More and more people are now developing a keen interest in learning the English language as it offers numerous benefits. With about 20% of the world population speaking English or more than 2 billion in total, the English language has become an important language for communication, commerce and entertainment. From this population approximately 400 million or just about 20% of those who speak English are native speakers, which means the majority of the English speaking population has studied English as a foreign language. Being able to speak a second language such as English can open the door for many interesting opportunities such as traveling, business, and meeting new people. Of course, if you are learning English as a second language in an English speaking country, it is even more important that you develop a better mastery of the language in order to communicate with people and take advantage of local institutions and venues.
Below are the major benefits of studying English as a second language:
Enhanced Cognitive Skills
One of the primary benefits of learning English as a second language (or any additional language for that matter) is that the entire process exercises your brain. There are studies that show that bilingual individuals tend to have a better grasp in understanding complex concepts because of their enhanced cognitive functions. These cognitive functions include a sharper memory, improved creativity, as well as better problem-solving skills. With sufficient brain exercise, bilinguals have a lower risk of having Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
If you are interested in reaping the benefits of the brain exercise brought about by learning English as a second language, then perhaps it is the perfect time for you to consider taking classes. There are numerous resources for taking English language courses offered in online platforms, as well as in schools that even provide homestay accommodation options to foreign students. More often than not, these courses are recognized by the proper accreditation bodies, which guarantees that the courses are thoroughly prepared to suit the learning curve of the students.
In addition to the proper brain exercise that you get by learning English, you will notice that you will have an increased ability to multitask. This is because studying languages helps give you the ability to switch between one activity to another and to not lose concentration. Knowledge in two languages brings about the need for you to disengage from one language to be able to effectively use another language, exercising your brain when you shift rapidly to engage in a different activity.
Travel Experience
It may come as a surprise, but learning English as a second language may take you to places. This is most especially true if you want to immerse yourself in a country of native English speakers to speed up your learning process. After you have developed a good understanding of English, your future travel experiences will be more positive. This is because you will no longer have as hard a time in conveying what you mean to another individual who doesn’t speak your native tongue, but is well-adept in English.
Business Ventures
If you are an entrepreneur or a business person working for a company, you can greatly expand your business by having a good knowledge of the English language. English is a practical language for companies to use as a form of communication. Whether you sell products or services, you will be able to effectively offer them to a wider population since there are more people in the world who speak the language. For instance, Malaysian locals dealing with souvenir items may successfully offer their products to Japanese nationals visiting their country. Note that both only know English as a common language, but this business dealing was successful as they could converse in English.
As a business person, you can promote your products and services in the English language accessing many potential customers around the wold. it. As a result, you may gain a greater share of the market, leading to increased revenues.
Career Options
When you learn English as a second language, you have a greater chance of expanding your career options. This can prove to be beneficial, regardless of whether you are seeking career options within your region or in a country on the other side of the globe. Locally, you can use English to communicate with the international counterparts of your company, and use your primary language to interact with your other colleagues. Internationally, you can use English to be able to scout for employment positions in different regions, especially those countries with people who are native English speakers. Even if the native language of the country you are interested in working in is not English, you can still use the English language to bridge the gap between you and your target company. In a multicultural world, English is recognized as the language that brings people from different parts of the world in a common understanding. Having the mastery of a second language such as English can help your resume stand out in the job market.
Digital Literacy
People who have the ability to understand and comprehend the English language are more digitally literate. It is clear that technology is constantly progressing and in age of radical innovation individuals must work hard to keep up. However, the majority of modern technologies from applications to their instruction are developed in the English language including applications, media programming and instructions. Interpretive programming languages are in English and so if you are interested in developing code, it is important that you learn English.
In conclusion, English as a second language is an effective tool to bridge the communication gap between people from different countries speaking their own native language. Apart from this, learning English as a second language can improve your cognitive skills as well as provide a greater opportunity for experiencing the world personally and professionally.
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