<p>There’s an intangible of changing from being quite so “ethnocentric.” By necessity, learning another language well allows you to get a better feel for what another culture is like, just by what words and expressions they have compared to the culture you grew up with. It helps humanize our world and make it more interesting.</p>
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<p>I’d say these are quite practical uses! They may not be put into practice all that often, but they are quite useful when they are. Just watch more French movies, and buy more French books.</p>
<p>Kei,</p>
<p>Well, my knowledge of Spanish led me to meeting my then future H while on a summer study abroad in 1976. Last week we celebrated 33 years of (mostly) wedded bliss. Both kids are dual nationals, the older one living/working in H’s country, the younger likely to follow. She is doing SA there now. I have been the unofficial liason for my school’s Hispanic community for 16 years.</p>
<p>It was my Spanish-speaking friends in college who opened my world to soccer. For me there have been many practical uses for learning a FL. I have also been able to use my French in Montreal and France.</p>
<p>I teach French and Spanish in High School. It is my sincere belief that learning other languages is extremely important. When we learn language, we learn culture. Too much war has been waged and continues to be waged because of intolerance to and lack of understanding of other cultures. For us to assume that the whole world should speak English and that we can get by with only knowing English just propagates the notion that our culture (whatever that may be…) is the only valuable one. That is so dangerous! Remember the Ugly Americans? The real practical value of learning other languages is that it may help us on the road to world understanding and world peace. All of the other benefits are also important-- more and better respect and understanding for English, job opportunities, sports, etc. Very important stuff. But my main feeling is that if we understand others on their terms, and not just on our own, we have a chance at fixing some of the ills that plague us.</p>
<p>I was just at a meeting at a client’s high end restaurant. The client is central american; the broker is south american. They were all speaking Spanish to the entire staff. English was spoken only because of me. It would have impressed their socks off had I been fluent in Spanish.</p>
<p>Our firm has developed a niche practice representing central and south americans who have been the victims of Ponzi schemes. The attorneys involved are native Spanish speakers. Within that niche is a sub-niche of Jewish central and south american investors and we have a Jewish Mexican guy working with them.</p>
<p>It does open doors. Because I knew French, I was able to get a research internship, as an undergrad, with the lab that’s building the world’s first computational model of the human cortex (the lab is in Switzerland). My supervisor there, an Italian expat, actually preferred to speak to me in English, but I would still have had trouble if I didn’t have some competence in French - my landlord spoke only a few words of English, the cashiers at the grocery stores spoke little to no English, the cook at my favorite sandwich shop spoke no English, etc.</p>
<p>Also, I find that learning foreign languages helps with understanding your own. Foreign languages, and the comparing of, for example, French, with English, have greatly improved my understanding of grammar, which has improved my ability to write in English.</p>
<p>It has also allowed me to read some great works of literature in their original languages, rather than translated versions - there are a lot of things that just don’t come across in most translations.</p>
<p>Even if you don’t live in an area with many immigrants, you may end up working for a business that has offices in areas with many immigrants, or in other countries, or that works with immigrants or international populations.</p>
<p>It’s been said</p>
<p>to speak 3 languages - one is tri-lingual
to speak 2 languages - one is bi-lingual</p>
<p>to speak 1 language–you are an american!</p>
<p>too true–glad my kiddos are studying</p>
<p>1 is studying chinese</p>
<p>the other studied latin
(and when we lived overseas–this kiddo had a great ear for every language we “lived in” —one slavic, —one arabic and one romance based) so hoping that kiddo studies a second language for the love of it</p>
<p>A foreign language will be useful if you’ll want it to be. It’s your responsibility to look out for opportunities to immerse yourself in the language environment. There are always films, tv channels, music, books, magazines, newspapers, etc. that you can pick up, if only to get a different taste of the world. There’s travel, and then there are jobs. Where I live, at least, you always see job postings in various fields that require French, Spanish or Portuguese. I’ve also seen German, Dutch (!), Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, etc.</p>
<p>My husband needed specifically German for grad school in engineering…it was a requirement. And now my son has decided to become fluent in German (he had six years in jr high/HS) so he could go into a career with the state department…so his college degree requires fluency and he will be doing several things…Jr. year abroad and summer immersion and will graduate in International Affairs. But he would not have considered any of this after his first few years of German…this decision came as he found he could converse in the language by his Jr. year in HS. And it will open a lot of doors in business too. He may be first hired by the various international companies. He is also now not afraid to pick up more languages.</p>
