“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart”, as quoted by South African Icon, Nelson Mandela offers great in-sight into the reasons why one should learn a foreign language. For those who feel that English is universal Lingua Franca, an eye opener would be the latest census which states that out of 6.92 billion people in the world; approximately 5.5 billion people do not speak English as their first language or even second language. So if you are seeking to explore new avenues across borders (be it professional or personal), English is definitely not an option to bank upon for quite a few areas territories across the globe!
There are umpteen reasons on why one should consider broadening one’s linguistic capabilities, the primary reason as of today being business communication. Considering a small example; to the utter amusement of tourists in China, the English-translated menus of several Chinese restaurants have “Stir fried-wikipedia” and “ Translate Server Error” listed in them. If the restaurant owners had basic knowledge of English, they could have cross checked and prevented these massive errors in their restaurant menus. Again, if your work demands that you travel abroad frequently, it is always wise to linguistically equip yourself to meet all situations. Moreover, in the era of globalization wherein multinationals are seeking to expand internationally and communicate across multilingual platforms to sell their products and services, careers centered on translation, interpretation, transcription, localization etc are becoming extremely lucrative, and although a lot more than mere linguistic experience is required to be successful in these avenues, learning a foreign language is always the best way to start!
If you are a globe-trotter who is passionate about travelling to different countries and appreciating different cultures, languages are the best channels that serve your purpose. Also in case you have certain academic pursuits, the texts of which are available only in a particular language, it is imperative that you are well-versed in the language to pursue your research seamlessly. For example, if you want to undertake research on a particular aspect of the Roman Empire, you must be well-versed with Latin and Greek languages to be able to read the manuscripts and inscriptions available. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Language is the archives of history.” It is a known fact that in today’s competitive workplace, knowing an additional language definitely gives your resume an extra edge.
To conclude this never-ending list of reasons, it would be apt to cite that there need not always be a reason for whatever you decide to pursue in your life. Sometimes it’s all about doing things purely for passion. If you have a flair for languages, if you are passionate about embracing new thoughts and ideas or if you want to learn a new language just for the sheer joy in it, you are most welcome to foray into the world of languages. In the words of Contemporary Psycholinguist Frank Smith, “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.”
