Learning a language undoubtedly has dozens of benefits such as a greater variety of career options, an improved attention span, and a heightened self-esteem – yet, now a days in England we are seeing less and less polyglots (individuals who speak multiple languages).
92% of European students learn a language at school but it is likely that a high percentage of English students form part of that 8%. In Independent English schools only 3 in 10 students take a language at GCSE level and in state schools this number is as low as only 1 in 10. These rates are remarkably low and show that the language interest in schools is rapidly decreasing.
English is the second most widely spoken language globally and young people are not seeing the importance of learning a language. However, being able to speak a language is more than just being able to understand more people or being able to travel without a language barrier, these are only 2 of multiple rewards.
The Benefits of Learning a Language
Did you know that learning a language delays cognitive decline? Research has found that bilingual individuals develop Alzheimer’s disease or Dementia up to 4 and a half years later than their monolingual peers. Although learning a second language is not the trick to staying young forever; by learning one you could be increasing your lifespan all whilst learning about a new culture, meeting new people and having endless enjoyment along the way.
Bilingualism unsurprisingly also increases memory capacity which will not only help with becoming a polyglot but also in several other aspects of life such as remembering shopping lists and phone numbers. If you think of the brain like a muscle, learning new vocabulary and grammar exercises the brain making it stronger and therefore better at retaining information. Neuroscientists have found that learning a second language actually grows the grey matter on the brain, so you are making your brain bigger and stronger as you learn. A fun fact about the brain is that native languages use the left-brain hemisphere but a second language uses both hemispheres simultaneously.
Many of us, myself included, are guilty of our nightly ‘doom scrolling’ through social media, and because of this the average attention span is 8-10 seconds. However, there is a solution to this… learning a language! A third benefit of bilingualism is an increased attention span as switching between different languages helps the brain maintain focus and ignore distractions.
Another advantage is that learning a second language improves our first language. If you think about it, as we learn a different language we become more conscious of our mother tongue, improving our grammar and vocabulary. As well as this, bilingualism opens up more career options in a very competitive job market. Being a polyglot makes you stand out to an employer, especially as knowing other languages is a skill that few English people possess. Speaking other languages will allow you to communicate with businesses abroad as well as new foreign employees not yet fluent in English.
Last but not least and possibly the best bonus yet is a boosted self-esteem. When you are speaking a second language, especially whilst you are learning, you are highly likely to make mistakes, and you will very quickly lose your self-consciousness and just go for it. The confidence you get from speaking and maintaining a conservation with a native speaker is unmatched and will leave you leaving noticeably confident.
Learning a language will provide you with a skill for life. Wouldn’t it be amazing to show off to your friends by speaking to them in a language they don’t understand and have no idea what you’re saying? For me, this is my favourite part of learning a second language!
By Sophie Starkey
Bath Academy is delighted to offer various languages at GCSE and A-Level level.
Find out more by clicking through or email admissions@bathacademy.co.uk to see if we can teach a language not currently listed on our website.