5 Reasons to Study a Language

You can never have too many dictionaries...

Employability. If working for a big organisation is what you want to do, whether it be in finance, law, business or any other sector, then a second language will make you stand out from the crowd. Most of these companies operate on an international level and need people who can communicate in more than just their mother tongue. Also, you might get to spend a year working in Paris or Vienna, now that has got to be pretty persuasive. However, even for a small organisation they will appreciate even the smallest of language skills if they need to quickly understand something.

The Fun of Flirting. Are you terrible at flirting in English and completely desperate to improve your skills? Or are you a pro-womaniser and have plenty of tricks up your sleeve? Either way you’ll love the new challenge of flirting in a foreign language. However, if you get strange looks, always remember to employ the line, ‘Oh, but honestly, that’s what they always say back home’. They’ll think your country is weird- not you. 

Travelling. Okay, so this one seems strange. You can still visit a country even if you can’t speak the language, duh. Yes, of course you can but I’m not talking about a week long holiday for two to Benidorm. I’m talking to the Gap Yah instinct within you, the part that wants to meet the local farmers in Nicaragua or talk to the street children in India. I know to Brits the ‘finding yourself while travelling’ idea all seems a bit clichéd, but somehow speaking the language of the locals makes it less so.

To Meet People. Those of you who speak languages will probably already know that after a drink or two in the local, your ability to speak in that language increases tenfold and you become practically fluent. If you overhear someone saying, ‘spasiba’ (thank you in Russian) or ‘bier’ (beer in German), why not go over and roll off the phrases you know? It avoids the awkwardness and they’ll be incredibly happy to have a conversation in their mother tongue.

To Expand Your Horizons. I know, fetch the sick bucket this one is so full of cheese, but stick with me. There’s a lot more to this world that the country in which we live and through learning a language, you find a new appreciation for different cultures and traditions. In an ever-globalising world, having an understanding of foreign communication and culture will go a long way.

So if my arguments have been persuasive enough, you might find yourself at the next hurdle. How? Well that might just have to be my next blog post…