Not all of us have the benefit of knowing many languages. It is believed that a person lives as many worlds as many languages a person knows. This means that once we know a language, we can understand people from that certain country better and be able to become a part of the culture or country. Being multilingual means that that you know more than two languages. One of these languages is your native language while the others are languages that you learned in different classes or experiences. There are several advantages attached to multilingualism.
Was multilingualism always important?
In the past, due to less globalization, people did not have to know many languages to survive. So, multilingualism was not widespread. People needed one language to function and cooperate so they did not learn other languages.
With the spread of globalization and technology, the different places of the world became more accessible. It became easier to travel and cooperate with people from different countries and cultures. Also, the tech-savvy world made it possible that companies gain customers from all around the world. So, all of these brought the need for multilingualism. T
The most common way is when people have to move from their home country so their children will have to learn new languages. Additionally, schools have made it mandatory that several other languages be taught beginning at young ages of children.
Statistics have shown that almost half of the world’s population knows more than two languages thus being multilingual. People have found that multilingualism helps with the development of emotional and psychological development of people.
Advantages of Multilingualism
One of the main advantages of being multilingual is that you enhance your brainpower. By knowing multiple languages, your brain will work in a way that improves memory, helps the effective processing of information, and enhances your multitasking skills. People who know multiple languages get better skills at social interactions. They develop better understanding skills towards people from different backgrounds. They can gain a perspective on other people’s problems and lives.
Another big advantage is that a person knowing many languages will have more opportunities in finding jobs. In today’s world, it is a huge advantage if you know to communicate in many languages. Many businesses and companies need people who are equipped with language skills and are good at interacting with other cultures as well.
Researchers have also shown that once a person knows two languages, it will be easier to learn additional languages. This is because learning many languages increases the capacity of language learning in the person. The more words they know, the easier it becomes to learn additional ones.
Studies have also shown that, overall, our cognitive skills will improve as we learn additional languages. We will get enhanced problem-solving skills due to enhanced brain activity. Additionally, reasoning and planning abilities are also outstanding for multilingual people.
Conclusion
Knowing additional languages other than your mother tongue can be challenging in the beginning but will only benefit you in a long time. Generally, multilingual people tend to perform better in cognitive skills than monolingual people. Due to their enhanced brain activity, they will have better multitasking, problem-solving, decision-making, and reasoning skills. They have better chances of getting hired at bigger companies and businesses. They also have enhanced emotional intelligence due to their ability to empathize with people from around the world.