English is spoken by 322 million native speakers and after Chinese and Spanish, is the third most popular language in the world. Furthermore, there are 300 million people worldwide who use English as a second language and an additional 100 million who use it as a foreign language.
That said, it is impossible to deny how countries such as China, Japan, Russia and India are becoming increasingly important, both in the world of politics and the world of business. Of course, without the arrogant American understanding of the ‘Rest Of The World’, this wouldn’t need to be pointed out. Whilst those in Asia and Russia are breaking down barriers for themselves, learning English and building on the already established ideas of the United States, we are simply not reciprocating and continue ignorant to the benefits foreign countries have to offer.
Coming across as rather hypocritical and arrogant, Americans really do love a joke about the poor English of immigrants. However, it goes without saying that the poor language skills of the immigrants are undoubtedly better than the non-existent language skills of the average American.
Here are some reasons to expand your horizon and learn a new language.
Cultural Reasons
Sure you enjoy American cinema, but there are so many great films away from Hollywood that you cannot appreciate without understanding the language (yes, there are subtitles but not in all cases and furthermore, the original is always better).
As if being an ‘American tourist’ wasn’t stigmatizing enough, do you really want to be the one to go to a different country, know nothing of their culture or language and spend two weeks playing charades trying to communicate? By speaking the native language of the country, you will greatly help yourself to integrate with the local people and gain a unique insight into their culture and lifestyle, opening doors to exciting new opportunities.
Somewhat of an embarrassment to the US, there is a YouTube video in circulation which features a reporter asking a few typical Americans some simple questions. Amongst them, “what language is spoken in Latin America?” is asked. The answer given is “Latin”… The other answers are just as “inspired”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuNgBkloFE[/youtube]
Furthermore, there are 300 million people worldwide who use English as a second language and an additional 100 million who use it as a foreign language.
That said, it is impossible to deny how countries such as China, Japan, Russia and India are becoming increasingly important, both in the world of politics and the world of business. Of course, without the arrogant American understanding of the ‘Rest Of The World’, this wouldn’t need to be pointed out. Whilst those in Asia and Russia are breaking down barriers for themselves, learning English and building on the already established ideas of the United States, we are simply not reciprocating and continue ignorant to the benefits foreign countries have to offer.
Work Reasons
Learning a language other than English looks impressive on any type of job application and it will always help you to stand out. Furthermore, as well as giving you more chance of getting the job you want because of the boost it gives to your resume, speaking a second language means there are more jobs to chose from – you can do everything you wanted to do in more places!
The financial, teaching, translation, business, media and tourism industries all provide excellent opportunities to those who can speak more than one language, often offering opportunity for travel to the country which has always captivated your interest.
Social Reasons
English is spoken by a great majority of people meaning if you know a language which is not English, you can say with certainty that you are “special” amongst your friends, family, school and work colleagues. Define yourself and dare to stand out!
- In countries such as Egypt, France and Spain, it is not so common to speak and understand English. In order to still be able to communicate in social and business environments, speaking and understanding the local language comes across as a nice touch, is a way to be remembered and demonstrates a desire to learn about local culture.
- Learning foreign languages increases listening comprehension, creativity, critical thinking and capacity for remembering. All universally applicable skills!
- Your new international friends will serve to educate you about the real culture of the country, help you understand the language in more depth and open your eyes to a completely new environment.
Not only will you make friends learning a new language, you may also make contacts for your future career – a head start on anyone else and much more fun than trawling endless career fairs! Stop being ignorant and start embracing!
