Why learn Foreign languages

I love to travel to different countries. It is useful to be able to speak a few different languages for traveling purposes. One of my friends is a foreign language teacher in a secondary school. So she is an example of someone that uses needs that knowledge of foreign languages for her career. If a Norwegian person only speaks that language they wouldn't cope well visiting the USA. If he or she knew English it would be great for the trip there. A lady from Angola visited South Africa and she would chave got on better in Portuigal. Spanish is useful in many countries.

In China now even a three year old child is begining to learn English in the kindergarten . Then when she grows up she will learn English for tens of years at school . Everybody doesn't know why she or he learn English but they just learn. i have been studying English for 10 years but now i get to know the benefit of it . If i don't learn how can i make posts here ? If i have time i do want to learn other language just for fun.

Well, it does help to be knowing one or more language(s) other than one's mother tongue . This can help one in getting jobs in another country's embassy ; or to work and live more effectively or with more ease in other countries . It might be even very essential .I have heard that one needs to learn German , Russian etc essentially to live in Germany and Russia respectively .

Firstly I would like to start by saying, Foreign languages are the way to go. Currently I am doing both Spanish and French and neither of them is necessary for the career path that I'm taking. I am using those foreign languages to be able to travel around the world to see and understand the economy of the countries that i visit. Those languages would extend the limit of how much countries I can visit and they also help me to socialize with the people i meet. You can go to Spain and not know Spanish but if you know spanish would that make the experience better or worst? Learning a foreign language is definitely beneficial and broadens your salary a whole lot more. You definitely made a mistake by not pursuing a foreign language as a career. Hope i answered your question and Happy my lotting :)

learning foreign languages can be extremely usefull in this present scenario. We often need to travel to other nations and knowing their native language can be very usefull... Ofcourse english is widely accepted but it would be more confortable to talk with the native people and know more things.

Why learn a foreign language? For one thing, learning a second language helps you to understand your own language better. I found this out when I took German in 9th grade in high school. It was like, wow!, so that's what we do in English; I never understood 1st person, 2nd person, etc. until taking German. I think we are pretty spoiled here in the United States because we speak English as our native language; whereas, in most of the world, they have to learn English, or another language, in order to do business and communicate with those in surrounding countries. There was a time in this country where it was mandated that anyone pursuing a professional career had to learn a second language. Professors at the college and university level, my husband tells me, all spoke 3 or 4 languages. I think America has really dumbed down because so many here do not think it important to learn a second language. In areas like California, knowing Spanish may make the difference between getting a job, or not, because of the increased need for bilingual speakers. As a Jew, our prayers are in Hebrew, so that gives me exposure to another language on a regular basis. I'm trying to learn more of the language on my own, but it isn't that easy. You really need to be surrounded by the language you are learning to really learn it well. Maybe someday I'll get to Israel - that should help. LOL. I also love French [had a few years of it in high school and college] and would like to pursue learning more of that language, also. However, this old brain just doesn't retain the vocabulary as well as it should. Now, where was that discussion going on about learning new languages from other mylotters? That's where I need to be. LOL. Where I actually get to practice another language - that's the only way to truly learn it. Oh, yeah, why learn another language? Because when you stop learning, you stop growing, and life is too short for that.

Learning a foreign language not only opens career opportunities, but they also allow cultural learning and expand a person's eagerness to learn. Many people that only stick with one language are often not internationally aware of current situations. Plus, it's very impressive. I would love to be able to communicate with all of the world. But if I could communicate with all english speakers AND all (for example) Korean speakers, then that's great.

Even if you're not travelling or not considering it as an advantage for a bigger salary when getting employed. You feel fulfilled if you can speak or understand other foreign language. By just reading or hearing foreign news or stories written in foreign language, it's a great pride if you understand it. If you can compose a poem in Spanish or French or same could communicate, it's a big joy.

i have same doubt as you ,i think it is hard to master a foreign languages if we are not in the local languages environment,we would spend a lot of time in learning it by ourselves,so i think it is useless to master a foreigh languages very well if we really seldom speak it.

i believe people learn foreign languages for two reasons - 1. they work in a foreign country or are involved in translation business 2. they are snobs So, if you are really looking for or considering job offers in other countries then you may have to learn their language otherwise it is just an add on to your language skills ;)

to me, generally for communication. when in the business, i need it. it's related to the profit. and refer to the friendship, others' culture and custom, etc, it also can help me. it can make my life more colorful.

