Language Software Reviews

The Benefits of Learning a Language

Concerning the world economy, it is no longer possible to say that businesses are becoming globalized. They are already globalized. Even a company that operates only on a local level must ship its product to any part of the world in order to make a profit. The shipping of products worldwide is accompanied by the worldwide migration of people, mixing cultures and languages. In the United States especially, the influx of Spanish-speaking immigrants is enormous. This gives businesses and employees the choice of learning the language or seeing fewer opportunities in business.

Costs

In application, however, it can be difficult, amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life and employment, to carve away some time to dedicate to learning a language that may or may not see much use. In reality, the benefits of learning a language greatly outweigh the costs. Advancing technology has reduced the financial costs of learning a language by enormous amounts. The most advanced is probably the Rocket series, which focuses on teaching conversational language skills as well as cultural awareness, and which is also much more affordable than the expensive old lady Rosetta Stone. There are also plenty of free options. Take, for example our blog. We offer awesome introductory language lessons for every major European language as well as Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, and a few others.

While financial cost is important, however, the real cost behind learning a language is time. Where is the time to learn a language between family and work? The answer is that it’s hidden in routine. Eliminating thirty minutes of television each day, or thirty minutes of browsing Facebook and Twitter, or thirty minutes of any other routine, provides more than enough time to expand your cultural horizons.

Benefits

Now that the financial costs have been resolved with a few examples, and you’ve set aside some time each night to study, you are ready to reap the benefits that learning another language provides. The truth is that every profession in the United States will be exposed to Spanish speaking customers. Doctors treat patients in Spanish, lawyers have Spanish-speaking clients, and construction workers will build houses for and with Spanish-speaking immigrants. While studying on your own initiative will not lead instantly, or even eventually, to fluency in Spanish, knowing key words is of immense benefit. It is extremely helpful to a bank teller to know the words for “deposit” and “withdraw,” even if he can’t decipher the rest of the sentence he just heard. As you study and progress in your new language entire sentences will begin to make sense. Companies cherish employees who take the initiative to improve their skills without the management’s coercion. In all likelihood, your decision to learn Spanish will lead to greater work opportunities as you become more valuable to your employer.

All of these work benefits are, of course, stacked on top of the personal benefits of learning a second language. Describing something in a different language changes the perspective from which it is said. A lot can be learned about a different cultural group by learning its language and, with the language, its beliefs, mannerisms, and habits. Language does a great deal to mold our minds to bias certain opinions or viewpoints, and learning a second language frees us, in part, from our own biases and allows us to see the issue in a different light. It’s likely that learning their language will not convince you to adopt their viewpoints or opinions—though it may. Learning Spanish will certainly, however, give you a greater understanding for the largest immigrant group in the United States. No matter the country, learning a second language grants a better understanding of neighboring countries and their ideals.

A Foundation

Fluency will not be achieved by studying from books at home for thirty minutes every day. In the end, studying at home is only for laying a foundation upon which to build the rest of your understanding of your new language. The best way to learn a new language is through application in everyday life. Working to create that foundation will set the stage for eventually learning the language by actually speaking it with native speakers.