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'What are the benefits of learning a second language'? Unfortunately this is a question that is being asked less and in most English speaking countries as native English speakers become ever more convinced of the fact that you only need English to achieve success in the wider world. This is obviously not true, and there are in any case several types of 'second language benefits' that goes beyond one on one communication. The purpose of this article will be to very briefly highlight the importance of learning a second language.

* Communicate with a wider range of people: Some English speakers may indeed be convinced of the fact that you only need English to get around in this world. However, just a little bit of foreign travel will be enough to very quickly disabuse them of that notion. Most of the people of the world do not speak English and it not even nearly the largest first language in the world (that honour goes to Mandarin Chinese). While it is true that English is by far that fastest growing second language in the world this does not mean that everybody is currently learning English, or that they even want to do so! Communication between people from different part of the world will therefore be well served by some 'reciprocal language learning'!

* Get ahead in the workplace: We often hear about the reality of globalisation. One of the implications of this trend is that more companies are doing business in more countries from more diverse linguistic background. Many mulitnational companies are therefore extremely keen to hire more bilingual employees. Knowing a second language can therefore drastically improve your employment prospects.

* Cultivate an appreciation for the cultures of the world. Language is an essential part of who we are. If you therefore make an effort to understand somebody's language you are making almost automatic progress in understanding that person (or country) better. This is of course to be welcomed in our world with its many divisions.

* Develop better cognitive and linguistic abilities. Study after study have shown that being bilingual has intellectual benefits that goes far beyond the simple satisfaction of being able to communicate with people from other cultures. Studying a second language will give you insights into the nature and structure of language that would have been very difficult to achieve in a monolingual environment. It also broadens your perspective on the range of options available for problem solving.

In short, learning a second language will make you a better thinker. You will even see benefits in terms of English language abilities, studies of first year English students shows that bilingual students consistently fare better than their monolingual counterparts!

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