8 Benefits of Learning & Speaking New Languages

By Waiching 

As the world becomes increasingly multicultural and globalised, bilingualism and multilingualism have become even more prevalent and significant than it has ever been, before. Studying and learning languages is knowing and learning how, as a non-native of that country, to be able to communicate and connect with others, just by verbally interacting with him/her.

After travelling to Spain and Portugal recently this year, this has encouraged me to take up and embrace Spanish, and with that, I am trying to speak it and blend it into my conversations with my Spanish speaking coworkers. It does help that I have people of whom speak fluent Spanish themselves that I can practice my skills with (as well as to impress them with my Spanish attempts as I try to sound Spanish as I speak - ha!). I was thinking of enrolling onto a Spanish course, but I decided I would be better off had I saved my money and to learn just by watching YouTube videos and reading articles on basic Spanish phrases. That and using Google translate.

I studied French at high school, and whilst I didn't make the grade, I still enjoy it and when I do find the time, I refresh upon my French-speaking skills; my Chinese Cantonese is okay, but again, I intend to improve on this. But in the meantime, it is Spanish that has become the main focus in terms of being a second language. I have grown to love the Spanish language, and more so after my trip to Madrid: the words, the pronunciation, articulation of words: like French it's very emotive, romanticised that includes French, Italian, Catalan, it can also be expressive, fluid and free-flowing that can roll off the tongue (in Spanish, the letters 'U' and 'H' are pronounced silently). & it's fun.

It's just so much nicer to be able to speak with someone who is from another country and in their native tongue. Speaking English to him/her in English and of whom is a non-English speaker is good, and I like it because it is a) easier for me and b) I understand the context of what they are saying.... and whilst speaking to him/her in Spanish is a little more challenging for myself, and I am a novice in Spanish, it's something I like to learn just by putting it to use and to feel as if I have and share at least something in common with them.

As we live in a multicultural world and society (due partly to immigration and people from non-English countries flocking to the U.S, UK, Canada to settle down and to work and non-speakers of Mandarin learning the dialect, so they are well prepared when visiting China) and with over 100 languages at our disposal that we can pick and choose from that people speak and engage in, learning and speaking various languages has over say, the last 10, 15 years, has become even more significant than it ever was before.

& here are 8 reasons why:

• It makes you stand out from the crowd and thus, it becomes something of an asset in itself 

• Employers seek professionals who can communicate with customers in their native language -this can open up a wide range of job opportunities, especially in increasingly developed countries such as China, India and Japan whereby the tech market and international trade relations with the West are fundamental. Though there may not be many jobs where being bi or multilingual and foreign language skills are a necessary requirement, there is, however, a good chance you'll be working with people whose first language isn't English. 

• It deepens our connection with other cultures, as well as make new social and cross-cultural connections - throughout our lives, especially at work, we encounter, work with and meet people of different cultures, nationalities and in doing so, through being able to communicate with them in their native tongue or second language, it becomes a sense of achievement and one wherein it feels you or I share something in common with them, which is speaking and understanding that particular lingo. You also gain valuable insight into the way they think and an understanding of why they sound the way they do when they speak to you. That, and it becomes an instant trait as you meet and converse with native speakers. 

• It boosts our self-confidence - it's one thing using it once, but if you don't use it over and over, not only does it go to waste, it can lead to a lack of self-confidence and not knowing to how to respond to things, people, situations. And it helps to ask people to translate or to tell them what it means in English

• Being bi-lingual can make you a better multitasker - the cognitive benefits of being bi or multilingual are massive: bigger brains, better at memorising, they are more creative and expressive and make for better problem solvers. This is because of his/hers ability to easily switch between activities, to be able to multitask and to undertake a range of jobs and chores with minimal or no supervision. Particularly if it involves communicating with the other person in their language 

• Knowing other languages may encourage cultural appreciation - if you know Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Chinese Mandarin, Japanese well and know how to speak them, then it makes you appreciate their cultures more, or just by developing an interest in them at first and by gradually learn the words, phrases, you'll get a grasp of the language.  

• It expands upon and brodens your travel opportunities and encourages you to take further interest in that culture by visiting and going to places where that language is Spoken: Spanish, or as it is known as Espanol, is spoken in over 20 countries, French, as it is also known as Francais, is spoken widely in France, Canada, Algeria, Switzerland, Morocco, Cameroon, Belgium. If you are interested in Spanish, Italian, French or any other culture, it helps to visit its cities and places and to speak the lingo. If you can speak Spanish, then not only can you go to Spain, you can head off to Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Peru, Paraguay

• Learning and speaking a language is an achievement in itself - and the more you persist with it, the easier it becomes. Repetition is key: if you are not as proficient or a native speaker, just by picking up some choice phrases and vocab words and saying it over and over in your everyday life through work, school or wherever to someone, makes it easier for one to remember. 

When you master a foreign language and once you get the hang of it, one is able to understand what the other person is saying, memorise the proper vocab, grammar, keywords, then be able to put them into a proper context and to reply and respond back. It's not of much use of them speaking Spanish, French to me, but I respond with ''Si/oui''. For me to develop that conversation further on, I have to and need to make sense of what they are saying in their language by understanding the English translation or meaning first, then reply in their language, afterwards. There is so much you can learn from online, through books and audio - but nothing beats interacting with people in person, firsthand and to know what they are talking about that s/he can truly understand, as well as appreciate that culture. 

Also, when I speak French or Spanish, I try to do so as authentically as possible as the native would sound and to make a conscientious effort in doing so. 

Contrary to some, I believe one is never too late to learn and speak a foreign language and the best way to learn it is to simply immerse yourself in it, grasp it straightaway and continue practising and speaking it by incorporating the phrases into everyday conversations and by doing so, one can notice its effects. At first, you'll make mistakes (who doesn't?) and nobody's perfect, but as the saying goes, 'practice makes perfect'.... and the same applies with languages. 

Before I went to Spain, all I knew was 'si, gracias, adios': as I type this, I know a little bit on how to greet someone in the morning, afternoon (hola!, buenas dias/Buenas tardes (their name) como estas?/como ta va?) and it is going to take time... but with persistence and determination, with some people at work who speak Spanish, I can easily turn to them for me to hone and practise my speaking skills. My work schedule can be busy at times, and yet I still find the time to commit to Spanish, by my attempts at conversing with some people who do speak it at work by weaving and integrating it into my conversations, which makes my life a little easier. You can impress others by making small talk with him/her or exchange little quirks or repartees and make it fun as well.

Whilst I am not fluent, the result still feels like one, that is and can be an adaptable communication skill that can and perhaps will, bring me closer to my Spanish speaking peers -, or be it, amigos & compadres.