If there are advantages in being bilingual, then what are monolingual people missing out on?
Many students from around the world invest a lot of money, time and effort into studying a new language, and the reasons for this generally fall into one of these categories –
They’re planning to travel and want to be understood in their new country;
They want to improve their chances of success in their career;
It’s an intellectual challenge; or
They’re planning on living abroad and wish to respect local customs.
The Disadvantages of Being Monolingual
A large number of students learn another language due to necessity when they realize that their native language is not sufficient to achieve their goals. So how does this affect people who are born in a country where everyone speaks the same language and where there are no nearby countries where other languages are spoken? What are the disadvantages these people face by not learning a new language and thus exercising their mind?
The United States is the best example of this situation because, despite having a huge Latina influence, it’s not necessary for Americans to learn either Spanish, or indeed any other language. When one has English as their mother tongue, one can travel the world and stay within their comfort zone and generally be understood. And this occurs in many cases simply due to a lack of interest in other languages and cultures.
It’s All About Exercising Your Brain
However, when we only speak one language, we now know that we are losing an opportunity to increase our brain power. Similar to our body, the mind must be trained and exercised, and it’s been shown that learning a new language is not only a brilliant brain exercise, it also helps to improve our memory and achieve better learning results in general.
Many studies have shown that people who speak two or more languages have less likelihood of suffering from diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease; and the reason is because studying a language contributes to cognitive and mental agility and pattern recognition, all of which are so important in many aspects of our lives. Another interesting fact is that, when solving problems, the brains of multilingual people consume much less energy.
Why Not Start a New Hobby? Learn a Language!
So there’s certainly been enough research done to convince us that one way to protect our brain from the ravages of Alzheimer’s and other similar diseases is to start learning a new language. And, as we explained in our previous article, apparently you don’t even have to be really brilliant at speaking a new language, you just have to start learning!
Translators Have a Definite Advantage
So, our fellow translation experts out there should be feeling mighty comfortable right about now, knowing that you really have set yourselves up in the best possible way to protect yourself against these diseases that destroy the lives not only of the sufferer, but also their carers (which are often husbands and wives) and even their entire families. So, if you have the time, why not start learning a new language? There are many online language courses, or you can join in on group classes or even be tutored privately.
