The study abroad experience is more than just what you learn in the classroom. It’s about the cultural immersion, meeting people from all over the world, the opportunity to explore corners of the world previously unknown and broadening your knowledge of the world we
The study abroad experience is more than just what you learn in the classroom. It’s about the cultural immersion, meeting people from all over the world, the opportunity to explore corners of the world previously unknown and broadening your knowledge of the world we live in. One great way to enhance your study abroad experience is to learn a foreign language. Whether it’s the native language of your study abroad destination or a language you’ve been dying to learn for years, there are numerous benefits to learning a foreign language that won’t just enrich your time away studying abroad, but will in fact stay with you for years to come.
It improves your communication skills
Starting off with the most obvious point first, speaking a foreign language aids your communication skills. Making an attempt to learn a foreign language goes a long way, especially when you are travelling or living in the country. You will constantly try to figure out the clearest way to convey what you mean and over time, you will find you’re communicating more succinctly and more effectively. Being more creative with your vocabulary and using different ways to express yourself will dramatically develop how you communicate on a daily basis. Learning a language also makes you a better listener as you have to listen more intently to what another person is saying. In a world where people fight to get a word in edgeways, being a good listener is often an underestimated but hugely valuable skill.
It is a huge learning curve
When you’re faced with the language barrier and you’re unsure of how to say something in the language of choice, you have to come up with different ways to confront and overcome it. Is there another way you can say it? Can you describe it? If all else fails, can you mime it? Language learning embodies the age old cliché of thinking outside the box. The constant challenge of breaking through the language barrier means your brain goes into overdrive, thinking up new tactics and solutions to resolve the communication breakdown. Learning a foreign language improves more skills than purely interpersonal - it develops your decision making, your perceptive skills, your problem-solving and much, much more.
It deepens your cultural understanding
Once you start getting to grips with a language, you have a more profound understanding of its culture. Language is a huge component of what makes a society, a culture or a country tick and discovering their colloquialisms and expressions are a doorway to comprehending their customs, traditions and sense of humour. You can also access the media, the arts and social media without hav