8 reasons to learn a foreign language

I love languages. From a very early age, I've shown interest in traveling around the world and crossing frontiers. Of course, it didn't take me long to realize that, in order to do this, I had to learn to communicate in these countries, to fend for myself. But I didn't see this as an obstacle, rather that an advantage - an activity to enjoy and build a hobby out of it. Right now, I speak three languages: Spanish, English and French. I tried Chinese when I was very young with my brother, but had to quit because he didn't like it. However, maybe in the future I'll get back to it, or perhaps I'll try German sometime! Either way, I am certain I will keep learning as much as I can, because right now, dealing with school makes it very hard to find any free time to really invest in this. So, to summarize, as I find that knowing different languages is extremely helpful nowadays, I would like to share with all of you 8 reasons to learn a foreign language.

1. Learning languages is a great activity for training your brain. It has been proven that it can help you develop new areas of your mind and strengthen your focus.

2. It will allow you to cross frontiers. You will be able to communicate with people from all over the world and, as a result, you will have the chance to meet lots of interesting people, who you'll be able to turn to whenever you need someone from another country.

3. It will allow you to become independent. Traveling alone, taking risks, solving problems by yourself, even for renting your first apartment! Languages are used in every aspect of our lives. Being able to fend for yourself in a new city or country will add to your personal experiences, and will make you feel increasingly safe and confident within your abilities.

4. It will enrich your vocabulary and ability for understanding texts or other people when they speak, even in your mother-language. We improve our vocab by learning to give definitions, finding synonyms, antonyms... When we practice reading, listening or even writing a new language, we are summarizing ideas and learning to express ourselves.

5. You will grow more open-minded. Learning a foreign language and its associated culture leads to a more open-minded view of the world and its people. Once you know and appreciate parts of a culture and its systems, you begin to judge less and observe more. 

6. You will be free for traveling wherever you want! That way, you will live lots of cultural experiences that will help you grow as a person.

7. Nowadays, languages are everything. Wether you want to work at a company, or apply to university, you need them. In Spain, for instance, an English Certificate is required to graduate university. But that shouldn't be the only reason to learn them. In businesses, they look for people with a broad knowledge that are able to communicate and express their ideas clearly to other people, from all over the world. Speaking several languages ensures plenty of job opportunities, believe me!

8. For the simple pleasure of learning! This is definitely my motivation to keep trying my best.