Learning a foreign language can seem like fun or daunting, depending on how you look at it. For many people, learning a new language comes from a genuine need to do so – particularly if you move to a new state or country, or have to, for whatever reason, interact with people who do not speak in the same tongue as you.
But you can also learn a new language simply for the sake of doing so, and before you think that would be a waste of time, take a few moments to think about the benefits it would afford you, if not for anything else, at least to boost your career.
The first thing that’s likely to pop into your head, is, of course, ‘That’s just one more thing to add to my CV’ – but there’s more than just that.
Research shows that learning a foreign language makes a significant impact towards sharpening your mind, which, in turn, will benefit many aspects of your career. Consider the following:
1) Better memory, better prospects
Research shows that learning a new language not only increases the size of your brain, but also helps improve your memory, and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia. What’s more, people with sharper memories have better career prospects. In fact, many occupations (from lawyers and project managers, to journalists, scientists and academics) practically require you to have a very good memory in order to excel in that field.
2) Become a pro at multitasking
People who are bilingual or multilingual have to learn to switch from one language to another, and this also makes one adept at switching from one task to another. Studies prove that multitasking comes easily to people who can handle more than one language. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that good multi-taskers can get more work done – and faster!
3) Get better at decision-making
Apart from creating a sharper mind, learning a new language also has a positive impact on a person’s self-confidence. Both of these help improve one’s decision-making abilities. Don’t believe us? Check out this study conducted by the University of Chicago that found a correlation between multilingualism and better decision-making, with particular mention of how speaking another language is linked to making good financial choices.
4) Improve your communication skills
On one hand, learning a new language opens up a world of opportunity where being able to communicate with other people is concerned – if your job requires you to travel, knowing the language of that country or region will always be a boon. In addition to that, multilingualism is known to result in overall better social skills. This would mean you get better at networking, and good networking skills mean better career opportunities, especially in an increasingly globalizing world.
5) More opportunities overall
Taking into account the above four benefits themselves, it should come as no surprise that many organisations today are in fact keen to employ multilingual people, and not just for the sake of workplace diversity. This, naturally, means that being multilingual gives you an advantage over the others.
So there you have it – enough reasons for you to consider learning a new language. And if you don’t have the time or the means to attend classes, worry not, there are a number of websites and even mobile phone apps that can help you get started (such as Duolingo). Go, get learning!