As our world continues to become more globalised, speaking more than one language has become essential.
Learning a foreign language enables better communication and collaboration. It also improves a person’s analytical and memory skills and, most importantly, provides more career opportunities.
Being at least bilingual allows you to connect with more people. Just think about it: learning Mandarin would enable you to speak with more than a billion people worldwide, whilst studying Hindi allows you to talk to 650 million people. Moreover, speaking with someone in their native language leads to a better understanding of their culture and allows for a truly immersive experience.
Numerous studies, including at York University in Toronto, Canada, have proven the benefits of being multilingual. Brain scanning has shown that bilingual people have more grey matter in the regions of their brains that deal with executive function, improving their short-term memory and attention span. In addition, the ability to switch between two languages helps bilingual people handle multiple complex topics at once and keep their brains active.