5 Irreplaceable Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language
Everyone should learn a foreign language.
From a young age, I've always thought that it was cool when people could speak multiple languages.
I always knew that I wanted to eventually become proficient in a language besides English, and after having accomplished this goal and reflecting on what the process taught me, I've concluded that at least some investment of time and energy into acquiring a new language is worthwhile for everyone.
For context, my foreign language of choice was Russian — I started studying it on my own when I was 22 years old, and I eventually went on to work as a language instructor for the Department of Defense (DOD), teaching American military linguists. To get there, this took me years of commitment, relentless dedication, and personal growth. You DO NOT need to take it as far as I did (or spend years of practice) to reap the internal benefits that I'm going to lay out today.
Aside from the professional experiences I gained, the journey to becoming proficient in a second language completely changed my life because of what the process taught me.
Before you say that your time and attention is better spent doing anything else, let me first clarify 2 things before getting into the primary benefits:
First: I consider "learning a foreign language" to mean becoming proficient at a level that makes sense for your life and personal goals. In other words, the time you put into this process can range anywhere from 4 weeks (with 30 minutes of practice per day) to more than 4 years, depending on what you want.
Speaking of proficiency...in case you're wondering, "fluent," is such a vague (and, in my opinion, misunderstood) term, so we won't even go there for now. I can elaborate more on proficiency levels and the misconception of "fluency" in the future.
Second: Going through the process of learning a foreign language will make you infinitely better at every other dimension in your life.
Don't believe me? This skill set is inherently grounded in COMMUNICATION with other human beings (either passively or actively), which we could all improve on.
Think about it, when describing their development of any skill, people often make the analogy to language learning by saying things like: "I've gotten the fundamentals down, as in, I feel like I've learned the alphabet to a foreign language but can't yet string words or sentences together yet,"...so ditch the analogies, actually learn a new language, and watch how the process changes you forever.
So here they are, the 5 Irreplaceable Benefits of learning a foreign language:
1) Complete Exposure and Vulnerability.
By complete exposure, I'm not talking about exposure to the language. Here, I mean putting yourself in socially, academically, or even professionally uncomfortable positions. It's awkward and uncomfortable trying to speak or interpret a new language in front of others, and doing this frequently makes you more comfortable with being uncomfortable.
2): Cultural Competency (and not for that of your foreign language of choice)
The obvious example of cultural competency is being able to better understand and navigate through the culture of the new language you're studying. However, when you start interacting with more people you don't know, the ambiguity of the foreign language you're communicating in forces you to be more cognizant of all potential cultural differences while being careful to not offend others or be offended yourself through empathy.
3): Human Communication
I've touched on this above already, but again, the process of learning a foreign language simply makes you a better communicator. Unsurprisingly, functioning in a new language as opposed to your native language demands more cognitive engagement and is more taxing on the mind overall before, during, and after any interaction with materials or other people.
I find this to be analogous to how getting my M1 license and riding a motorcycle for years made me a better driver overall. For example, after needing to actively scan for threats to my life on the road as a motorcyclist for a long time (such as conditions or situations that wouldn't necessarily be life-threatening when in a car), I naturally became more aware on the road at all times.
Becoming a safe motorcyclist makes you a safer driver of cars, just like becoming a better communicator in a foreign language makes you a much better communicator in your native language.
4): Universal Awareness
You begin to have a better understanding of how and why others may think differently than you do. Whether the differences originate from a geographical, cultural, and/or a linguistic standpoint, the process of acquiring foreign language skills forces you to step outside of your own head.
5): The Skill itself is Perishable but Tangible
Like most things in life: if you don't use it, you lose it — so commitment and character are both beneficially imperative to becoming and staying proficient in your foreign language of choice. However, you can easily reassess your foreign language skills on your own at any time thanks to the abundance of media. Some skills take time and money or access to certain people to assess.