Updated on October 8, 2024
The pros and cons of learning a new language
People learn languages for a variety of different reasons – from travel to jobs to just plain fun and interest.
Regardless of your reason, it’s pretty clear there are a lot of pros and cons of learning a new language.
For many, it opens doors to opportunities and connects them to a whole new culture. But have you ever thought about the cons (sounds strange, doesn’t it)? While they may be harder to spot, there can actually be some disadvantages to becoming multilingual.
Join us as we examine the pros and cons of learning a new language!
A notable benefit of language learning is making new connections. The more languages you know, the more people you can communicate with, whether you’re moving to a new country, attending an international school or using social media.
Knowing another language will let you make new friends and share ideas and viewpoints with people you may have never met if you’d only stuck with your mother tongue.
Gaining different perspectives and learning new ways of thinking from people of other cultures is an incredibly valuable part of knowing multiple languages.
What are the disadvantages of learning a foreign language?
In some cases, especially for younger people, learning a second language comes at the cost of ignoring your first which can be considered a negative of learning a second language.
For example, if you’ve moved to a new place and you have to communicate in a different language most of the time (except maybe at home), you might end up neglecting your first language.
Since language is strongly connected to your cultural identity, this might result in feeling as though you don’t have as much of a connection to your culture anymore.
There’s nothing more disappointing than finding an advert for a job that would be perfect for you, only to realize you don’t meet the language requirements.
By simply knowing a second language, you’ll open the door to new job opportunities.
On top of that, some studies have shown that bilingual employees are more likely to be promoted, and often earn more money than staff who only know one language. Make sure to include your language skilled on your resume when you apply!
You know you’ve gotten to another stage when learning a new language when you find it difficult to let your true personality shine through.
This is especially hard when your skills are still developing because you don’t have the vocabulary to express yourself as you would in your first language. This means you might not be able to show how truly clever, funny or caring you really are.
Even advanced speakers can face this personality challenge. Why? Because languages are all so unique.
For instance, your first language might have expressions or ideas that have developed from your country’s history and shared culture.
Those concepts and phrases may not exist in your second language, making it hard to say what you really mean when you’re speaking to people who come from different backgrounds.
Learning a new language (and then actually using it) involves a lot of creative thinking.
If you don’t know how to say something in your target language, you’ll have to think of another way to get your idea across – by using actions or imaginative descriptions, for example. In addition, people who know a second language are often better at coming up with creative solutions to problems.
Have you ever heard of “opportunity cost”?
It refers to . . . well, the cost of doing something you want to do (your opportunity). For example, the opportunity cost of enjoying an amazing concert is paying the price of the ticket.
But the cost isn’t always measured in money.
When it comes to learning a new language, one of the main costs is time. In other words, becoming bilingual takes a time commitment.
The time you could have spent doing something else, like catching up with friends, working overtime at your job to save money, or learning something else, like how to play the guitar. Everything has a price!
Did you know that learning a new language actually improves your brain function?
There’s powerful evidence that language learning actually increases your grey matter, improving your ability to remember, reason and solve problems.
Learning a language also helps preserve your brain’s white matter, meaning you can process information faster.
And guess what? By learning a new language, you can even help slow down dementia as you age. Amazing, isn’t it?
So here you are with the pros and cons of learning a new language. No matter what your reasons are for learning a new language, it will definitely have its successes and setbacks.
Ultimately, you have so much to gain by speaking more than one language. This quote by Ludwig Wittgenstein sums it up best:
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”
