Many schools or universities require the study of a foreign language. Before you start resenting the very idea of it, consider that it could be to your advantage for you to study and master a foreign language. Make no mistake about it: the whole world does NOT speak English. For anyone who has travelled to anywhere but the very largest of the world's capitals, local people still primarily speak the local language and not English. To speak with them, the only way to do so will be to learn their language.
Here are 5 reasons to why you should study a foreign language:
1. Meet new friends: Learning a foreign language opens up the door to your getting to know more people and expanding your social network. If you are studying a language such as Spanish, Portuguese, or Chinese that is spoken by a large percentage of the population, you will be literally potentially tapping into a communication network with hundreds of millions of people that was previously off limits to you. If you are studying a less popular language, just think how much more valuable you will be since there are fewer foreign speakers of it.
2. Become a more globally-viable businessperson: In the world of business, communication is king. It does not matter how well you can program a computer, do accounting, or design new products: if you cannot communicate with other people, you will not find the success you deserve in the business world. Learning to communicate in a foreign language effectively increases your value as a communicator. And, many people who become proficient in a foreign language end up actually improving their skills as a communicator in their native language, as well. Learning a foreign language makes you a better communicator overall, and it therefore makes you a more attractive employee or partner in the world of business.
3. Expand your mind: Speaking a foreign language with fluency truly means switching channels to another way of thinking. Once you become fluent enough in the foreign language you are studying, you will find your consciousness actually expanding to accommodate your new ability. Each language has its own set of vocabulary, phrases, and concepts that do not directly translate to other languages. The result for multilingual people is that they actually force their neurons to grow and connect in new ways. Effectively, you become a little bit smarter and more mentally flexible.
4. Become more attractive: Looking to impress your husband, wife, date, or that cute person that you see whenever you go shopping? Becoming conversant in a foreign language is a great way to bring yourself up a notch on the attractiveness scale. People who expand their horizons are almost always perceived as more attractive than those who are always happy with the same-old stuff, year after year.
5. Understand the world better: The world is getting smaller. Leaders and individuals in different countries are making decisions each day that affect all of us in economic, environmental, and political terms. By studying a foreign language, you equip yourself with an additional lens through which to view the actions, thoughts, and worldviews of other people. This will help you make more balanced decisions about how to act or react when you learn about world events.
Mastering a foreign language can be quite a challenge, but for each new word you memorize, for each new verb you learn to conjugate, you will be making yourself more interesting, more economically viable, and even a bit smarter and more attractive.
Do you have an accent when you speak a foreign language? Is it a bad accent or are you a perfectionist (like me) that can't stand mispronouncing words? I have a very good accent but I mispronounce words from time to time and, although it never bothers the person I'm speaking with, it drives me nuts!
There are people who want to speak as natively as possible and others who aren't worried about it. I can honestly say that it really makes no difference. I know from speaking Spanish with native speakers that they don't care how you sound (within reason) as long as you can get your point across.
Which means that if you want to improve your accent, you're really doing it for yourself. Like I did. I wanted to get as close as possible as often as possible when I was studying Spanish. And thanks to that attitude, I've been able to develop a very good accent as I speak. Is it perfect? No, but it is close enough even for a perfectionist like me.
Just keep this in mind, correct pronunciation is not a God-given ability. It is a result of muscle memory. If you do something enough times, your tongue and brain muscles will make the connection and you will pronounce it correctly every time.
If you don't put in the time, then your accent won't improve much. You'll have the same excuses others have: "I have a bad-ear" or "I'm just not good at accents." You and you alone decide how well you want to speak.
So, with that in mind, let me share with you some tricks that will help you improve immediately...if you are so inclined.
Tip #1 - Keep track of the words you mispronounce when you say them. This means remembering a word or expression after a conversation is over. Then, once you're alone, start saying the word or expression again and again. Write it down so you can remember to say it the next day and the next. You'll get it.
Tip #2 - Read out loud. Find something interesting and read it out loud. Try to sound like a real native. Make a note of the parts that cause any difficulty. Say them again and again. Write them down in a notepad and look at them in the car, while you're walking or any time you find yourself with a moment to practice.
Tip #3 - Memorize a song. Find a song that you like in the target language and get the words. Listen to it enough that you have it memorized. Then, sing it to yourself when you have the time. You'll be amazed at how well you sound after a week. In fact, I recommend having a journal and writing comments about the song before you begin to practice it. Make a note of lines that appear "absolutely impossible." Then, a week later, look at those notes and see for yourself. It really is a question of practice and nothing else.
There are many other ways to practice your accent but you'll be fine with these three to start. You'll find the words and vowel combinations that give you trouble. And believe it or not, there aren't many. Master them and your accent will be top-notch.
Both Marie-claire Smith & Jim Sarris are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Marie-claire Smith has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cheating Spouse, Finances and Lose Weight. Jumpstart your language learning today with world-class software from Rosetta Stone, now available with a 100%, six-month money back guarantee. You can order it now from the manufacturer at:. Marie-claire Smith's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.
Jim Sarris has sinced written about articles on various topics from Foreign Language, Learning English and Family. Jim Sarris is a veteran Spanish teacher and the author of a new ebook/audio series "The Secret to Learning Any Language." Visit his blog to obtain free information and learn about other resources to help you learn faster and easier than ever.. Jim Sarris's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.