Proficiency in another language is a vital skill in today’s interconnected world. In addition to introducing you to new cultures and ways of thinking, science also suggests that learning a new language can unlock your career potential and strengthen the way your brain works. Plus, it’s a lot of fun!
So, what are the benefits of learning a new language? Find out how learning a second language can improve your mind, open up new opportunities, and help you build valuable connections.
Table of Contents
1. More career opportunities
Many exciting jobs require employees to speak another language, including translators, flight attendants, social workers, and language teachers. But other corporations and businesses prioritize applicants and employees who speak another language. So, a benefit of learning a second language is that being bilingual makes you a front-line candidate for promotions, overseas opportunities, and international clients.
You can even earn up to 20% more than colleagues who speak only one language. It pays to learn another language!
2. Increased brain neuroplasticity
As you learn, you create new neural pathways in your brain. That means when you study things like grammar or vocabulary from a non-native language, your brain is actually operating differently. This is an example of neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change and adapt.
Neuroplasticity makes a huge difference in your cognitive ability, as well as an improved ability to learn new things. The time it takes to learn a new language is a small investment in keeping your brain young and nimble!
3. Better memory
People who learn a second language score better on memory tests than those who only know one language. It’s easy to see why: There’s a lot of memorization involved in learning the words and grammar system of a language.
But that’s not the only reason your memory improves when you learn a second language! The benefit of learning a new language is that it improves the executive functioning needed for recall and retrieval processes. These systems assist in improved memory now and even into older ages.
4. Improved multitasking
Knowing two languages is multitasking in a nutshell! Bilingual learners use executive functioning skills to outperform monolinguals in multitasking situations, indicating that their languages give them a functioning boost.
They also have better reaction times than people who speak only one language, suggesting that experiences in more than one language yield increased performance while doing two tasks simultaneously.
5. A new worldview
There are around 7,139 languages spoken in the world today, and each one is uniquely shaped by the cultures of the people who use it. Communicating through a common language helps us better understand and appreciate our shared experience across cultures.
The languages you speak actually affect how you perceive and interact with the world around you. Knowing two languages helps you categorize and understand others’ experiences, as well as showing you new ways to view the world.
6. Better understanding of your native language
When you spend time studying word order, verb tenses, and vocabulary in another language, you naturally compare it to your first language. Suddenly, you’re looking at your native language and its parts in a new way, thanks to your second language study!
Becoming bilingual is also a helpful way to understand the art of communication itself. After taking time to carefully communicate in your new language, you may find yourself treating conversations in your first language with as much care and consideration.
7. Improved non-verbal communication
Learning specific gestures and non-verbals for the language you’re studying can help you make huge strides toward communicating effectively with no words at all, both in your native language and your new one. These important, unspoken details are suddenly very important when you’re trying to express yourself in a brand new way.
Consider the Touchability Index that ranks Europeans from different countries on their preferences for being touched during everyday communication. Knowing when it’s appropriate to shake hands, bow, or kiss a cheek (and when it’s not) is a critical part of understanding a language’s use in a cultural context.
8. Creation of new connections
Another benefit of learning a second language is that it opens you up to new relationships in your community. Once you’re ready to immerse yourself in your new language, you’ll find opportunities to speak it wherever you go, whether that’s a local grocery store from a different culture or someone in your neighborhood whose first language is your second language.
You can also build relationships with fellow language learners. Many adults find it difficult to make new friends, since their lives tend to be more focused on family or careers. Creating space in your life for a language class, whether it’s in person or online, is a great way to find friends looking for those connections in their own lives, too.
9. More travel opportunities
If you don’t have local ways to practice your new language, it’s time to book a trip! Becoming bilingual is a great reason to travel somewhere new to truly immerse yourself in your new language.
And once you’ve become fluent in your second language, you’ll find travel opportunities abound. Travel to different countries where your new language is common, and see if you can tell the difference between dialects in various regions!
10. Enhanced personal growth
Mastering something new is a surefire way to build your confidence and self-esteem. Once you see yourself becoming fluent in a second language, you’ll feel ready to take on new challenges in your life as well.
With your second language also comes new literature, art, and music. This new perspective will open your eyes and introduce you to new ideas that can lead to additional personal growth.
11. Ability to learn even more languages
Being bilingual is great, but have you ever considered becoming trilingual? Learning a third language can be even easier than learning a second, mainly because you’ve already established strong language study skills and dedication.
If you learn a language in the same language family as your second, you can use cognates and similar sentence patterns to help with your learning. You can be well on your way to becoming a polyglot just by learning a second language!
Reap the benefits of learning a second language with Rosetta Stone
Few things make the brain work as hard as learning a new language, but nothing beats the confidence of speaking your new language without hesitation for the first time. Let’s call that the bonus benefit of learning a second language!
In addition to changing the way you view the world around you, language learning is a creative process that has the true potential to change your life. Follow our guide to second language acquisition to decide which learning journey is right for you, and if you can learn two languages at once (just in case you want to become trilingual quickly!).
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