10 Reasons Why You Should Learn Another Language

Not many people like learning another language and there are a lot of excuses that they make in order to avoid trying something new, because as we all know every beginning can be difficult. But, in order to achieve something great and different, you should leave your comfort zone and face some challenges.
Yes, learning a different language than yours is challenging, but there is not a single good reason why you should not do it.
There are hundreds of good reasons for learning a new language, and every language learner has their own personal reason.
Here are some of the best ones:

1. Your Window to Many Job Opportunities
   A second language will open up a path to a great number of careers. We are not only thinking about those freelancing and location-independent jobs. Speaking another language can improve your chances of getting a job anywhere around the world.
   We are now living in a world which is changing and a lot of companies expand globally, but they cannot achieve success if they don’t have people from foreign countries who are speaking another language. In other words, if you are one of those who know more than one language, they are searching for you.
   Remember, even when it comes to small companies, your knowledge of another language will always set you apart from the other applicants and give you bonus points.
2. Great Practice for Your Brain
   It is scientifically proven many times that learning another language has great cognitive benefits no matter how old you are. As our body needs exercise to stay healthy, the same happens to our brain. Some of the positive effects of learning a different language are memory improvement, longer attention span and reduced risk of age-related cognitive decline. So, do your brain a favor and start learning.
3. Establish Multicultural Friendships and Connections
   At least once in their life, everyone has met someone from a different culture and was not able to get to know the person better because of lack of knowledge in their language. And that can be a real pity, because you will never know what you could have learned from that person.
   If you like traveling, the knowledge of a different language can be a great tool for you in order to feel the culture of a foreign country better. What is better than a great authentic experience in a different country? And that kind of experience you can only get from the local people there. So, don’t waste your time anymore and start learning. That is the only way to broaden your horizons.
4. Get a Different Perspective of Your Own Culture
   Sometimes, all of us have found ourselves in a situation where we realize that we are not really aware of our culture. To many of us, our own culture is something ordinary, sometimes even boring, and we don’t appreciate it enough.
   But, what happens when a foreigner starts speaking of your country and your culture? Suddenly, you hear how someone else experiences your culture and, out of the blue you feel like you are living in a different place, a country that is not so boring after all and you feel proud of it.
   Sometimes, we need someone from the outside to tell us what we have and in order to get that new perspective you will need to be at least bilingual.
5. Be a Smart Tourist
   Wherever you travel, as a tourist, you are always a “target” to local people. Being a target in a foreign country means that you may be exposed to different inconveniences and unpleasant situations. For example, you can get deceived for prices or scammed for offers in a certain place.
   But everything changes when you can speak the local language. In order to stay safe in a foreign country, the best way you can achieve that is by attempting to blend in as much as possible and confidently use the local language. That way, the potential scammers will think twice before trying to deceive you.
6. Become a Better Learner
   Every time you learn a new language, you will see how it becomes easier than the one before. By learning many languages, you start to develop language tricks that make you learn easily and quickly. This happens because in the process of learning you encounter many similarities and differences among the languages, and more importantly, you discover your weaknesses that should be eliminated. Just like athletes become stronger and fitter by trying different exercises, you become better by practicing different languages. And before you know it, you will be on your way to become a polyglot.
7. Get Rid of the Fear of “Looking Stupid”
   Have you ever been lost in a foreign country without your cell phone maps? The answer is probably yes. In those situations the solution is to ask a passer-by to give you directions. It seems like an easy task, but we are still hesitant to do that. The reason behind our hesitation is that we are afraid of making mistakes in a foreign language and therefore look stupid.
   In order to get rid of that fear, you should practice the language by speaking it. If you start learning a new language and speak from day 1, you will not only be able to communicate effectively, but also enhance your confidence.
   When learning something new, not only a language, remember that your confidence has a very important role in the process.
8. Enjoy Different Things in Their Original Language
   People spend their free time by enjoying different hobbies. The ones that are the most common are reading books or comics, listening to music, watching movies or series and similar things from the world of art. Most of these things are in foreign language, so you will need some kind of translation to understand them. In many cases, you cannot find a translation and that frustrates you because you are really curious and interested in a certain thing.
   So, instead of wasting your time searching for translations or explanations about the things you are interested in, start learning the language and enjoy your hobbies in an original way. Besides the enjoyment, that is also a good way of practicing the language, so it will be kind of a language lesson with a lot of fun.
9. Become a Better Haggler
   You know that haggling can be quite interesting and fun, and on top of that you get the desired item for a really low price, of course if you have good haggling skills. One of the required skills is to have knowledge of the local language. Knowing the language brings you points in the start of the haggling game because of couple of reasons. Firstly, by speaking the local language you show appreciation to the person that is selling to you and secondly, it makes you look like an experienced haggler, even though it may be your first time haggling.
10. Prove to Yourself That You Can Do It
    As previously mentioned, people find many excuses for not learning a different language, but, once again, they are excuses not reasons. As the saying goes, “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”
    So, whatever doubts and fears you have, get rid of them, because you can learn a different language. And once you do it, the world will seem smaller to you and it will open the door to many opportunities.