25 Reasons to Learn Another Language

Can you believe this is my 25th post?!?!

Me neither.

In honor of this post being #25, I bring to you...

25 Reasons to Learn a Second (or another) Language

(in no particular order)

1. Job Opportunities A lot of job opportunities open up to people who are bilingual. You could be considered for international positions.

2. Makes Travel Easier Finding places to stay and the best restaurants or experiences in a new place can be found much easier when you’re able to talk with the locals.

3. Connect with New People When you don’t have language as a barrier, you’re able to start conversations with people you might not have spoken to before. It’s like a whole new world is opened up for you.

4. Provide a Helping Hand Ever seen an instance where there is a person having trouble communicating at a customer service desk or airport because they don’t speak the language, then someone random comes over and helps them out? Well, this is what I’m talking about, but you could help out with clients at your job or helping someone who is lost. You never know!

5. Improve your Brain Studies have shown that learning another language can help reduce the risk for Alzheimers disease. There are other brain benefits to learning a new language. I’ll research these and get back to you in a later post.

6. Sound Cool 😎 / Impress Someone Need something to tell that date of yours that’s kind of interesting? How about that you speak Mandarin? What about a fresh topic for that social party you’re going to? This may not be the most important thing for you, but could be motivational for a lot of people.

7. Improve Your Vocabulary Learning other languages, especially the latin-derived ones, has really made me use a lot more higher level vocabulary words because there are so many cognates between these languages and my native language English.

8. Get Lower Prices This not only applies to when you’re traveling, but at home too! People are more likely to give a discount to someone who connects with them on a deeper level.

9. Make People Feel More Comfortable This might be part of the reason why people might give you a discount. It can be stressful speaking in a language you’re not really good at, so if you can give someone the opportunity to speak in their native language, it can make them feel much better.

10. Understand What Others Are Saying Ever wonder what those people are saying behind you in the check out line? Or at the salon? Or the restaurant? Well, learn some languages and you’ll be all set! Of course I am not recommending that you go on eavesdropping everyone’s conversations but just to be aware that people probably aren’t talking about you. They are talking about something that’s embarrassing for them.

11. Don’t Feel Left Out This is very related to the last reason, but I’m thinking more of when you have some bilingual friends and they just suddenly switch over to another language and you’re like 💁‍♀️Heyyy I don’t know what you’re saying.........

12. Attend Different Kinds of Events Ever want to go to that Latin Festival or that French film showing? No more excuses of Oh well everyone’s gonna be speaking (insert language here).

13. Watch International Films or TV without Subtitles or Dubbing This is such a good reason! Don’t like watching movies with subtitles because you hate to read or because you miss some of the movie? Hate the way dubbed voices sound or don’t match up with the moving mouths? Yeah, that makes two of us.

14. Connect with Families of Friends or Loved Ones Huge one here, especially in my life right now. I would’ve hated not knowing Spanish and going to any of Luis’ family events, never getting to know his mom’s real opinion or sharing a joke with his sister. This is definitely a big reason. Communication in families is really important and if its only your friend’s family, you will just become the favorite of their kid’s friends. ✅

15. Get a Better Understanding of Others’ Cultures Learning a new language unlocks the doors to a whole new culture. It’s amazing really how much the two are interconnected.

16. Provide Your Children with Opportunities to Be Bilingual If you speak another language, maybe your kids can too! Growing up bilingual has so many benefits, including these 25 and better abilities with reading, language use, and did I say job opportunities?

17. Find Your Way Around Other Countries (especially if Google maps is not working) Wish you knew what that sign said? I know there’s a lot of technology out there right now. But there’s not always internet, and battery life is not unlimited.

18. Understand Music in Other Languages Yessssss. Music is awesome and so much better when you realize what Pitbull was saying all those years ago...

19. Be Introduced to New Foods and Order Using the Actual Names I cringe now if I see an arepa labeled as a corn cake. 🌽 🎂

20. Read Books in the Their Original Language You’d be surprised how much the meaning can change if the translator didn’t understand the meaning of the sentence the same way you would have. It can also bring you more of a connection with the story than when using a translation.

21. Expand Your Dating Possibilities Think that guy on the soccer team is super hot but just moved here from Portugal? Or maybe you’re going on a trip to Europe and you might just meet someone? Learn that language and dating becomes an option. (This way your parents can’t interrogate them either.)

22. Surprise Someone I love it when someone just assumes I don’t know a language then I suddenly start chiming in and their face is like 😮. That’s a fun feeling. Highly underestimated reason.

23. Have Something to Do to Pass the Time Sick of Candy Crush? Download a language learning app. There are so many out there and some can be really fun.

24. Keep Up with the Rest of the World It’s estimated that more than half the world speaks more than one language. Don’t be left out.

25. Because You Can This is the best reason of all, obviously. But seriously, learning a new language has gotten so much easier lately because of technological advances, such as apps and the internet. It’s easy to find native speakers for practice or for individual lessons. Just do it, because you can.

Are there any reasons I left out? Why do you learn other languages? What would motivate you to start learning?

Leave your comments below!