“To have another language is to possess a second soul” says Charlemagne.  Learning a new language opens you up to a whole new world of possibilities, gives you a whole new perspective of viewing the world. It can help you understand how other people think. It can even improve the understanding of your own language.

People study a foreign language for a variety of reasons – to give an extra boost to their CV, love for a particular language or culture, when planning to travel to a new country, maybe to please others, or just as a course requirement, perhaps they like the challenge involve or the fun of learning something new. But the benefits of learning a new language are not limited to these incentives. There is so much more to it.

Here are top 10 reasons why you must learn a foreign language-

10)          Better understanding of English or your native language-

Studying the mechanism and structure of another language can help you better understand the structure of English or your native language as you compare those two languages. For example, so many words of English come from Latin. A proper study and understanding of Latin will enhance your understanding of English as well as so many other European languages. Because so many languages, including English borrows from Latin. Many root words used in foreign vocabulary will help evaluate your native language further.

9)            Enhance your Job application or career-

Adding a foreign language as an additional skill could give your resume an extra boost which might just give the push you need to land a dream job. If you are applying for jobs abroad, having knowledge of the language of that country could influence your chance of getting hired to a great extent. Having the knowledge of a foreign language strengthens your worth as an employee, especially if you’re into business or marketing where you interact with people from different parts of the world. In any case, fluency in another language will always give you an extra edge at work.

8)            Make your travel easier and more interesting-

You meet all kinds of people while travelling. You might come across people who originally speak the new language that you have just learned. It will be much easier to get acquainted, strike up a conversation, and share a few thoughts; make the travelling experience more interesting instead of sitting among people whom you can’t talk to. Learning the language of the new place that you’re travelling to will help you merge with the place and people more easily. While travelling, you would be interacting with a lot of people to survive; asked for directions, look for a place to stay and all sorts of things, all of which you’ll find much less troublesome if you speak a few foreign languages.

7)            Become a more pleasant and friendlier person-

You’ll come across as a pleasant and friendly person if you could say even just the greetings to someone in their language. You please and impress people when you make the effort to learn their language. It could be learning the language of your friend from a different country; it will help you get closer with the friend. If you are visiting certain acquaintance in another country or staying at their place, it will prove highly convenient to learn their language. Not only will it please your host that you have made the effort to learn their tongue but you will also avoid awkward moments like feeling left out of conversations because you don’t understand what they are saying.

6)            Challenge yourself and have fun on the way-

Trying to learn an entirely new language which is not your own is in no case an easy undertaking. But it is an undertaking worthy of the time and money involve. So challenge yourself into learning a new language, you’ll not only have a lot of fun in the process but it’ll also increase your vocabulary and make you more articulate. Moreover, it can prove to be very rewarding as you get to meet new people with similar interests, you might even strike up a long lasting friendship.

5)            Read original works of literature-

Great works of literature of all languages are translated into English and many other languages, making available for anyone who wants to read those works. But reading the translation of these works can never be the same as reading the originals. The essence of a phrase or a sentence is often lost in the process of translation. Learning a particular language like French or Greek will allow you to read the literature of that particular language in their original form, giving you the satisfaction of getting the true essence of that work.

4)            Keep your mind healthy and engaged-

Learning a new language requires the use of different regions of your brain as you try to memorise rules and vocabulary. The simple technique involve in learning will sharpen your mind. Study on the matter shows that people who speak more than one language are better at retaining information thereby improving memory. The activities involve in learning exercises the brain. For adults who have left school and college, learning a new language will be like becoming a student again. Keeping your mind engage will keep it active and healthy. Further, studies show that learning a new language delay the onset of age related conditions such as Dementia and Alzheimer.

3)            Improve your brain function and develop your mind-

Speaking more than one language enhances your multi tasking skills as you will be switching between one language and the other. Studies have proven that people who speak more than one language have better problem solving skills. Learning a new language enhances the analytical skills and creativity of a person and improves brain function. On the whole learning a new language could make you a smarter person, you get the chance to add not just the knowledge of another language but also to develop your mind.

2)            Better understanding of other people and culture-

Language is influence by culture as it is the other way round. By understanding the language of a particular culture, you can also begin to understand certain essence of that culture and its people. By learning what a fellow speaks, you can access how they think. By studying the language of another person, you get a better understanding of that person; it’ll remove prejudices and you’ll develop a more positive attitude towards others. You will begin to understand why certain people follow certain traditions, why people do certain things. For instance, you may realise something that you used to consider weird as not- so- weird at all. After all, we find something weird because of lack of understanding of that particular thing.

1)            Better understanding of yourself and mankind-

The most important spur of learning a new language lies in that by beginning to understand another person, you begin to understand yourself better. By understanding another culture, you can better appreciate your own culture and people. Learning the language of another expands your views, it opens your mind to a whole new perspective of accessing yourself and mankind in general. As your understanding drives out previous prejudices that you might have had, you begin to respect other people who are different from you. In other words, you become a more cultured and refined person.