It is always fun to learn something new, and learning a new language is a lot more fun than it seems. Globalization is a reality, and all the countries are opening doors to people from all part of the world. Language is one of the few things that can break the intangible barrier between two people belonging to different parts of the world. Why be a monolingual when you can pick up so many other languages? Especially in today’s age, having the grasp of other languages put you at a disadvantage where countries establish businesses and trade with each other. This is especially so if a country is a monolingual one, such as Japan, and they will need expert translators to help communicate with others.
Enriching Experience
Learning a second language is an enriching experience. Knowledge is something that you gain, but the entire process also has some significant impact on your life and individual skillset. You may pick up a specific school of thoughts, and it may even be a life-changing experience. Let’s look at the impact of learning a second language brings about.
Increases Knowledge
Anything new that you read or learn increases your knowledge database; but learning a new language increases your knowledge about the evolution, history and culture of an entirely new country. You will not only learn a mere language but take a peek into its history and also, its culture. For instance, in Japanese classes, you will learn the difference between Kanji and Hiragana and the history behind these two writing systems; that being Kanji is considered a masculine writing system, thus, used in formal court settings. The women in the Heian court invented Hiragana to write their novels and poetry. Such in-depth knowledge allows you a glimpse of the society back then, but it also gives you an inkling of how it may have affected their society today. It helps to broaden your perspective about their history, art and culture. You may end up making this second language your favourite after knowing about their evolution.
Enhances Memory
Learning anything new requires exercising your memory. A language is a challenge in itself; it is said children are said to be sponges that absorb any knowledge, languages included. This mental ability slows down once you grow older, and it thus gets harder to pick up new languages along the way. However, this is an excellent opportunity to exercise your mental capabilities. By using parts of your brain that are hardly used, you are forcing your mind to familiarize itself with the way the language is spoken and written. Just like any muscle in your body, constant usage means better optimization. For the brain, this means an enhanced ability to retain memories. This also has long term health benefits; old age diseases like Dementia and Alzheimer’s are delayed in individuals are they keep exercising their memory by speaking a second language.
Career Scope
You might have the desire to move to another country for a better opportunity and learning their native tongue will not only allow better navigation and adaptability in an unfamiliar country, but it also enhances the chances of you getting your dream job. Monolingual countries like Japan will always prefer to hire someone who has taken the pains of learning their language. The Japanese language, or any language for that matter, is tough to learn, but if you put your heart to it, you could master their language. This process will be significantly shorter if you have the guidance of a teacher in a Japanese course.
Conclusion
Learning a second language overall is an enriching experience; most of the educational institutions have a second language as a part of their curriculum. The benefits of learning a second language have always been recognized as the reason why they say we should start early.
