Benefits of Learning Foreign Languages

Outline:
I. By learning foreign languages, people tend to have a lot of more benefits compare to
those who do not.

II. Learning a second language will make you globally competitive.

A. Higher chance of getting jobs.
B. You can expand your business into other markets.

III. Aside from jobs-related benefits, learning an L2 could keep your brain healthy.
A. Brain fitness.
B. Avoid diseases such as Alzheimer.

IV. Thus, people should learn a foreign language in order to acquire more benefits such as
global recognition, and health benefits.
Gerry Frizky Rivaldy – 17510015
Academic Writing
2A English Education

Benefits of Learning Foreign Languages

Communication is one of the most crucial things in this era. It has even become part of the

skills that a person needs in order to survive. Unfortunately, most people do not aware of the

impacts that it has brought to our lives because of the lack information that they have. One of the

reasons which could explain the lackness of the information is the inability to use another languages

aside of their mother tongue. They do not realise that language impacts our daily lives of any races,

tribes, or regions of the world. By learning languages, people will have greater chances that they

may receive. Therefore, I believe that people who learn second languages tend to have a lot of more

benefits compare to those who do not.

Language learning in Indonesia is not quite as popular as in other countries. People think

that the language which is important for them is Bahasa Indonesia and their local languages. This

stereotype could be seen by the fact that elementary students do not have any foreign language

courses in their curriculum. Little do they know that language learning is very important because

it will make you globally competitive. (Dick, 2018) on his article entitled ‘Incredible benefits of

learning a foreign language’ explains that learning a foreign language opens up a world of job

opportunities. He said that there are lots of companies around the world that require their

employments to be bilingual. He also emphasized that if you speak more than one language you

will be considered more valuable as an employee candidate and having a competitive edge on your

resume is without doubt an eye catcher. These are all true because according to the Canada

Governor’s annual report in 2014 the employments’ rate for bilingual is as high as 43%. It may not

as high as the rate for the English speakers which is around 49% but still the bilingual has a higher
chance of getting accepted because they have got both chances of the languages field which are

43% and 49% chances of getting hired. Furthermore, If you are not a person who seeks for a job

then speaking another language could expand your business market by relocating or developing

another business branches. Referring to (Longren, 2017) on her article which is entitled ‘The

Advantages of Learning Languages,’ the knowledge of a foreign language is totally useful to

maintain the relationship between the employments with the owner and it also will also help the

business growing even faster because the employees who speak the language of the country where

the companies are relocated can gain an advantage in the race to be appointed to a post in the new

location. In addition, a knowledge in another language can make you indispensable of a success on

your business as you bridge the cultural gap.

Aside from job-related benefits, learning a new foreign language can keep you brain

healthy. A study conducted by Dr. Thomas Bak, a lecturer at Edinburgh’s school of Philosophy,

Psychology, and Language Sciences and another researchers have found that young adults who are

proficient in speaking more than one language performed better on attention tests and had better

concentration compare to those who are only speak one language. As stated by (Longren, 2017) on

her article, she explains that a foreign language learning helps people to avoid dementia. This fact

is supported by a study that was conducted in York University of Alzheimer. The study has found

that language learning could gives less advance effects to the person who speak more than one

language even though their brains showed more damages as a result of the disease. In addition, a

foreign language learning helps your brain to develop. According to (Dick, 2018), bilinguals tend

to have bigger brains, better memories, are more creative, better problem solvers, etc. He also stated

that a bilingual can work in multitasking and they are basically learn well in anything. Not only

that, Learning a new foreign language can not only challenge yourself and mind, but also it enriches
your ability to be a person who is more understanding, tolerance, and patience towards all of the

issues you will be facing. To support my argument, I have found an article from Plexuss.com

written by (Atique, 2015) entitled ‘Why should I learn this? Benefits of Learning A Foreign

Language’, she argued that learning a new foreign language will improve cognitive skills. She also

argued that there is a study that conducted a research regarding this topic that showed learning a

new foreign language will improve one’s creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.

Not only that, it will also help individual become open-minded about new people and ideas to adapt

the globally-focused and diverse society.

