Language is what makes us humans. It is how people communicate. By learning a language, it means you have mastered a complex system of words, structure, and grammar to effectively communicate with others.

To most people, language comes naturally. We learn how to communicate even before we can talk and as we grow older, we find ways to manipulate language to truly convey what we want to say with words and complex sentences. Of course, not all communication is through language, but mastering a language certainly helps speed up the process. This is one of the many reasons why language is important.

The advantages of learning foreign languages are mushrooming as the world becomes increasingly globalized and bilingualism is now perhaps the most useful real world skill. 

Foreign language study is all about learning how to truly communicate and connect with others—an incredibly important life skill. When you master a foreign language, you can exercise your new superhuman power of being able to understand what someone is saying, recall the proper vocabulary and grammar, put that vocabulary and grammar into the proper context, and reply back—all on the spot and in a timely manner.

There are tangible benefits to being bilingual:

• It can help you in your career;
• It can improve your memory and brain functions;
• It can help increase your understanding of the languages you already speak.

When the majority of people say “I’m going to learn a new language this year” they never really think of the importance of learning a foreign language and how it can help them for years to come. Learning a second language isn’t going to be a quick task, in fact, it takes many years to perfect your speech patterns so native speakers will understand you. Although learning English can be challenging and time-consuming, we can see that it is also very valuable to learn and can create many opportunities!

Today over 50% of the world’s population can speak two or more languages, and over 1.5 billion people are learning a second language, above all English. We live in a global community that is bringing us all much closer together and we need at all costs to be able to communicate effectively with each other. Being able to speak a second language as well as your mother tongue is a great skill that can open many doors in your personal and professional life. But with many languages to choose from, you may be unsure which one is right for you.

While there are languages that are spoken by large numbers of people, such as Mandarin, Spanish and Arabic, the most widely used second language is English, with a total number of 1.4 billion native and non-native speakers. That means that one in five people (20% of the world’s population) can communicate in English. It is not only the huge number of people that is important but also the fact that you can find people who speak English in every part of the world, from the Americas, to Asia, to Africa and Europe. And a great deal of communication today in English is held between people who are non-native speakers. English is the common link between many origins and cultures.

The team of the foundation “Center for International Educational Studies – Theodore” highly encourages you to start learning a new language as early in your life as possible. However, you are never too old to learn! The world moves fast, and we must keep up with the changes – by developing new skills, learning more about ourselves, and also, learning a new language!