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Reasons to Learn a Foreign Language

Kolik jazyků znáš, tolikrát jsi člověkem.
You live a new life for every new language you speak.
If you know only one language, you live only once.
(Czech proverb)

The Bridge believes that investing in a new language today will help you be better equipped for the future. Our solutions division is overflowing with BPOs looking for multilingual specialists from us. Now is the best time to find your edge and be the competitive talent of the 21st century.

01. To be the 21st century talent.

02. Studying a foreign language can improve your cognitive and critical thinking abilities. And with The Bridge language study on your record, it will catch the eye of anyone reading your job application. No matter what your career choice, knowledge of a foreign language gives you an advantage.

03. Foreign language study provides the ability to gain an understanding of the cultures of trading partners and is extremely useful in businesses. Multinational corporations and nongovernmental organizations need people with foreign language abilities. Your ability to compete effectively in global markets means that more and more businesses deal with companies in other countries. They need employees who can communicate in foreign languages and understand other cultures. An employer will see you as a bridge to new clients if you know their language.

04. Learning about other cultures will help you expand your personal horizons. Studying a new language, communicating with people in their own language, and learning about their culture can be a source of both pleasure and personal enrichment. Learning a language is not just learning about its pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, it is learning to see the world as the other culture sees it. It is also learning to see your own culture from a new perspective. Knowledge of a foreign language will enable you to compare and contrast cultural concepts. And allow you to see the world in a brand new perspective.

05. Travel. You may be going to live abroad, or perhaps you holiday frequently or have a holiday home in a certain country. It is more fun if you can communicate with the people who live there. But you will probably need to learn an entirely different sort of language from the man who is trying to sell an American car produced in England to the Italians. That is why so often those of us who have done well in school find ourselves tongue-tied when we get out there; we learnt the wrong sort of French. And how far do you want to go? Do you just want to be able to cope with the shopping and understand the bills? Or do you want to be able to chat over the fence or over a nice bottle of the local wine, and put the world right?

Fifteen more reasons why...

Language study broadens your experiences; expands your view of the world
encourages critical reflection on the relation of language and culture, language and thought; fosters an understanding of the interrelation of language and human nature
develops your intellect; teaches you how to learn
teaches and encourages respect for other peoples
contributes to cultural awareness and literacy, such as knowledge of original texts
builds practical skills (for travel or commerce or as a tool for other disciplines)
improves the knowledge of your own language through comparison and contrast with the foreign language
exposes you to modes of thought outside of your native language
a sense of relevant past, both cultural and linguistic
balances content and skill (rather than content versus skill)
expands opportunities for meaningful leisure activity (travel, reading, viewing foreign language films)
contributes to achievemnet of national goals, such as eceonomic development or national security
contributes to the creation of your personality
enables the transfer of training (such as learning a second foreign language)
preserves (or fosters) a country’s image as a cultured nation