In conclusion, I believe that people in every age should learn another languages in order to

obtain not only twice as many opportunities to land of a great job but also brain’s health and

improving the way we are thinking at the same time. Even though language acquisition at an older

age would be considered as hard but still it does not mean impossible. Without a doubt once you

learn a foreign language, you will never regret it not even once in your life and when you speak

more than one language you become a valuable asset to the community.

References
Atique, W. (2015). Why Should I Learn This? Benefits of Learning A Foreign Language. Retrieved from Plexuss: The
Global Student Network: https://plexuss.com/news/article/benefits-learning-foreign-language

Board, T. (2015). Annual Reports of Official Language. Retrieved from Canada Official Web site:
https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/values-ethics/official-
languages/reports/annual-report-official-languages-2014-2015.html

Dick, K. (2018, January 11). Why is it Important to Learn a Foreign Language? Retrieved from GoAbroad:
https://www.goabroad.com/articles/language-study-abroad/why-is-it-important-to-learn-a-foreign-
language

Everett, D. (2018, November 25). Incredible Benefits Learning Foreign Language. Retrieved from The Week:
http://theweek.com/articles/804782/incredible-benefits-learning-foreign-language

Longren, T. (2017, September 26). Advantages of Learning Foreign Language. Retrieved from The Classroom:
http://theclassroom.com/advantages-learning-foreign-languages-5367.html

Wanjek, C. (2014, June 2). Learning a New Language at Any Age Helps the Brain. Retrieved from Live Science:
https://www.livescience.com/46048-learning-new-language-brain.html
Learning a New Language at Any Age Helps the Brain
By Christopher Wanjek | June 2, 2014 04:19pm ET
Learning a new language may improve people's thinking skills and memory abilities, research
suggests.
Credit: Learning a language image via Shutterstock

Learning a second language may help improve brain function regardless of when you start,
according to a new study.

Researchers found that young adults proficient in two languages performed better on attention
tests and had better concentration than those who spoke only one language, irrespective of
whether they had learned that second language during infancy, childhood or their teen years.

The study appears in the current edition of the journal Frontiers in Psychology, led by Dr.
Thomas Bak, a lecturer at Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language
Sciences.

Whether the positive effect extends to people who learn a language in middle age or beyond is
not clear, but Bak and other brain researchers said they see no reason why not, and that is the
focus of ongoing studies. "We have worked our way from adolescents to early adults," Bak told
LiveScience. "We are currently working on middle age to retirement." [7 Ways the Mind and
Body Change With Age]
Last year Bak and his colleagues, including Dr. Suvarna Alladi of Nizam's Institute of Medical
Sciences in Hyderabad, India, found that people in India who spoke more than one language from
a very young age developed dementia about four years later, on average, compared to those who
spoke only one language. This finding, Bak said, inspired him to investigate the cognitive
benefits of learning a second language during adulthood.

In the new study, bilingual young adults performed better in ignoring irrelevant stimuli and
focusing on relevant information. One possible reason for this ability is that the very processes of
learning two languages and switching back and forth between them train the brain to be more
attuned to auditory information, Bak said.

This improvement in what is called auditory attention is essentially a measure of concentration,

and could, for example, enable a person to better extract relevant information from a lecture, Bak
said. He also noted that many drugs aimed at lessening the effects of Alzheimer's disease work by
attempting to improve this attention mechanism.

"This is a nice study that adds to the body of literature trying to figure out exactly the conditions
under which bilingualism improves cognitive function," said Dr. Ellen Bialystok, a professor and
bilingualism expert at York University in Toronto, who was not involved in this research.
Bialystok added that "much is left to be done" in understanding the specific benefits of
bilingualism across ages and populations.

Bak noted that study was small (it included 38 monolingual and 60 bilingual university students);
the participants performed only a few mental tests; and the oldest learners of a second language
were only 19 years old.

Dr. Ken Paap of San Francisco State University, an expert on cognitive psychology, cautioned
about over-interpreting the new results. He said that the tests that Bak's team used are not typical
measures of "executive function," which is the spectrum of cognition that includes memory,
attention, problem solving, reasoning and more.

Paap also said that some studies on bilingual people found no such cognitive benefit, for
example, studies of people who speak both Basque and Spanish, or Welsh and English. He
described these people as "ideal bilinguals," in that "they are immersed in a bilingual region
where both languages are acquired early; both languages are acquired to very high levels of
proficiency; and most everyone speaks the same two languages and, thus, there is frequent
switching between the languages."