Hello nifity this is checkmail and learning foreign language is very useful for us.It helps in knowing the peoples and their works of other countries, which are mostly similar in nature just the language differ.If you got an job and you are transfered to another country you got to learn their language instead of quitting the job.It doesn't make sense where this or that country pays more or less, the job is the thing that makes sense to us.Our job is for our livehood, so it must be kept going on.And also learning foreign language doesn't do any harm to us, but other extra knowledge is increased.

If you master a foreign language it broadens your horizons significantly. You get to understand so much more about a country and can immerse yourself more in its culture. Because English has become the language of business it has made native English speakers being difficult to convince of the benefits of learning another language. For a tour guide or a translator the benefits are enormous. Also if you wanted to find a job with a company that exported goods to say France or Germany fluency in another language could increase your employment prospects greatly

I think, unless it is a neccessary requirement due to a job move or something, learning another language should be about your own personal preferences. For me, I've always wanted to learn several different languages, mainly French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and some South African languages. For me, it's about my own curiosity of the world and other cultures. I certainly don't think that being bilingual makes you any better than anybody else, though. It's all about personal development for me.

To me, it is always very interesting to learn about the cultures of other nationalities, and language is an important part of it. It is so amazing how languages were evolved. Besides, since I have to travel to different parts of the world on my business trips, it is very helpful if one can speak the language of the place, even if it is just the basics ! One can then adapt to the foreign environment easier.

Overall it's just a handy skill to have. Especially if the second language you learned is one that is widely spoken in the area where you live. I know doctors and nurses that have had to learn foreign languages because they get so many patients coming in that don't speak a word of English. Salespeople, customer service reps, receptionists, and many more positions all often have to deal with communicating with people that speak a different language. Higher ups in large companies often have to do a lot of business with people and companies all over the world! Police offers especially have to communicate quite often with people that don't always speak their language. There are so many jobs out there that it's an absolute necessity! And even when it's not an absolute necessity, it is still a good skill to have that can often come in handy! Because of this, it can be a lot easier to get a job, any job, if you can speak another language. And if you have a job, it might help you keep your job! If your company has to lay someone off, and it's between a guy that can only speak one language, and a guy that can speak many languages... well, chances are they're going to hold onto the employee with the language skills because it can be such an asset!

I would pick Spanish as a second language because it's very widely spoken. More first language speakers than English, although not as many total people. Then, no language, not even Mandarin which has the largest number of first language speakers, is understood by as many people or in as many countries as English.

Hello! Well my reason is because I want to travel and it is nice to know a little . You never know who you will meet and become friends with . I started learing spanish because of the friends I made that spoke it . Kinda cool in my book to be informed on different types of world culture . But I can see why some people would not want to as well . In high school I didnt care.

I never learned a foreign language. and so far i have not needed to learn one. But if i ever decided to travel out side the US i would make sure that i know some of the language of the country that i am traveling to, even if it is just the basics. as for work i do not have any idea which language would be more beneficial to learn.

Learning is all about improving yourself (like an upgrade) and with it open doors for new opportunities. The more qualifications you have, the easier will be for you to find those opportunities and the salary you want. The more you invest on yourself the more power you will have to get the job you want anywhere in the world. But for that you will have to take the that and effort to go for it and learn it with proficiency. Whether you learn spanish or French is up to you. If you can learn both is even better, just chose which one should be the first according to your objectives. Will it take time? Yes it will. Will it need effort from you? Yes it will. The true is... It is up to you how far you want to go and you are the only one who can get it gone. If you think that English is enough, that depends on the objectives and goals you set for yourself.