BY: Salehuddin Ahmed
Being multi-lingual provides an instant advantage over your peers, and helps you stand out. The demand for bilingual and multilingual professionals is growing exponentially around the world. Between 2010 and 2015, the number of US job postings specifically geared toward bilingual candidates more than doubled. Language skills may also lead to higher salaries and promotions, especially when an organisation has multiple branches globally. With such language skills, you can easily get ahead of others in your field.
There are cognitive benefits of learning languages, too. Research has shown that speaking more than one language improves memory, problem-solving and critical thinking skills. It also improves your neural network over time. To maximise this benefit, it is best to start learning languages from a young age, since during that time brains are still developing and they can make language connections better than adults.
While learning a foreign language, you learn to make mistakes and correct them yourself. In the process, you come out of your comfort zone. You build an amazing sense of accomplishment. When you converse with someone in his/her native language, you tend to become more confident and courageous.