<p>Learning any language (even if not to the point of fluency) teaches you something more about your own language. Knowing just a little German can help with terms in music, knowing a little French helps with ballet terms, traveling is more fun, even if they speak English–you can read signs, menus and other things that are not always in English. Besides just being a more well-rounded person and more aware of another language and culture I think it is really embarrassing that we Americans tend to speak only one language while others (such as those in Europe) may know 2 or 3 pretty well before they are out of high school. Since some of our own words are derived from other languages it’s also interesting to know what they mean. Ever know anyone with a German last name? You can usually figure out what their last name means and that’s interesting. Once you know and are aware of another language you’ll be surprised just how many opportunities you have to use it even though you thought nobody in your area really speaks that language. You’ll find things in books, on TV and run into people who speak that language and before you might have just been oblivious.</p>
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<p>Often this means they have a specific (foreign) candidate they want to hire, and have to make the advertisement restrictive enough so that ‘no qualified American’ applies for it.</p>
<p>Living in Miami its near impossible to get a job without knowing Spanish. It makes me a much strong job candidate and also I am treated better in places when I go. I’d say 75% of my conversations are in Spanish.</p>
<p>There are a lot of foreign companies here (mine is the one) and there are businesses in other countries. Google translation or professional translation by somebody who does not know business usually is rejected.</p>
<p>From the University of Northern Iowa</p>
<p>[Why</a> Study Foreign Languages?](<a href=“http://www.uni.edu/modlangs/main/WhyStudyLang.shtml]Why”>http://www.uni.edu/modlangs/main/WhyStudyLang.shtml)</p>
<p>*Here are fifteen things studying a new language might do for you. Language study</p>
<ol>
<li>broadens your experiences; expands your view of the world</li>
<li>encourages critical reflection on the relation of language and culture, language and thought; fosters an understanding of the interrelation of language and human nature</li>
<li>develops your intellect; teaches you how to learn</li>
<li>teaches and encourages respect for other peoples</li>
<li>contributes to cultural awareness and literacy, such as knowledge of original texts</li>
<li>builds practical skills (for travel or commerce or as a tool for other disciplines)</li>
<li>improves the knowledge of your own language through comparison and contrast with the foreign language</li>
<li>exposes you to modes of thought outside of your native language</li>
<li> a sense of relevant past, both cultural and linguistic
<ol>
<li> balances content and skill (rather than content versus skill)</li>
<li> expands opportunities for meaningful leisure activity (travel, reading, viewing foreign language films)</li>
<li>contributes to achievemnet of national goals, such as eceonomic development or national security</li>
<li>contributes to the creation of your personality</li>
<li>enables the transfer of training (such as learning a second foreign language)</li>
<li>preserves (or fosters) a country’s image as a cultured nation</li>
</ol></li>
</ol>
<p>The above modified from Alan C. Frantz, “Seventeen Values of Foreign Language Study” (ADFL Bulletin, vol. 28, Nr.1, Fall 1996). *</p>
<p>if you are an entrepreneur the more languages the better! if you are a business person is very helpful. And, I think being fluent in another language will give you more options for jobs. On another note, being fluent in another language exposes one to a different culture. One becomes a global citizen. In our family, we are raising our youngest one to be fluent in four languages. Our oldest one is only tri-lingual.</p>
<p>S. is in the army and will begin active duty after graduation next year. By then he will have had 8 semesters of Arabic. Don’t know if that will translate to fluency, but at this point (jr year) he can converse slowly but adequately. With Iraq (hopefully) winding down, don’t know if it will be of use at all. Now they’re probably looking for pashto, urdo, farsi, etc.</p>
<p>There’s nothing sweeter than the sound of words being spoken in your own Mother-tongue. </p>
<p>This is emphasized to me when I speak in Japanese with my Japanese colleagues or in individual regional languages with Indian colleagues across the Atlantic.</p>
<p>It builds an instant bond, you reach a common-ground right at the outset! It’s been incredibly helpful in establishing a strong collaboration… with the added bonus of its benefits when you travel for work or pleasure.</p>
<p>In today’s global environment, we collaborate with branch offices in various parts of the world on a daily basis. Being able to speak in another language can prove to be an incredible asset at work.</p>
<p>My daughter received a grant to do medical research in a part of Africa where French is the primary language. I have no doubt that being able to speak the language fluently added weight to her grant application.</p>