you are also more savvy to how information is framed and presented, which improves your holistic understanding of many concepts and situations. In fact, bilinguals are more attuned to noticing misleading or deceptive information, according to a study from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain.

How long does it take to learn a foreign language?

After only three months , language learners beef up the brain mass in their hippocampus and three more areas of the cerebral cortex.

What does it mean when you have two languages?

When you have at least two languages at the tip of your tongue, you are often expressing in one while still thinking alongside in another, even if you’re not aware of it. You may often be slipping between languages. While communicating, more than one language is always competing for your attention.

What happens when you speak more than one language?

If you can carry on a casual conversation in more than one language, you are likely to have both higher verbal and non-verbal intelligence and to think more quickly in solving mental tasks. It’s never too late!

Is bilingual education good for second graders?

Even at second grade level, bilingual students are better problem- solvers. Learning a foreign language not only helps you to think creatively about how to approach a problem, but it also helps you pull from a richer toolbox of unexpected solutions.

Why is learning a second language important?

Learning a second language may improve cognitive development and abilities. A study performed by S. Ben-Zeev in 1977 demonstrated that bilingual children may be required to develop coping strategies that accelerate cognitive development.

Who found that students who study a foreign language for an extended period of time outperform students who have not studied

Another study by P.A. Eddy in 1981 supported a similar conclusion, that students who study a foreign language for an extended period of time will outperform students who have not studied a foreign language on various SAT sub-tests and the verbal section of the SAT.

How does bilingualism help children?

Bilingualism may also contribute to improved social problem solving among children. A study of 84 Hispanic children from homes where the predominant language was Spanish showed that bilingual children had a greater ability to solve social problems than their monolingual counterparts.

Why are bilingual children better at grammatical judgment?

Demont in 2001 demonstrated that children who are immersed in a bilingual environment have an enhanced ability to manipulate morpho-syntactic structure. That is, these children are able to interpret and comprehend written language with greater ease than monolinguistic children and are better at grammatical judgment and word recognition.

Does studying a foreign language improve reading fluency?

The results of numerous studies show a strong positive correlation between the study of a foreign language and improvement in reading fluency and comprehension. A study conducted by A. D'Angiulli and E. Serra in 2001 ( The development of reading in English and Italian in bilingual children) suggested that adolescent bilinguals score higher on word-reading and spelling tasks than skilled monolingual readers of the same age group. The results of a similar study showed that sixth-grade students who studied a foreign language in school scored higher on reading achievement tests than six-grade students who had not studied a foreign language. ( A study of the effect of Latin instruction on English reading skills of sixth grade students in the public schools of the district of Columbia, school year, 1970-71. )

Does learning a second language improve your verbal skills?

Learning a second language may improve verbal skills. One of the biggest benefits of learning a foreign language appears to be in the development of verbal skills. Several studies show that bilingualism supports – even enhances – the development of verbal abilities among students of all age groups.

Is it easier to learn another language?

Not surprisingly, students who are able to learn one foreign language find it significantly easier to learn another foreign language . One study, conducted by T.H. Cunningham and C.R. Graham in 2000, showed that students who participated in a Spanish immersion program experienced improvement not only in Spanish vocabulary but also in their native English vocabulary. Middle school students in the Spanish immersion significantly outperformed English monolinguals on a Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT). It seems that learning a foreign language also yields improvements in students' native language.