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There are over 6,500 spoken languages in the world, each tied to a person’s society and culture. English, Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, and French are the world’s top five most spoken languages.

If you happen to be monolingual, have you ever thought about the benefits of learning a new language? While living in an interconnected and interdependent world, it makes sense to be bilingual. In fact, it is a critical skill that may open up new opportunities no matter who you are. You may learn to connect to others on a new level through studying.

The following are six major benefits of being bilingual.

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Benefits of Learning a New Language

Foster a Higher Tolerance Towards the Unknown

If you are like most people, you may feel a level of anxiety when it comes to dealing with the unknown. Monolingual individuals may have a lower tolerance for the unknown than those who are bilingual. One of the benefits of learning a new language is that you may start to see unfamiliar situations as exciting instead of scary.

When learning, you have to be more open to ambiguity. After all, there may be points in a conversation with a native speaker where you aren’t sure what a word or phrase means. You have to be willing to stop the conversation from saying you don’t know what was said. For those who do not have tolerance towards the unknown, this can be uncomfortable. Those who have a higher tolerance may be more entrepreneurial and social.

Increase Your Job Prospects

If you have a country you’ve always dreamt of living in, look for language courses that cater to the country’s primary speech. Most companies work with international clients, so it makes sense to look for bilingual individuals to hold important positions within the company. With jobs becoming more competitive, you need something to give you an edge, like speaking more than your native tongue.

In addition to adding more job opportunities to your list, learning a second way of speech boosts your confidence. Once you master speaking in more than one language, you may feel like you can accomplish what you set your mind to. You can apply this newfound confidence to job hunting. If you decide to move out of your home country, you will find it easier to carry on conversations with confidence rather than fear of saying the wrong thing or being unable to communicate.

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Learn to Succeed in a Globalized World

The world has become increasingly globalized. If you learn a new language, you also improve your cultural competency. It becomes easier for you to learn more about your environment and to pick apart social cues. In the course of study, you have to learn about the culture too. In fact, many classes immerse you in it to expose you to differences in the ways people live and function.
In studying culture, dialect and grammar, you also learn to think about conversation styles through a critical lens.

Protect Against Mental Deterioration

One of the lesser-known benefits of learning a new language is that older adults may protect against dementia and other age-related memory problems. Adults who speak more than one language tend to perform better on cognitive tests and daily functioning than others. In one study, bilingual patients with Alzheimer’s performed outperformed monolingual patients. However, bilingual patients showed more severe damage to the brain. Despite having more damage, they still had a higher degree of functioning.

Develop Stronger Empathy

While completing a course of study in language can be fulfilling, it takes time to understand and speak fluently. You would begin to understand that better as someone studying a new way to communicate. Monolingual people are more likely to be critical of others who do not speak their native tongue.

If a bilingual English speaker meets a person struggling with English, he or she may have little empathy for the person. Instead, the English-only speaker may be critical and have higher expectations. You may have an easier time understanding the other person and will be more likely to put yourself in the person’s shoes.

In addition, research shows bilingual children have more empathy than monolingual children. Even children who are not fluent in the second tongue tend to be more empathetic and higher-level communicators. The research concluded that children exposed to a second language or who learn another one tend to have a better understanding of other’s perspectives.

Obtain a Higher Attention Span

When you speak more than one language, you need to keep track of which one you’re speaking at any given moment. You learn not to switch to the wrong way of speech in the middle of a conversation. For example, you may remember to speak English to your family and then German or Spanish to your teachers. When you are bilingual, you have to utilize task switching and inhibition. You may find that you are better at multitasking and can pay attention without being distracted.

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Spark New Levels of Creativity

Bilingual individuals may demonstrate high levels of creativity. Every language has its own mechanics and use of figurative speech. Given that metaphor can establish complex thinking skills and creativity, knowing multiple languages may enhance your complex thinking skills. When you only know one, you are restricted by the structure of that particular tongue. However, when you know more than one, it may open up new avenues.

There are many benefits to learning a new language. When you study, you provide yourself with the opportunity to become more open-minded, to learn more about different cultures, and to communicate with others in more than your native language. At Middlebury Language Schools, we provide a learning environment where students, teachers, entrepreneurs, scholars and more can gather to study and learn.

Those involved in the program have 24/7 language immersion to reinforce their skills and flexible programs for those at different levels of learning. Contact us today to learn more about Middlebury Language Schools and the benefits of learning a new language!

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