If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language that goes to his heart.” ‒ Nelson Mandela. Since the 1960’s learning a second language has decreased by 30 percent in today’s society. People who wish to learn an additional language often do so to communicate with people who reside in different countries. With an increase in today’s globalization, it is forcing companies throughout the world to break the language barrier. However, with the advancement of technology, numerous citizens find it unnecessary to learn another language, as a translation is at the tip of their fingers. The methods of learning a foreign language can differentiate between people. Nevertheless it has been …show more content…
Therefore, this is able to encourage the ability to communicate and appreciate the depth and diversity of the world. Communication with two different countries, or three, or four, will further bring the world closer together, in hopes of closing the divide between some countries. By learning a second language, it can significantly broaden your native language as it gives you stronger vocabulary skills, improved literacy skills and a better understanding of the grammar and construction of your own native language. Furthermore, this can help you in other educational studies. Though it is possible to travel to another country without acquiring the native language, the experience you will have is greatly diminished as you will not see beyond the surface of their culture. Additionally, knowing the native language makes travelling easier, by being able to order meals in restaurants, ask and understand directions. Additionally, it makes it easier to find accommodation, it’s more enjoyable, informative and more satisfying. You are able to further understand and appreciate international literature, music and films, by being able to understand word plays, innuendoes, cultural references, metaphors and further improve your ability to speak the
Most people who grow up with a foreign language spoken in there house grow up with an advantage in society. This advantage can only occur once the individual learning that foreign language also learns the dominant language spoken in that country. Once both of these languages are learned and mastered, the individual has now placed them se...
Speaking to someone in their native language is a great complement to that person. Most people do not care enough to learn the language of the country they are visiting. Some travelers expect the people to already know their language to the place that their traveling to. This being said, the ones who actually know the language to the place that they are traveling to, can hold a special place in the local heart. If a child grows up learning two languages, he/she will have a greater appreciation for, not just one, but both languages that they grew up learning, knowing and respecting. This can also be beneficial for school, homework, and tests. If that child knows both English and Spanish, and if they are discussing something that is related to Spanish, like history, that child could be interested since he/she g...
Exposing children to different cultures is necessary, and our culture needs to face that soon. It is proven that foreign language study can create more positive attitudes and less prejudice toward different cultures, which shows just how important foreign language really is (Latimer). Additionally, international travel is made a lot simpler (Latimer). Not to mention, speaking a foreign language can help to save money and improve a person's overall experience during their travels. Plus, foreign language can lead to appreciation of cultural diversity, which is much needed in
In today’s society, especially in the United States, most people are monolingual English speakers. As a result, these monolingual speakers are at a significant disadvantage compared to those who speak more than one language fluently. This disadvantage is crucial to realize since it is important to learn how individuals and the nation can be enhanced. Multilingual speakers have an advantage in global affairs that involve countries that speak different languages. Speaking multiple languages makes it easier to communicate with people when involved in foreign affairs. Those who speak multiple languages are also more aware of other cultures in society. Monolingual speakers are not as exposed to other cultures and have difficulty understanding or even recognizing them. Furthermore, being multilingual increases your
INTRODUCTION Attention Getter: As Nadia Alam, a multilingual Ursuline student (Alam personal interview), put in Ursuline’s Lions Roar, “Language barriers are an idea of the past, by learning a foreign language, one is able to talk to anyone” (5 Alam “Speaking on”). Languages are a fascinating and extremely useful tool in communicating and sharing ideas and cultures. Have you ever seen people in movies or on the streets having conversations in a foreign language and wondered, “How cool would it be to be one of those people who makes speaking in a different language look like one of the easiest things to do?” Credibility statement: Growing up, my middle school’s foreign language department only taught one language, Spanish, and we only had one teacher, who taught us the same lessons every year.
Language is the main way to communicate with others, and when a foreigner comes to a new country, the communication is the major thing he has to deal with. According to the text, “the first is so obvious it hardly needs mentioning-language. Vocabulary, syntax, idioms, slang, dialects, and so on, all cause difficulties, but the person struggling with a different language is at least aware when he is in this kind of trouble” (p. 69). Language is an obvious blockade in a cross-culture communication, because of the different grammar, words, slang, and so on. If a person knew the language of that country, at least he could know when he is in the trouble and what kind of the trouble, and I perceive this as the most important thing, to be able to understand. The difficulty of learning a language, is not only know the vocabulary and syntax, but the actual meaning of the sentences. I totally agree with this stumbling block of cross- culture communication, due to my experience of being an international student who studies in another country. When I wanted to come to the
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” This quote was once said by the late, great South African leader, Nelson Mandela. He learned the Afrikaans language while he was in prison in order to communicate with the white Afrikaner guards. Mandela was imprisoned for standing up against the apartheid government that was committing human rights violations against black South Africans. Fellow prisoners were deeply offended when they heard Mandela speaking the language of their oppressors, but in Mandela's mind, Afrikaners are still Africans, he believes that they are still people of his country, and he really wanted to understand them. Learning the language played an important role in Mandela's walk to freedom. It is evident in his case that learning other languages can be very beneficial, and very rewarding. Today, knowing how to speak, read, and write in languages other than the native tongue gives that person an advantage over those who don't.
