Cassidy's Creative Corner: Valuing a Second Language
Learning a new language is so important. It trains your memory to remember new words and make connections between them. Not only does it push your brain to get familiar with new grammar and vocabulary rules but it also allows you to communicate efficiently with others in contextual situations. Even if it's just a second language, there are still plenty of benefits.
When you learn a new language, there's a chance it can enhance your opportunities in jobs like government, business, medicine, technology, law, industry, marketing, and more. It boosts your creativity and gives you more of an edge in the workplace.
Being bilingual challenges you to see the world in a different light, and better understand different cultures. For example, fields like journalism, healthcare, education, and international development are constantly in need of dual language employees. Understanding, and knowing a second language can make your resume stand out and boost you to the top of the interview list with potential employers.
According to the New York Times, “In a 2004 study by the psychologist's Ellen Bialystok and Michelle Martin-Rhee, bilingual and monolingual preschoolers were asked to sort blue circles and red squares presented on a computer screen into two digital bins — one marked with a blue square and the other marked with a red circle. In the first task, the children had to sort the shapes by color, placing blue circles in the bin marked with the blue square and red squares in the bin marked with the red circle. Both groups did this with comparable ease. Next, the children were asked to sort by shape, which was more challenging because it required placing the images in a bin marked with a conflicting color. The bilinguals were quicker at performing this task.”
The next time you consider learning another language, try it out! It wouldn’t hurt to challenge yourself, and give yourself a memory workout. Plus, you never know, you could possibly end up meeting new people.
