Why learning languages is addictive and useful for everybody
By: Raquel Plaza
Tags: Language, Self Improvement, Mind, Language Learning, Education

Why learning languages is addictive and useful for everybody

As most of the non-native English speakers here on Medium, it all started with English at school. I always thought English was a very cool subject cause it was going to allow me to travel and connect with a totally new world.

Then, I completely fell in love with Italian, so it was quite fun to learn it. After, I was drawn towards French because I thought it was super useful, and honestly, I felt bad for not learning the right way at school.

Later, German popped in my head as a goal, although it didn’t last long. When I realized I was not enjoying learning it, and I wasn’t going to use it in my routine, I quitted. Recently, Portuguese has started to feel a natural step to follow for me, and besides, it sounds fantastic to my ears.

Spanish is my mother tongue, so with all that, I can affirm that I feel really comfortable in 4 languages (I’ll never use the word fluent or talk about exam-accredited levels). I’ll hopefully add Portuguese to my list of languages I feel comfortable with, but we’ll see about that.

I don’t aim to show off any language capabilities, and I never thought of hitting an impressive number of languages learned to put on my CV. In fact, my goal has never been to be able to speak as many languages as possible.

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So why do I keep learning languages? Why do I think it is beneficial for everybody?

I have continued learning each of these languages step by step because I started to realized it brought me many benefits in my life, even unexpected ones.

The first and most obvious reason for everyone: they have allowed me to connect with many more people around the world and also, in a more profound way. To realize that just by learning one universal language, we can speak to a big part of the world population is already impressive. But when you can communicate with a person in their own language, something magical happens. That is really astonishing.

A sincere smile appears. A feeling of closeness arises. A barrier between two different people starts to break.

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If you have had the chance to know someone first in a foreign language and then in his/her own language, most probably you have experimented that feeling.

Languages connect people in a way that feels almost unreal. They can build ties in a world of distrust and fear.

The second reason, and probably the most important one for me, is languages shape our brain. When you learn a foreign language, you are not only learning how to communicate with others and understanding a big part of their way of thinking and being. Languages teach you about yourself.

Forget for a moment about the grammar and rules you will find on any foreign language course. Instead, think of the vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and particular ways a language has to express ideas or concepts. Watch a film or listen to podcasts in that language to notice how people use their own language naturally.

If you do this often and you note down all the curiosities and doubts you find while actively listening, you will start to incorporate them in your learning and expand your understanding of that culture. It’s not just about what people say but also how they say it. It’s not just about learning new words but also incorporating new types of concepts.

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Probably you won’t believe much of this if you have learned a foreign language at school or at the academy to solely have a title or pass an interview. To acquire a real-word language and feel these incredible benefits, you really need to talk to native speakers of that language.

Of course, the best thing would be to live in a country where the language is spoken for a while and force yourself to use it every day. But you can also actively use it while traveling or even connecting with foreigners living in your own city.

The key to learning any language is first, the amount of time you are exposed to that language, and second, your engagement within that time (put shame aside and just practice, practice, practice!).

Language is a massive part of our identity. When you grow up speaking one language, your brain is trained to think in a certain way. But once you take the step to immerse yourself in a new language, you also take a step towards its culture and start to realize other ways of doing things. Little by little, your mind starts to expand and make new connections to build new ways of thinking on top of your previous ones.

While learning a new foreign language, your brain structure and mind assumptions start to be challenged, opening up. Likely, learning languages will also increase your cultural empathy, but the most impressive fact here is it can teach you so much about yourself. You get to know your constraints, train your attention to details, and push your boundaries.

When I started to learn learning languages at school, I had no clue that it had so many mind-stretching benefits. It really blows my mind to think about how much learning 4 foreign languages has changed my mentality about the world. How much attention I put to new ways of doing things. How often my mind stops accepting conclusions before understanding new perspectives.

I think this should be a beneficial talk at schools. Forget about learning languages for job opportunities and focus on the great benefits a flexible mind can have in our health.

Learning languages is just one way to do it, and I can personally recommend it to everybody because it really helps you understand both the outside world and, most importantly, yourself better.