Five Reasons to Learn a
Foreign Language

chillibreeze writer — Krupa Shah

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In today’s world no distance is too long to travel and no information too difficult to find. This contraction has exposed us to a rich potpourri of cultures, languages, and ideas in such a way that reaching out beyond one’s borders has never been easier. This conflation of cultures can be seen in many aspects of daily life be it cuisine, fashion, music, design and even film. In a scenario where people are increasingly realizing how interconnected they are as global citizens, a foreign language can indeed be a valuable asset. There are several benefits to learning a foreign language, both as a part time activity as well as a full time profession. Here are five reasons why you should pursue them:

Language is the gateway to a culture. It is through language that men have left their achievements behind in history. It is through language that they have expressed their visions and failures. Learning a foreign language provides an opportunity to expand one’s horizons and to enrich one’s perspective about the world and the different cultures that inhabit it. Learning about other cultures can also help to cultivate tolerance towards different beliefs, customs, and lifestyles.
A foreign language enhances your resumé. It can easily distinguish you in a crowd and add weight to your achievements. Knowing a foreign language allows you to access a whole new domain of information through websites, films, social networking clubs and cultural events and benefits your career prospects. Even if your professional field is not related to languages, a foreign language will only speak for your versatility and your interest in other cultures.
Learning a new language hones your cognitive and analytical skills. We learn to speak our native tongue at a very young age and effortlessly internalize linguistic and grammatical structures and vocabulary. But to learn a new language we have to make an effort to consciously remember new words, the contexts of their usage and sentence structures. Research has shown that learning a new language keeps the mind active and alert. So even if you do not have a knack for languages, learning a foreign language can become a useful hobby and can complement your field of study.
A foreign language improves your prospects to study abroad. Learning Russian, for example, can open up new vistas to study medicine or engineering in Russia which is known for academic excellence in these fields. Furthermore, certain embassies and foreign language institutions also have tie-ups that allow students to pursue their studies in the foreign country through exchange programs and sometimes with scholarship. The Cultural Institute for Russian in Chennai, for example, guides and provides aid to its students to plan their studies in Russia at a postgraduate level.
A foreign language can become a wonderful prospect for a profession for those who are not in the management and technical fields, as it offers a wide range of opportunities in translation, interpretation, and tourism. It is also a good investment if you are looking for a shortcut to a lucrative profession as a language course is easier to learn and quicker to complete than lengthy and expensive alternatives. Translation and interpretation have great lucrative potential although initially it might be difficult to start up if you do not have contacts in the field.

Which language to learn and where to learn it?
Among the European languages French, German, Spanish, Russian and Italian are good options. Japanese has immense translation potential and pays extremely well although the language can be very difficult to learn. French and German have been popular options because of established language training institutes like the Alliance Française and the Max Mueller Bhavan which are accessibly located in several cities. The El Instituto Cervantes, New Delhi offers Spanish courses and has tie-ups with other institutes like the Institute of Foreign Language and Culture (IFLAC) in Bangalore, the Rama Krishna Mission in Kolkata and the Inaword Centre for Languages in Chennai as well as the Ranade Institute in Pune.

Before choosing a language remember to keep in mind factors such as the availability of the language institution, language opportunities in your city or neighborhood, and the level of proficiency you want to achieve in the time that you can invest. Some institutes follow proficiency levels defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. (CEFR) which range from the basic (A1, A2), tp intermediate (B1, B2), and advanced (C1, C2).

For Japanese, there are several institutions offering language courses. Abk Aots Dosakai, Mombusho Scholars Association of India and the Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry are some of the well known organizations. The Russian Centre of Science & Culture conducts year long classes in Russian and has its own levels of proficiency and examination.

The Italian Cultural Institute in New Delhi offers a wide range of courses as well as online sessions. The Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai also conducts language courses for those who are interested. For more information on each language check out the following links:

French: http://www.afindia.org/
Spanish: http://nuevadelhi.cervantes.es/en/spanish_courses/students/faq.htm
German: http://www.goethe.de/ins/in/lp/enindex.htm
Russian: http://ruscultchennai.in/facilities.html
Italian: http://www.iicnewdelhi.esteri.it/IIC_Newdelhi; http://www.consmumbai.esteri.it/Consolato_Mumbai
Japanese: http://www.abkaotschennai.com/; http://www.mosai.org.in/portal/; http://www.ijcci.com/lang.html

Jobs are available for foreign language students:
There is a host of possibilities in the field of foreign languages. You can opt to be a freelance translator or work in private enterprises as a language professional mediating between the company and its foreign clients. There are many opportunities for translation and interpretation in MNCs working round the clock with partners abroad. Also, for translation you would require an excellent command over the language as well as a working knowledge of the required field, be it technical, medical or business translation. You can also work in the field of teaching at language institutes or be part of language workshops at cultural events and festivals. Foreign languages have immense potential in tourism especially if you like to travel and meet new people but for these jobs you must have achieved a high level of proficiency.

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in February, 2012. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer:

Krupa Shah has a Master's and an MPhil degree in English Literature from the English & Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. She works as a language professional with the e-publishing team of Amazon.com and is fluent in French, Italian and Russian. She has worked as a contributing editor for media with a Paris based web-portal and has substantial experience in technical, academic and creative writing. Her work has been published in the international poetry magazine Cyclamens & Swords.

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Five Reasons to Learn a Foreign Language

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Five Reasons to Learn a
Foreign Language