Articles and Stories

April 29, 2020

Time on your hands? Learn a new language!

Because of COVID 19 quarantine measures, many of us find ourselves thrust into a new role of working from home, perhaps while homeschooling our children at the same time. However, if you find you have extra time on your hands, why not take up a new hobby, like learning a language?

Multiple multilingual studies show that learning a second language improves cognitive ability and development, increases memory skills, improves the ability to switch between tasks, and may even aid in the prevention of cognitive loss due to Alzheimer’s and Dementia. While all of these are fantastic reasons to learn a second language, there is a more tangible, lucrative reason to learn another language- more career options.

In our increasingly globalized and multicultural world, speaking a second language could be your ticket to higher earnings or at the very least, more diverse career choices. In 2017, New American Economy published a report detailing the projected growth of companies who seek bilingual employees. Between 2010 and 2015, job postings that specifically request bilingual applicants more than doubled. Particularly, the health care and education sectors seek out bilingual candidates. With so many companies opening businesses in other countries, being able to speak another language could open the door to international travel or living abroad.

The language you choose to learn may be for professional growth (Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic are highly sought after according to the New American Economy report), or for personal reasons. Maybe you want to delve deeper into the philosophical musings of Camus, so you begin learning French; or you learn Hindi so you can sing along to your favorite Bollywood films. Perhaps it is a lifelong dream to throw a coin into the Trevi fountain, so you learn Italian for your bucket list trip. Whatever your reasons, learning a language can be a fruitful, rewarding experience.