Bialystok, however, remained more optimistic. "Nothing I can think of is more difficult or more
cognitively engaging than trying to learn another language," she said. Learning a second
language at any age "is an excellent activity to maintain cognitive function."

In a second study, published today (June 2) in the Annals of Neurology, Bak set out to determine
if the positive effects of bilingualism on cognition could actually be the other way around: that
people who have better cognitive functions are more likely to learn foreign languages.

For this, Bak tapped into a study of 853 participants, whose intelligence was first tested in 1947
and then retested between 2008 and 2010. Indeed, he found, the bilingual people in this group
performed better than expected on intelligence tests at their advanced age, and showed less
relative cognitive decline compared to monolingual people.
 Table 1 Bilingual positions and pool of bilingual employees in the core p

Year Bilingual positions % Superior proficiency % Intermediate proficiency %

1978 25% 6% 11%

2000 33% 21% 11%

2014 43% 29% 14%

2015 43% 29% 14%

From 2013—14 to 2014—15, the language requirements of positions in the core public
administration remained stable, although the total number of positions decreased.

Table 2
Language requirements of positions in the core public administration

Year Bilingual positions English essential positions French essential positions English or Fren

1978 52,300 24.7% 128,196 60.5% 17,260 8.1% 1

2000 50,535 35.3% 75,552 52.8% 8,355 5.8%

2014 79,403 43.3% 90,827 49.6% 6,589 3.6%

2015 78,748 43.3% 90,298 49.7% 6,485 3.6%

Of the 181,866 positions in the core public administration in 2014—15, a total of 78,748
positions were bilingual. The National Capital Region (67.7 per cent), Quebec (excluding
the NCR) (67.1 per cent) and New Brunswick (53.4 per cent) had the most bilingual
positions.
Why Should I Learn This? Benefits
Of Learning A Foreign Language
Learning a foreign language can be a time-consuming but enjoyable experience for all ages.
Pursuing a new language can be for academic, leisure, or work-related reasons, and the following
list explains why it is a worthwhile and beneficial endeavor no matter your intention.

1. A pleasurable travel experience

Although knowledge of a country’s native language is not necessary for international travel,
one’s experience can become more enjoyable and immersive with the understanding.
Communicating with a country’s people, even if it is through a handful of phrases such as
“hello,” “thank you,” or “where is the bathroom,” allows you to participate in daily life.
Expelling the language barrier can help when asking for directions, ordering or paying for food,
and even when bargaining or negotiating prices.

2. Discover a new culture

A large part of a nation’s culture is its language. Immersing yourself in a country’s language can
give you a more profound understanding of its culture. In a world where international relations
are very important in terms of trade, business, and politics, it is necessary to gain mutual trust and
understanding in order to better communicate, cooperate, and negotiate with one another. A new
language opens you to new perspectives, heightens your awareness about another country and its
culture, and even allows you to learn more about your own culture.

3. Study abroad

Understanding of a foreign language, even if it is very minimal, can open you to unique study
abroad options. Putting your knowledge into practice is a dynamic opportunity and is more
immersive and interactive than simply learning in a classroom. Developing an understanding of a
new language while also implementing it firsthand allows your daily experiences to complement
your academic learning.
4. Increase your employ-ability

Globalization requires an understanding of worldwide businesses and cultures in order to better

correspond and negotiate with clients. International competition compels companies to seek out
bilingual or multilingual employees, so knowing foreign languages, such as Mandarin, French,
Arabic, or Spanish, can open you to careers you once did not consider.

5. Improve life and cognitive skills

Studies have been conducted to show that the process of learning a new language can not only
enhance one’s memory but also improve one’s creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving
skills. It also helps individuals become open-minded about new people and ideas and adapt to a
globally-focused and diverse society.

Essentially, language is the basis of human life, how we communicate. It has evolved
monumentally in the past centuries, and knowledge of more than one can spark an appreciation of
this incredible advancement. This is why comprehension of a foreign language is a powerful tool
that can open you to a variety of new opportunities you may never have imagined experiencing.