Knowing a foreign language

Reference & EducationLanguage

  • Author Sukhpreet Kaur
  • Published April 20, 2009
  • Word count 766

Learning a foreign language can always be beneficial from both future and career perspective. In fact, it is like an added qualification in your Curriculum Vitae. There can be many reasons to learn a foreign language, it can be professional, personal, from education perspective, growth perspective etc. But let’s consider the top most benefits of learning a foreign language.

Number one reason for learning a foreign language can be more money and better job opportunities. There are many foreign language institutes where you can avail the opportunity.

These days, many employers have started responding to the need to hire people who are well-versed with a foreign language by offering more money to start and higher raises throughout their career.

Besides this, being able to speak a foreign language can help you qualify for more interesting jobs such as Foreign Service Officer for the CIA or State Department, or foreign language specialist for the National Security Agency.

Number two reason for learning a foreign language is that one is perceived to comparatively more intelligent.

It is a general perception among people that those who speak a second or foreign language are much more intelligent than those who don’t know any other language. In the whole continent of Europe, where people of different countries mainly speak in their own native language also know English, if not a third or even fourth foreign language.

Number three reason for learning a foreign language is that you become more socially active and responsible.

All those who know foreign language have the added advantage of being able to associate with others who either speak the language natively or have learned a foreign language in addition to their own native language. This way, you are able to expand your network of social and business contacts and become more open to being invited to more social and business functions.

Another reason which is mainly a personal aspect of learning a foreign language is that it can help you becoming a foreign traveler.

It's of course more fun and exciting when you go on a vacation in a country where you are able to speak their language. It helps you in getting a better treatment from the locals as they see that you made an effort to learn their language. Also, you can ensure better service in shops and restaurants because you can read the signs, understand the menu, and converse with the staff in a better manner. Another important factor is that one who know a foreign language can be a lifesaver if there is a medical emergency and some important symptoms have to communicated to medical staff who may not speak English as well as you would hope they could.

People generally feel that what is the point in learning a second language, everybody else in the world speaks English now, right? But that’s not true!

One cannot deny the fact that with globalization English has become the universally spoken language, but it won’t be right to think the entire world speaks it. In fact, it is a general fact that only 1 out of 5 people speak English as a first or second language. One of the best things that you can do to yourself is to learn a foreign language as you can achieve the status of a global citizen.

Languages in demand:

It is not easy to find speakers of Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and Russian. And if you combine your second language skills with an MBA degree, you can definitely look forward to a successful career ahead. More commonly spoken languages have also proven to be useful. Many jobs in the United Nations require people who are well-versed with both English and French, with the latter being the second most spoken language in the world. Learning a foreign language can definitely increase your employment potential tenfold.

From where you can learn:

There are many institutes where one can learn a foreign language. To learn French one can join Alliance François which is located in Lodhi Road New Delhi. To learn German, one can join Maxmuller Bhavan near CP in Delhi and to learn Japanese, one can opt for joining Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan in CP, Delhi.

These days, a lot of schools are emphasizing a lot on foreign languages. It has become compulsory for students to know at least one foreign language.

This way, students get a hang of some other language besides the native and English language.

So, it is definitely beneficial to know a language which is alien to you for a multifold growth in life.

Sukhpreet kaur writes on behalf of Shiksha.com is a portal that connects education seeker with education provider. Shiksha.com provides information about over colleges in India, professional courses, scholarships and admission notifications. Shiksha.com has wide information over foreign language institutes , test preparations etc .

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