The Importance of Learning Another Language
You’re effectively back at square one again, stuck trying to grasp new alphabets, new writing systems and new sounds you otherwise would never be forming. But the beauty in that struggle is the world you open yourself up to. And you would never know what you would miss out on if you didn’t try.
Having the ability to function and exist within other cultures and languages is of utmost importance. We put ourselves at a disadvantage trying to rely on the one language we know and expect others around us to adapt. Times have changed, and whilst English may be useful now, slowly our world continues to diversify. With time just English isn’t going to cut it. Even former Prime Minister Helen Clark said that only having one language was a factor in her loss of the UN Secretary-General position.
Over 80% of New Zealanders are monolingual according to the 2013 Census. As nearly 70% of the world's population is bilingual, this is a hugely interesting statistic. On average, bilingual and multilingual students outperform and achieve better than monolingual students. As well as that, companies here are desperately trying to specifically find people with knowledge of another language so they can break into global networks. And yet we allow ourselves to miss these opportunities by holding ourselves back? It may take time and dedication, but language learning may just be the key to your future.
You may be wondering, where do I even start? Depending on the language you want to learn, there are so many free courses and websites provided by various institutes here in New Zealand available for you. All you need to do is search for them. Duolingo may seem mediocre to some, but when you’re first starting out, having something of a regime already made for you can also be really helpful. It keeps learning interactive and provides a rewards system for you to track your progress. You don’t need to make it hard on yourself by jumping straight in. Taking your time to feel it out and choose a starting point is what will make your journey a lot easier.
Although I may be bursting bubbles, staying monolingual is what may hurt you later on. The perspectives, opportunities, friends and insight you can gain doesn’t come with the expectation that English will be enough to suffice. Broadening your horizons through language learning can set your path in new, exciting directions.
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