Learning a new language has many perks. It helps make you a more globally aware citizen and is often an appreciated gesture by non-English speakers.
It frustrates me that the popular image of America is of monolingual English speakers. Many Americans speak a second or third language, but abroad the stereotype persists. English is business language but it ranks fourth in the most popular languages of the world. When exchange students come to the United States, it is expected that they speak English, and the same rule should apply to Americans studying abroad.
Other countries start foreign language education in preschool and kindergarten, but for many American students, learning another language is optional. Not all high schools require a second language to graduate, and not all colleges require a second language for admittance.
Unfortunately, with the fall of the economy, foreign language programs are being cut. It is hard to find native-speaking teachers, but ask foreign language students and they will tell you the many perks.
I began studying Spanish in seventh grade and continue to this day. I had a teacher who told me that everything in Spanish is easy. To this day when I find myself struggling with a strange grammatical concept, I remind myself that it is easy. I like talking to myself as I drive or while in the shower. My roommates enjoy when I speak Spanish around the apartment because I become more animated.
Speaking Spanish has had great payoffs. I love that I can hide the fact that I am American. When I was in Spain, I convinced a group of kids that I was Swiss after Switzerland beat Spain in the world cup. The kids started singing the national anthem and I loved how they believed I was European.
I was working at my mom’s shop one summer when a group of tourists from Barcelona came in. Their English was shaky at best, but after I said “hola,” relief flooded their faces.
Nothing about learning a new language is easy. We learn language because we have been surrounded by it from birth and had to learn to speak to communicate. For some of us it is hard to learn from a text book. Most people do not like grammar drills, spending hours learning how to write new characters or conjugating verbs, but the seemingly lame drills have real-world payoffs. The present tense is a great jumping off point, but those strange tenses are going to come in handy for intense philosophical debates or avoiding sounding like a complete gringo.
One of the hardest things about learning a language is speaking in front of a native speaker. Sure, it is easy to speak with your friends in class because they are making the same mistakes. Native speakers appear to have flawless accents and an unlimited vocabulary. They may be intimidating, but they make the best teachers and most are willing to slow down and try to help you out.
For anyone looking to study abroad or expand their world view go to a non-English speaking country. It is a risk, and you may find that the language barrier is a huge obstacle to overcome, but by learning and using the language of the people your education will be richer.
