The advantages of learning a new language

Say hello to an interesting personality, a better looking resume and much more…

For almost a month, I spent most of my days scrolling through memes, binge-watching movies & series and yet I WAS BORED!!! (Who knew people like me existed, right?)

I called up a friend to whine about my boring moments to which she reacted,

Dude, why don’t you do something fun? Like um, try learning a new language!

I was about to dust off this suggestion which sounded too inspirational to me but I was so out of options that I decided to give it a try.

I installed Duolingo; a globally embraced language learning app and within a minute there it was! A green duck-face with two wide eyes staring at me via my home screen. Usually, newly downloaded apps hang around in my phone menu for a month’s time but his eyes couldn’t go untapped.

I decided to go ahead with French. Two weeks down the line, here I am, looking forward to each day so that I do not forget the fun language and more importantly, do not lose the streak. Streaks are important, guys! (Snapchatters will know better)

Learning a foreign language is the most fun thing I have been doing lately and I didn’t even realise it’s unknowingly shaping me and my career. I won’t elaborate the boring and obvious facts like enhanced mental activity bla bla bla but

• The other day when your colleague said, I speak German and French, didn’t you give him a second glance?
• Once you finish a few lessons of the new language and you’re well-versed with the greetings and basic dialogues, don’t you feel confident? Don’t you feel like someday you might visit the country and actually speak a few words with the locals? (I almost went on an imaginary trip and shared a few croissants with a Parisian while talking about the Eiffel Tower!)
• While translating a sentence, when you successfully remember the word you learnt on your first day, don’t you feel like, “Aila, jadoo!”? Don’t you feel like you’re acing the memory game? (In short, your memory is getting better and your muscles are reactivated and that’s good for your brain)
• Aren’t you excited to talk about being proficient in yet another language on your resume? Now, you’re not seeing this the way I do. If you’ve fancied staying in France or London and you’ve successfully learnt French or British English and the recruiters notice your proficiency in their native langauge, your chances of getting hired are automatically boosted! (Think big guys, think intra!)

You must be wondering that a certification from an app wouldn’t land me a dream job. Maybe you’re right but it definitely got you ready for the certification exam. You don’t need to spend any extra bucks on prepping up! You’re saving both your time and money.

The conclusion is,

1. You’re now a far more interesting personality, especially in your own eyes. Own your skill, dude!
2. You have a much better memory now and your brain power is boosted.
3. You’ve better career choices because boy, people will multilingual abilities have a competitive edge!
4. Your networking skills have improved and you’re bettering at multitasking.
5. You had FUN + you learnt SOMETHING NEW

Image courtesy: Unsplash