{"id":50460,"date":"2019-12-17T11:59:05","date_gmt":"2019-12-17T19:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=50460"},"modified":"2019-12-17T11:59:54","modified_gmt":"2019-12-17T19:59:54","slug":"7-reasons-to-learn-a-foreign-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/7-reasons-to-learn-a-foreign-language\/","title":{"rendered":"7 reasons to learn a foreign language"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Half of the world population is bilingual<\/a>, but only\u00a025%<\/a>\u00a0of Americans can hold a conversation in another language.<\/p>\n

Changing that is one of the goals of language advocacy efforts, such as the\u00a0Lead with Languages<\/a>\u00a0campaign. As the author of a book on what I refer to as\u00a0America\u2019s language deficit<\/a>, here are what I see as seven of the best reasons for America\u2019s young to speak a language besides English.<\/p>\n

1. Makes you smarter<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Research has shown<\/a>\u00a0that knowledge of more than one language is associated with better\u00a0reasoning<\/a>, problem-solving skills and creativity. It also helps people deal with\u00a0unknown and unfamiliar<\/a>\u00a0situations. Use of another language tends to\u00a0delay the onset of dementia<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Boosts academic achievement<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Language learning\u00a0supports academic achievement<\/a>. This is true for English-speaking students studying a foreign language, as well as English language learners in bilingual and immersion programs. It also\u00a0boosts academic outcomes at the college level<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Being bilingual has also been\u00a0shown to especially benefit low-income children<\/a>\u00a0in terms of \u201ctheir ability to direct and focus their attention when distractions were present.\u201d Another study found that kids whose families spoke a second language at home\u00a0scored better<\/a>\u00a0on cognitive tests than those whose family only spoke one language.<\/p>\n

3. Provides professional and career advantages<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Foreign language skills are associated with increased\u00a0job opportunities<\/a>.
\nResearch has shown that demand for bilingual workers in the United States has\u00a0doubled<\/a>\u00a0from 2010 to 2015. About\u00a011 million U.S. jobs<\/a>\u00a0are related to exports, and\u00a0most of the top trading partners of the U.S.<\/a>\u00a0use languages other than English. While not all positions in export necessarily requires a second language, it is important to remember that\u00a06.8 million<\/a>\u00a0American workers are employed by international companies operating in the United States.\u00a0Nine out of 10<\/a>\u00a0U.S. employers rely on employees with language skills other than English, and [one in four] U.S. employers\u00a0lost business<\/a>\u00a0due to a lack of language skills.<\/p>\n

4. Provides broader access to education and information<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If you speak another language, you could earn a degree in another country, which could end up being a less expensive way to get a college education. If nothing else, it at least enables you to better enjoy studying abroad and to learn more than you would if you only spoke English.<\/p>\n

The same is true when it comes to the news media. Those who only speak English cannot directly access news and perspectives in parts of the world where other languages are predominant.<\/p>\n

5. Gives you more social and global skills<\/strong><\/h4>\n

As\u00a0more than 60 million <\/a>\u00a0people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home, those who only speak English miss out on being able to directly communicate in the mother tongue of many friends and neighbors. Language learners also tend to develop a\u00a0more positive attitude<\/a>\u00a0toward both the language and the culture of the country where it is spoken.
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