In the following article you will find the great advantages of being bilingual and why you should give more importance to mastering a second language.
We cannot deny that over time, speaking at least two languages ceased to be a privilege of a few. It is currently a norm.
Previously, not all people had access to private classes and even to learning texts for a second language.
Fortunately, today the prices of language courses are more affordable and you can even find free courses on the internet.
In fact, thanks to music, television and finally the use of the internet; contact with foreign languages is becoming more frequent. Even for those who are not interested in learning a second language.
Advantages of being bilingual for countries.
Even the same countries recognize the importance of learning a second language, especially English.
That is why this issue has become part of the strategic frameworks of governments in Latin American countries.
It is common knowledge that the command of languages such as English is increasingly necessary for business and international communication; factors that affect the economy and development.
However, despite the fact that the population recognizes the advantages of being bilingual, the percentage of individuals who master a second language continues to be very low.
In other words, government policies and programs to facilitate learning have not given the expected results.
In a study on learning English in Latin America, Kathryn Cronquist and Ariel Fiszbein state the following:
“The education system is simply not producing students with the necessary levels of English proficiency. Additionally, learning opportunities outside the education system, although increasingly available, fail to make up for the shortcomings.”
If governments have invested their resources in opening new programs and there are more and more learning opportunities, why aren’t there more and more individuals in Latin American countries mastering a second language? Could it be that they don’t know the advantages of being bilingual?
Incredible advantages of being bilingual.
It was previously thought that teaching a child more than one language could affect their cognitive language development. However, there is no evidence to support this line of thought.
On the contrary, many investigations have been carried out around this topic and all show great benefits.
We do not want to tell you that if you speak more than one language you will have more opportunities to get a job or that you will earn more money. We are sure that you already know that.
On the other hand, the advantages of being bilingual extend to your brain, your health, and even the way you see the world.
So if you have not found the necessary motivation to learn and master another language, we want you to know the following advantages of being bilingual:
1. Being bilingual opens your mind.
Knowing and mastering another language requires knowing another culture and other customs. It opens up the possibility of discovering a new world.
Some people say that speaking two languages is like having two personalities.
A person who has faced the challenges of learning a second language is an individual who knows change and is not afraid of it. You can get out of your comfort zone.
A bilingual is less affected by changes in the environment and his mind is open to new experiences, since he already has a broader world view.
Likewise, he has faced the discomfort of communicating in a language that is not his own, being judged by others and, even more important, being wrong. This makes him stronger, more persistent and more understanding of the world.
Being wrong is not a crime. A bilingual person knows this and appropriates their mistakes to continue learning.
2. Mastering a second language will make it easier to learn a third or fourth language.
One incredible benefit of being bilingual is that you can more easily learn additional languages.
This is because language skills reinforce each other.
By learning a second language you will get to know its structures, its rules and its logic in depth. This will help you understand how it works and compare with your mother tongue.
This makes it easy to find similar patterns between languages, and your brain will automatically generate language connections that speed up learning.
Learning languages such as Italian or Portuguese, from Spanish, would be of great help due to their similarities.
You will even be surprised by the number of expressions and words that Spanish shares with English and French.
3. Being bilingual keeps your brain young.
Your brain benefits incredibly from learning new and complex things. Learning a second language is clearly that new thing your brain is looking for.
Additionally, studies have shown that learning another language delays brain deterioration with age.
Knowing a second language can postpone the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s by an impressive 4.5 years.
This is even better than Alzheimer’s drugs, which only delay Alzheimer’s for 6 months or 1 year.
Likewise, brain scans in people who speak two or more languages show increased activity. The brain works more efficiently and can stay focused longer.
On the other hand, research shows that the more languages you know, the less likely you are to experience memory loss and cognitive decline.
The brain, like any muscle, likes to exercise, and it turns out that being fluent in 2 or more languages is one of the best ways to keep it fit.
4. Speaking another language makes you smarter.
Learning another language increases the size of the language centers of the brain and hippocampus; the area of the brain responsible for forming, storing, and retrieving memories.
It also increases the density of gray matter and improves blood flow to the brain.
Studying a new language can also increase the number of neural connections, strengthening the connectivity between parts of the brain.
The brain, like any muscle, likes to exercise, and it turns out that being fluent in 2 or more languages is one of the best ways to keep it fit.
5. Being bilingual will help you make better decisions.
According to a recent study, it was shown that people who speak 2 or more languages make much more rational and practical decisions.
Knowledge of 2 languages gives you the possibility to think of a greater number of solutions.
As mentioned above, speaking 2 languages is like having two personalities.
This helps to observe situations and problems from different perspectives and therefore to make better decisions.
Before looking at the opinion that bilinguals have about the advantages of knowing 2 or more languages, we would like to ask you a favor. Simply vote from 1 to 5 to see how you’ve found this article so far. Thanks!
Let’s continue…
What do bilinguals think?
The psychiatrist and author of the book, Hide and Seek, The Psychology of Self-deception, Nee Burton; He asked his bilingual or multilingual contacts what they valued most about mastering other languages and these were their responses:
- The freedom to access different cultures.
- The possibility of reading many authors in original version.
- It gives you other ways to see the world and empathize more with people.
- It allows you to open your mind, discover new stories and acquire more knowledge.
- Language is knowledge. It always helps to be a little less ignorant.
- Having access to other cultures and more information makes you incredibly more tolerant.
- My thoughts no longer come to my brain in one language or another, they come in the form of ideas. When I want to express them, I do use the language.
Other curious facts.
- Bilingual people who use both languages on a regular basis have higher brain activity than those who speak two languages but must use them sporadically.
- Bilingualism affects the increase or decrease of the gross domestic product of countries. The language skills of its inhabitants can open more markets and benefit the economy in general.
- Companies that invest in the language skills of their workers will experience an increase in sales.
- Speaking a second language represents the possibility of having a better income. In countries like Canada, mastering English and French improves income between 3% and 7%. However, in countries like India, speaking English could represent an increase of 34%, while in countries like Colombia, 20%.
- Recruitment agencies consider that a bilingual person is better able to manage international business, work teams and personal relationships.
- In prehistoric times, most people belonged to small language communities and spoke several languages to trade and socialize with neighboring communities.
- Papua New Guinea, a country smaller than Spain, has about 850 languages, or roughly one language for every 10,000 people. In countries like India, Malaysia, and South Africa, most people are bilingual or better.
- According to several studies, people who learn another language perform significantly better on standardized tests. They have better control of attention and memory.
Conclution.
There are clear and very tangible benefits to being bilingual. While there is limited evidence that growing up bilingual gives children a significant cognitive advantage, regularly learning and using a second language seems to make our brains more agile and resilient.
The economic benefits, moreover, can be substantial. Speaking more languages also makes us more open and helps us feel more connected to other cultures and the world. Bilingualism could even foster peace by making us more tolerant.
We hope this article has motivated you to continue or start learning a second language. If you know other benefits, feel free to leave them in the comments.
You might also be interested in:
1. Learning another language is easier than you think with these 7 strategies.
2. 7 techniques to learn another language much faster.
3. Business English. 50 expressions that every entrepreneur should know.
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can purchase our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
