Why You Should Learn a New Language, Like, Right Now (Top 5 Reasons)
As well as links to (actually) free resources to kickstart your learning!
FIRST OF ALL… did you know you can take and/or download entirely FREE language courses from legitimate top-ranked world universities? Because I didn’t! But you can! (*not sponsored, I just think this is amazing.)
Check Coursera, edX, MIT OpenCourseWare, and Alison for free courses. This official Beginner Chinese course from Peking University on Coursera is an example of what websites like these offer. See more on this below.
These are my top 5 reasons to learn a new language, starting right now:
Language learning is becoming easier and more accessible than ever.
You’ll have access to a new culture with all new art, books, and media to enjoy.
It’s actually good for your brain health.
Traveling becomes so much easier and more fun.
You’ll seem smart, cool, and interesting—to your friends and employers.
1. Easy Peasy, Language Squeezy
With so many free resources like YouTube tutorials, podcasts, and even free language courses from universities like MIT—like you saw in the opening of this post—it has never been easier to start learning a new language or keep practicing one you’ve already started.
With these kinds of resources, you can often follow along at your own pace, perhaps only spending 5-10 minutes a day on your learning to start out. But, if you’re anything like me, you’ll get addicted really quickly and have to force yourself to stop learning because of how much fun you’ll be having.
Below, I have linked specific examples of free, self-paced courses from each of the Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) I mentioned at the beginning of this article:
Accelerated Introductory Portuguese for Spanish Speakers
taught at MIT, available for free on MIT OpenCourseWare
taught at Peking University, available for free on Coursera
Arabic for non-Arabic Speakers
taught at Qatar University, available for free on edX
Diploma in French Language Studies
taught at the University of Texas at Austin, available for free on Alison.
Would you like me to test out and review any of these specific resources? Let me know, and I’ll test it out make a future post about it!
2. New Language, New Shows to Binge
Speaking a language opens up an entirely new world of art, books, tv shows, etc. that you get to enjoy. For example, in 1995—according to UNESCO’s most recent Statistical Yearbook (1999)—about 21.84% of the world’s books were originally published in English, leaving the other 78.16% of the world’s books to be published in other languages. That is a lot of other books that a monolingual English speaker might never get to read.
Learning Korean will let you appreciate K-Pop and shows like Squid Game even more—since you’ll actually understand what everyone’s saying. Learning French will let you read colossal classics like Les Misérables and Voyage au Centre de la Terre (Journey to the Center of the Earth) in their original and intended languages. And, if you learn Japanese, think of all the anime you could binge without needing to watch the subtitles on the screen, since, as all true anime fans know…
Subbed (subtitled) anime is just better than dubbed.
There. Debate settled, once and for all.
Learning languages to this level also comes with a measure of increased cultural understanding. There are some things that just don’t translate well into English, whether they be words or phrases unique to a specific country or region, ideas that don’t fit the western view of the world, or any number of other aspects.
For example, in Portuguese, the word “saudade” essentially represents “an emotional state of melancholic or profoundly nostalgic longing” for someone or something you love and miss very much (Wikipedia). We can more or less explain the idea in English words, but Portuguese speakers have a specific word to represent this idea that we just do not have an equivalent for in English. I think you’ll agree that just the word “longing” is not specific enough to represent this emotion of “saudade.”
3. Your Brain Will Thank You
Did you know that learning—and then regularly using—another language is healthy for your brain?
One study, conducted in India—and referenced in Richard Roberts and Roger Kreutz’s article—found interesting results regarding development of dementia symptoms in older adults. Those patients who were bilingual developed symptoms of dementia about 4.5 years later than monolinguals on average. That study even considered and controlled for factors such as gender and occupation to attempt to only look at the difference in language knowledge between subjects.
Researchers have studied and reported other positive effects of bilingualism, even when the person learned the language as an adult. Some of these effects include increased capacity for multitasking, slower cognitive decline, solving problems and puzzles. Dr. Ellen Bialystok suggested that the positive benefits of being bilingual really only can be seen by those who used both languages all the time.
So, since learning and speaking multiple languages makes you smarter and is healthy for your brain, it’s a no-brainer to start learning one today, right?
4. Dust Off Your Passport
Traveling to your favorite destinations becomes soooo much easier when you can speak at least a little bit of the language. Being able to ask for basic directions, order food without Google Translate, or even recognize words on signs in the language of the country you’re traveling to will make your trip that much more convenient and enjoyable. Plus, it’s just plain exhilarating to successfully communicate with another person in their native language, especially when it’s one you’ve been diligently working on and practicing.
Right about now, some of you are probably thinking, “buuuuut, if English is so popular, why do I need to learn any other language to travel? Everyone already speaks English anyway.” To that, I say:
Why should we, as native English speakers, show up in Japan and expect everyone there to cater to us as tourists? Why should we expect them to speak English with us, when we’re in their country, eating their food, and seeking to experience their culture? For immigrants and desperate refugees, the situation might be different, since you might not have the means or time to learn the language before fleeing/moving to a new country (maybe more on this in a future post?). But for tourists, who have the privilege to visit a country on vacation, the effort to learn even a little bit goes a long way.
5. Pitbull Who? You’re the New Mr. Worldwide
First, employers like hiring people who know other languages in addition to English. According to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 9 out of 10 U.S. employers say they rely on U.S.-based employees who speak languages other than English. This ACTFL survey also found that the need for employees who speak foreign languages has risen significantly in recent years, and will continue to grow, especially for languages such as Spanish, Chinese and French. (“Why Are Companies Hiring More Multilingual Workers?” from the Society for Human Resource Management.)
Some of the resources above—like this official Beginner Chinese course from Peking University on Coursera—will even give you a shareable LinkedIn Certificate that you can add to your profile to show prospective employers that you have completed university-level language courses.
But, in addition to perks in the workplace, speaking another language is just plain cool. Think about how cool your friends will think you are if you pull out the Portuguese skills you’ve been practicing next time you go to a Brazilian restaurant, or if you launch into a conversation in Mandarin with an exchange student from China who is studying at your university. This point might be a little selfish, but it’s ok to feel cool when you do something cool like expanding your horizons to learn a new language.
5 Main Takeaways
Learning a language is much easier and more accessible than ever before, with modern resources like MOOCs and YouTube tutorials. (Let me know if you want suggestions for specific YouTube channels and programs as well!)
Learning a language gives you access to all new books, tv shows, movies, and other media to enjoy that another monolingual might never get the chance to appreciate.
Learning a language helps keep your brain healthy and staves off dementia symptoms, as long as you’re actively using those hard-earned language skills of yours on a regular basis.
Learning a language makes traveling to another country that doesn’t speak English so much more convenient and more fun to do.
Your friends and prospective employers will likely be impressed with your skills, and they may just help open up opportunities for you in the future.
Did I miss any you would have put on your Top 5 list?
Let me know in the comments if you would have had something different in your list!
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Thanks for the article Garrett! I know a little bit of Swedish but only when it comes to simple greetings and ordering food. Hopefully I can learn more to be conversational with my Swedish friends. I’m planning on learning French as well!