What are the Advantages of Knowing a Foreign Language?

In today's globalized world, knowing English has become almost compulsory. Whether it is for work, school or social life, foreign languages are everywhere.

Knowing a language contributes significantly to cognitive, emotional and social development. Today, a person who speaks a foreign language can network internationally or increase his/her travels abroad indefinitely.

But are the benefits of knowing a foreign language limited to these? Of course not. In this article, we will talk about the benefits of knowing a second language and much more.

7 Benefits of Knowing a Foreign Language

There are many benefits to knowing a language other than your mother tongue. Although learning a foreign language may seem like a nightmare for some, it is a very advantageous situation for those who know it. So, what are the advantages of knowing a foreign language? Let's take a look together:

1. Makes it Easier to Find a Job

2. Supports Academic Development

3. Makes You Make Foreign Friends

4. Supports Brain Development

5. Strengthens Memory

6. Get to know different cultures

7. Erasmus Provides Opportunities

We will take a more detailed look at these points in the rest of this article. Get ready for important tips!

1. Makes it easier to find a job

The biggest advantage of knowing a foreign language is undoubtedly that it makes it easier to find a job. Especially if you are a newly graduated university student, knowing a language is an important criterion for job applications. Companies generally prefer employees who have the potential to communicate with foreign customers. For this reason, it is an important advantage for people who want to employ them to know a foreign language.

2. Supports Academic Development

As a universal language, English is also widely used in the academic field. Especially for every university student, having a foreign language will provide great convenience in both education and business life. However, since scientific research is usually written in English, having a foreign language will make a great contribution to those who want to progress academically.

3. It Allows You to Make Foreign Friends

If you are studying at a university with a large number of international students, you probably feel the lack of language skills more than any other friend. Those who have a good command of English are much more advantageous in this regard. New learners of English, on the other hand, have the chance to practice much more by making friends with foreign people.

4. Supports Brain Development

Among the advantages of knowing a foreign language, the most striking one is that it supports brain development. You can support your brain development by learning an additional language other than your mother tongue. In this way, your brain works much better. The best example of this is translators. When you translate a language, you think in both directions and this makes your brain much more active than usual.

5. Strengthens Memory

Knowing another foreign language in addition to your mother tongue strengthens your memory. The main reason for this is that you master different grammar rules while learning a language. As you speak, you try to remember the information you have already learned and add to it as you speak. When you spend time speaking English regularly, you will definitely notice the difference in your memory.

6. Get to know different cultures

Another advantage of knowing a foreign language is the opportunity to get to know different cultures much more closely. Knowing English during your travels abroad allows you to communicate easily with people. In this way, it becomes possible to get to know the cultural values of the country you are traveling to. This also increases your general culture.

7. Provides Erasmus Opportunity

Erasmus is a great opportunity for university students. Continuing your education abroad will bring you one step closer to your dreams. Language education is usually compulsory for overseas education. In short, you need to know and speak English at a good level for Erasmus, undergraduate, graduate, doctorate or other education abroad.

Have you checked out Üsküdar University Health, Culture and Sports Department's SKS Blog? Check it out now!