BEING MULTILINGUAL

The very first thing which came in my mind when I thought of writing about this topic was my childhood experience. Because of army background I spent my childhood with people from all over the country and hence developed understanding for many languages. I remember learning counting in Tamil, singing songs in Manipuri, performing on various tribal songs during my school days. Sanskrit was a compulsory subject till class 9th so I learned to read that too. My acquaintance with these languages somehow helped me learn better about cultures of various states of our country. Hence I feel comfortable with people speaking different languages and following different religion as compared to my counterparts.

I feel sad when I find people arguing about use of a particular language. I personally believe one should be proudly use his or her mother tongue but should not hesitate learning other languages because learning a language goes beyond memorizing words and basic grammar rules.

Speaking one language is a basic human need, but speaking more than one opens a new world of possibilities. As we grow up, we learn to master the language(s) of our culture(s), but the older we get, the more options we discover for expanding our voice and being multilingual

When talking about the benefits of being multilingual, most people think of the basic perks – the convenience one faces when visiting other places and the advantages of communicating with the local population in other countries. However, the benefits of being a multilingual are far more. Multilingualism has been shown to have several social, psychological and career advantages. Moreover, recent studies show several health benefits that arise from speaking more than one language.

Here is a list of some of the benefits you have of being a multilingual:

· Improves Communication Skills: This is a given fact – the more languages you know, it becomes easier to talk to people, which consequently improves your communication skills. You can also get around many countries by actually speaking the language and experience the place like a local.

· Multi-tasking: Since multilingual people can easily switch between different languages they are good at multi-tasking as well.

· Boosts your confidence: Well this one’s an obvious one! When you know more languages you ought to become more open-minded and presentable. Your self-esteem and confidence gets a boost and you can reach out to a wider group of people. As your confidence improves you also become a better decision-maker.

· Heightened Linguistic Recognition: Knowing multiple languages makes your resume stand out and can improve your competitiveness in the job market.

· Superior Executive Functioning: Many studies show that those who speak a second or third language are more likely to be less distracted and more focused on tasks.

· Attuned to their surroundings: The cognitive benefits of being a multilingual affect both kids and adults. Children as young as seven months who are exposed to more than one language tend to better adjust to environmental changes.

· Increased Career Opportunities: Speaking multiple languages has numerous employment benefits. Being multilingual means there are more job opportunities depending on the languages you speak. Several companies, especially the ones that have offices in different countries are now considering multilingualism a high priority.

· Delays the onset of Alzheimer’s /Dementia: Being multilingual has proven to have positive effects on the brain.

· Improves Memory: Studies have shown that people who speak multiple languages have better attention which has a positive impact on the memory skills of the person.

· Multiple Languages multiplies perspectives: One of the benefits of being multilingual is that you can see the world in different ways. This usually makes them more open-minded to new things and new experiences.

· Increases ability to learn additional Languages: A great benefit of being multilingual is that you can learn new additional languages more easily than monolingual. This is primarily because language skills reinforce each other. So if you already have a second language, then learning a third language simply means transferring those skills over.

After reading this, you must have been convinced that you need to learn a new language. Start learning a new language today and discover the great benefits of being a multilingual!

--ARTI SOOD