In my small hometown, I have heard dozens if not hundreds of people say that they were not taking the foreign language at my high school because it was “useless” and they will never need it in life. Instead, they took other classes like art or business that they thought were much more beneficial for them. Not to say that those classes don’t hold any importance, but people generally don’t realize the plethora of benefits that knowing a second language holds. Why wouldn’t you want to know more than one language?
In the interconnected world that we live in today, the need for bilingual professionals is rising every day. Being able to communicate in a foreign language can put you at a great advantage in the workforce. Employers are more likely to hire someone who has that foreign language background than someone who doesn’t.
The process of learning a foreign language also has several cognitive benefits. People who speak more than one language have improved memory, enhanced concentration, the ability to multitask, and better listening skills. From personal experience, learning a foreign language actually improved my English too.
One of my personal favorite benefits is the deeper connection you build with the other culture. You learn the traditions, religions, arts, and history of the people who natively speak the language. You expand your knowledge, perspective of the world, and even gain a new perspective on your own culture and their native country as well (whether that be negative or positive).
When knowing a foreign language, the opportunities are endless. You can connect with thousands or millions of people that you couldn’t before, whether that be for leisure or possibly helping another person. There really is no negative to spending your time learning a foreign language.