Encountering another a person who speaks another language in the course of one’s lifetime is simply inevitable. Despite the arguments regarding requiring a foreign language in high schools as pointless or a waste of time, being able to speak multiple languages can prove to be very beneficial throughout one’s lifetime. Opposers of requiring a foreign language for
When a child is exposed to a new language, their view on other countries and their cultures will broaden. Also, studying a foreign language can make a child smarter. Grasping a new language will make communication with people from other countries easier in the future. However, incorporating
Humans have constantly struggled to find an effective way to communicate with others. In order to institute trade, communicate with native cultures, and spread ideology, man has created lingua franca. In its essence, a lingua franca is a nonnative tongue used between speakers of dissimilar dialects in order to communicate effectively. Though a lingua franca has been used from ancient history to modern era, recently, the concept of an international lingua franca has become popular; it is a language that could be spoken by the general public, regardless of their financial state or theological standpoint. Proponents assert that an international lingua franca would allow individuals to overcome their social, political, and economical norms, by increasing communication among the various branches of society. Opponents to lingua franca argue that multilingualism is invaluable. They consider a natural language as one’s birthright, and the gateway to one’s culture. Even global institutions, such as the United Nations, promote an International Mother Language Day each year to encourage the use of one’s heritage language. The most common solution is to have a coordination of the two, with individuals first learning their native dialects, and then proceed to learn another if they wish to communicate with foreign ethnicities; however, a better alternative is available. The basic idea for an international lingua franca would be neither a mandate to learn a new language and forgo your heritage, or the call to take on a single language without acknowledging your original culture and background. An international lingua franca would solve the international problem of communication. It is readily accessible, could be spoken by any culture, and allow...
The increasing impact of globalization has, in recent years, caused a significant shift in the goals of foreign language education from communicative competence to a requirement for intercultural communicative competence (Byram, 1997). He defined intercultural competence as the ability to establish and maintain relations with members of other culture but not necessarily linked to foreign language proficiency while intercultural communicative competence implies that the learner can do this in a foreign language (Helm & Guth, 2010). However, in a traditional language classroom, the focus of language teaching is to develop reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. If the focus on language teaching is to improve this set of
This competence is crucial for today’s fast-pacing global world and it is complementing perfectly the global mindset competence. Being able to initiate as well as keep good relationship with different people is helpful from professional and personal points of view. In professional context it will help to work in multicultural environment more efficiently and in personal context will give new amazing people with different points of view, backgrounds and boost curiosity and global mindset competence. As I mentioned before, my life abroad gave me a lot of new amazing people from all over the world. They all helped me to discover new countries and cultures, showed that everything in this world is relative, that the status quo isn’t a right thing in many situations and so on. I think, my knowledge of languages helped me to score high in relationship interest competence. Being able to speak with people in their own language is helping to break a barrier between us. As I also mentioned, language is a source of culture and it is useful to know when dealing with different
Being multilingual has great importance. As previously presented, it keeps cultural diversity alive and creates better communication with the rest of the ...
America, a country built on immigration dating back to the early 1600s Mayflower voyage, continues to thrive as a melting pot full of various cultures and ethnics. In the past, many immigrants came to America due to the offered freedoms and equality, yet today, many naturalized citizens suffer with injustices, including with educational practices. The use of bilingual education, which is teaching students in both English and their native language, has become a controversial topic. In 1968, the Bilingual Education Act, which recognized and offered education to students who were lacking English, was passed, yet the topic still seems questionable to some. Bilingual education provides a variety of beneficial attributes to equally help foreigners
() Moreover, people who are learning foreign languages develop self-confidence. Multilingual people tend to attract people because of their skills. You can overcome your fears and doubts, become more intelligent, meet new interesting people and travel to places you would have never dared to visit before. This means that if you learn foreign languages, this is likely to improve your ability to solve financial difficulties, for example.